Man Dies After Extreme Insect-Eating Contest
A 32-year-old man tragically died from choking after consuming dozens of live cockroaches during a competitive eating event in Florida. Edward Archbold of West Palm Beach collapsed and began vomiting shortly after the "Midnight Madness" promotional contest held at the Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach in 2012.
The Fatal Competition
The contest involved several rounds where participants ate different insects. According to Sarah Bernard, an entomology student at the University of Florida who attended, the final round required eating large cockroaches, each measuring three to four inches long. Edward Archbold was competing to win a python, which his girlfriend, Natasha Proffitt, said he planned to give to a friend. She confirmed he had eaten bugs before this fateful event.
No other illnesses were reported among the approximately 30 competitors. A county medical examiner, Craig T. Mallak, ruled the death was a result of "asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents". He explained to the Associated Press that the epiglottis, a flap meant to stop objects from entering the lungs, can fail, adding that video showed Archbold "trying to swallow and breathe at the same time."
Aftermath and Tributes
Shop owner Ben Siegel described Edward as the "life of the party" and said they felt "terribly awful". A lawyer representing the store stated all contestants had signed disclaimers accepting responsibility for their participation in the "unique and unorthodox contest".
Kim Crawford, co-owner of Busch Canvas & Interiors where Archbold had worked for four years, paid tribute to him, calling him a "smart, good guy" and a loyal friend, labelling his death a "tragedy".
Psychology professor Lou Manza suggested that people who partake in such extreme events "are looking for things to make life interesting" and to break up the monotony of everyday life.
