As The Inquisitrhas previously reported, Edward Archbold, a 32-year-old man from West Palm Beach, Florida, entered — and won — a live roach eating contest at Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach north of Miami in order to win a free python. The contest was part of the store’s “Midnight Madness” sale. Archbold, the man with the white headband, is shown in this YouTube video (see below) shot during the contest.

Archbold reportedly ate dozens of roaches, worms, and other insects during the four-minute contest on Friday night. He began to feel sick after ingesting the insects and started to vomit inside the store. Archbold later collapsed and was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Broward County authorities are waiting on the results of an autopsy before they announce the exact cause of death. The sheriff’s department has indicated that none of the other contestants in the roach eating contest got sick.

According to an expert interviewed by AP, the cockroaches in and of themselves may not have been 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. He said he has never heard of someone dying after consuming roaches.

“Some people do have allergies to roaches,” he added, “But there are no toxins in roaches or related insects.”

Watch the late Edward Archbold in the roach eating contest at the Ben Siegel Reptile Store:

Watch Edward Archbold Roach Eating Contest Video is a post from: The Inquisitr