Jeff "The Beast Man" Butler

He came from nowhere*. And the assembled throng at the New York-New York Hotel And Casino before the Las Vegas Qualifying Round of the 2013 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest had their questions. Who was this so-called Jeff "The Beast Man" Butler? How "Beast Man" was he, really? Could he eat? What kind of music does he like? Is he single? Can he waterski? The usual stuff. The contest exploded into action. Eat! Eat! An ecstasy of fumbling! Pundits and Erik "The Red" Denmark tipped MLE veteran Erik "The Red" Denmark to take the qualifier; experience counts in such matters. Vegas local Juan "More Bite" Rodriguez's support crew was loud, especially Juan's sister, Nicole, who is louder than anyone MLE has ever met ever. Pablo Martinez was viewed as the rookie to be feared. And then there was the Beast Man himself. He ate with a quiet determination that was more ballet than beast, each bite an expression of his art. His soul. At the conclusion, Jeff "The Beast Man" Butler: 31.5 Nathan's Famous hot dogs and buns. First place among men. His more-heralded rivals slunk into the Vegas dusk, broken. Broken and full. MLE recognizes Jeff "The Beast Man" Butler for breaking the top-10 in official rankings in his debut year. He is a reserved and polite young man, who serves his local community as a social worker. He is a man who has moneyed in gyoza and tamales. He is one to watch. * Phoenix, AZ.