Man consumed 30 giant cockroaches, vomited and collapsed at a reptile store.
A Florida man died October 5 at a Deerfield Beach reptile store after entering and winning a cockroach eating contest. The man had hopes of winning a female ivory ball python. The man, Edward Archbold, 32, consumed 30 giant cockroaches in four minutes, then threw up and collapsed. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to a report in the Miami Herald.
According to the report, 30 people participated in the contest, including a man who consumed 29 cockroaches. No other people who entered the contest got sick, and all signed a waiver stating that they were sober and were not allergic to shellfish, which the report says has similar allergens to cockroaches. An autopsy is pending although there is speculation that an allergic reaction to the cockroaches caused the man's death. Cockroach saliva and waste are known to cause allergies and have been documented to trigger asthma attacks. The grand prize will be given to the man's estate.
