Florida Man Edward Archbold Dies After Cockroach Eating Contest

A man died shortly after winning an insect eating contest in Florida, in which he consumed dozens of cockroaches and worms.

Edward Archbold, 32, from West Palm Beach, participated in the contest held at the Ben Siegel Reptile Store to win the grand prize, a Python.

Contestants were given four minutes to eat as many insects as possible. A statement from Broward Sherriff's Office said Archbold was not feeling well and began to regurgitate.

He then collapsed and was taken to Broward Health North, where he was later pronounced dead. None of the other contestants became ill after the competition.

Ben Siegel, owner of the reptile store, said: "Eddie was a super nice guy. Everyone here liked him. He was outgoing. He was the life of the party.

"We feel terribly awful. He looked like he just wanted to show off and was very nice."

A statement from Luke Lirot, who represents the store, said in a statement that all contestants signed waivers accepting responsibility for their participation in the "unorthodox contest".

It said: "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, said: "Unless the roaches were contaminated with some bacteria or other pathogens, I don't think that cockroaches would be unsafe to eat.

"Some people do have allergies to roaches, but there are no toxins in roaches or related insects."

Archbold's body has now been transported to the Broward Medical Examiner's Officer where they are waiting for test results to determine the cause of death.