Man, 32, dies after winning live roach-eating contest in Florida

wfgodot

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Man dies after live roach-eating contest in Florida (AP)
The winner of a roach-eating contest in South Florida died shortly after downing dozens of the live bugs as well as worms, authorities said Monday.
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Edward Archbold, 32, of West Palm Beach became ill shortly after the contest ended and collapsed in front of the store.. Authorities were waiting for results of an autopsy to determine a cause of death.
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None of the other contestants became ill, the sheriff's office said.
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"We feel terribly awful," said store owner Ben Siegel, who added that Archbold did not appear to be sick before the contest. "He looked like he just wanted to show off and was very nice," Siegel said, adding that Archbold was "the life of the party."
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the rest at the link above

Possibly should be in forum entitled, "News that makes you grimace."
 
An entomologist says it should be safe. Wonder if he was allergic or doped up.
 
I just came on to share this myself - I feel quite incredulous.

Worryingly, there is a video of the contest. I couldn't actually see any live insects (I was squinting with my hand over my eyes though) so it should be reasonably safe to watch.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JIwKd8EClY&feature=player_embedded"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JIwKd8EClY&feature=player_embedded[/ame]

I would like to know what that is all over his tshirt and whether that had anything to do with his demise.

I believe this chap and the man who was knocked down and killed whilst dressed as Bigfoot should be fine contestants for the Darwin Awards

http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/
 
Maybe he caught a bug. :waitasec:

What a horrible situation for his loved ones. Dying of something else may be unavoidable but if he died of ingesting live insects that is a completely pointless death.
 
:eek: Bizarro world!
 
I wondered if he were doped up before the contest also. In the article it says he was the life of the party (possibly drunk or high?). Sad, that you lose your life over something so trivial and stupid...and for what? To win a python.
 
Yuck!
Wonder if he swallowed the roaches whole and didn't chew them? Roaches might have caused internal bleeding...or a allergic reaction like tsvicki said.
 
When I read this story, I thought he may have ingested toxic pesticide residues from the roaches. However, these roaches were food for the creatures from the pet shop. Seems strange the others didn't get sick either.
 
Of all the things to be doing a few minutes before dying, this would definitely be at the bottom of my list.
 
Watching that video it wouldn't surprise me he died of asphyxiation and blocked his airway. Sometimes adults need adult supervision. Donno what that was on his shirt. My dog has better sense.
 
His body was taken to the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office, and investigators with the Broward Sheriff’s Office are awaiting an autopsy report to determine what killed him.

The store owner said it wasn’t the food.

BBM

The “Midnight Madness” bug contest was the first one at Ben Siegel Reptiles on West Hillsboro Road, although an employee said “customers or close friends will eat them all the time as a dare.” Renee, who declined to give her last name, said she has also eaten bugs.

“The horn worm kind of tastes like a melon, but it has a sweet flavor. Crickets don’t really taste like anything, and meal worms have a kind of nutty flavor,” she said. “I’ve eaten the roaches too, but just the baby ones.”

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/09/3040873/man-dies-after-winning-roach-eating.html

There is another video on there of someone else eating one on a previous occasion- no amount of squinting or peering through fingers could hide the insect eating in that one - you have been warned!
 
I read somewhere where a witness aid he wasn't chewing them. So possible they caused some damage to his internal organs??
 
Watching that video it wouldn't surprise me he died of asphyxiation and blocked his airway. Sometimes adults need adult supervision. Donno what that was on his shirt. My dog has better sense.

I'm with you. Bet he needed to vomit, was fighting it, and they came up and blocked his airway. Add alcohol on top of that . . .
 
My only "almost swallowed a roach" experience occurred when I was in college and living in, basically, a dive on the third floor of an ancient apartment building; lying on the floor watching TV and drinking beer from a bottle, I took a gulp, and - yep, a roach had fallen in the beer. Managed not to swallow all the way, coughed up roach. MY GOD.
 
Wfgodot! Similar experience here! Except my experience was in a car. I left an open can of coke in the drink holder in my car while I went into a store for a minute. Except - I left the sunroof open and I guess the roach crawled in through that, and then into my can of soda! I still have nightmares about that incident and it happened over 15 years ago! I live in Florida - need I say more? The roaches here are the size of some small dogs!
 
Wfgodot! Similar experience here! Except my experience was in a car. I left an open can of coke in the drink holder in my car while I went into a store for a minute. Except - I left the sunroof open and I guess the roach crawled in through that, and then into my can of soda! I still have nightmares about that incident and it happened over 15 years ago! I live in Florida - need I say more? The roaches here are the size of some small dogs!
Yes, that apartment of mine bred some truly impressive specimens, i.e. ones who could sling a fried chicken leg across their shoulders and strut off with it, whistling. Well, not really but I wouldn't have been surprised to turn on the kitchen light some night and see that occurring.
 
The store owner said "It wasn't the FOOD"?

Roaches are not FOOD. Not in America anyway!
 

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