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Video: Man Dies After Winning Cockroach-Eating Contest
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 9, 2012
Modified Oct 9, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 9, 2012
Modified Oct 9, 2012
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A cautionary tale for anyone considering entering a cockroach or worm-eating contest: A Florida man died shortly after winning just such a contest outside a reptile store in Deerfield Beach, Florida—about 40 miles north of Miami. The winner, Edward Archbold, 32, collapsed at the store minutes after eating dozens of roaches and worms to win the contest on Friday night. The prize was a python, but Archbold would not live long enough to collect. Here's video of Archbold in action during the contest:
The owner of the pet store, Ben Siegel Reptiles, made participants sign a waiver declaring they are not on drugs and do not have allergies to food such as shellfish, which contain similar allergens to roaches. At this point the cause of death remains unclear. An attorney for the reptile store says, "The consumption of insects is widely accepted throughout the world, and the insects presented as part of the contest were taken from an inventory of insects that are safely and domestically raised in a controlled environment as food for reptiles."
Michael Adams, professor of entomology at the University of California at Riverside, says he's never heard of someone dying after consuming roaches. "Unless the roaches were contaminated with some bacteria or other pathogens, I don't think that cockroaches would be unsafe to eat," Adams tells the AP. "Some people do have allergies to roaches, but there are no toxins in roaches or related insects."
For more, we turn to these local newscasters who can barely conceal their smirks in reporting this man's death:
Tagged
cockroaches
Competitive Eating
reptiles
roaches
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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