Edward Archbold, the winner of a cockroach-eating competition, died shortly after eating dozens of the live insects and worms in Florida, authorities have said.
Edward Archbold, 32, became ill and collapsed at a pet shop where the contest took place in the city of Deerfield Beach on Friday.
About 30 others competed in the event at the Ben Siegel Reptile Store.
Officials are waiting for the results of an autopsy to determine Edward Archbold’s cause of death.
None of the other contestants became ill afterwards, the sheriff’s office said.
“We feel terribly awful,” said Ben Siegel, the owner of the shop.
“He looked like he just wanted to show off and was very nice,” he said, adding that Edward Archbold did not appear to be ill before the competition.
A lawyer for Ben Siegel said all the contestants had signed disclaimers “accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest”.
The grand prize for the winner was a python, and Edward Archbold had planned to sell the snake to a friend who took him to the contest, according to the shop owner.
