Florida man dies after winning cockroach-eating contest

Deerfield Beach, FL, United States (4E) – A 32-year-old man from West Palm Beach consumed dozens of live bugs and worms Friday to win a python at a Florida reptile store, then collapsed and died moments after the contest ended.

According to authorities, Edward Archbold, along with around 30 contestants, joined the “Midnight Madness” event at Ben Siegel Reptiles in Deerfield Beach with the goal of eating as many insects and worms as they could, with the winner to bring home a python worth $850.

Archbold, who vomited and broke down a few minutes outside the store, was taken to the North Broward Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

No other participants fell ill, the sheriff’s office said.

It is reported that the insects came from an inventory of insects that were raised in a safe and controlled environment as reptile food.

Siegel’s attorney said that all the participants signed waivers “accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest.”

The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office is waiting for autopsy results to determine the cause of Archbold’s death.

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