On Friday night, some thirty people participated in a live cockroach eating contest at a reptile shop in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Edward Archibold, who shop owner Ben Siegel described as "the life of the party," reportedly "dominated" the competition, downing dozens of the live insects in a matter of minutes. Archibold claimed first place, and was awarded with an ivory-ball python.Then, tragically, he died.
According to the Associated Press, none of the other contestants fell ill following the contest, and authorities are still waiting on autopsy results to determine the cause of death.
"Unless the roaches were contaminated with some bacteria or other pathogens, I don't think that cockroaches would be unsafe to eat," said Michael Adams, professor of entomology at the University of California at Riverside, in an interview with the AP. "Some people do have allergies to roaches," he added, "but there are no toxins in roaches or related insects."
Below is a screenshot, taken from a video of Edward (on the left, wearing a headband) shot during the competition. You'll find the video in full over on YouTube. Fair warning: Edward is not shown dying on film, but this footage was captured immediately prior to his passing. It's not overtly macabre, but it's morbid, nonetheless.
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