A South Florida man died after participating in a live roach-eating contest held at Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach.
The Bugs for Balls competition, held on October 5, used live insects domestically raised for reptile food. The contestants who consumed the most bugs won ball pythons.
According to Yahoo, Edward Archibold was one of about 30 contestants who competed.
Shortly after eating the insects, Archibold collapsed in front of the store and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The contest was streamed live, and in the video, Archibold (far left in a yellow T-shirt), can be seen consuming discoid roaches with about a half dozen other people in the final heat at the 42:00 minute mark.
After the contest, Archibold seems to linger. The video can be seen after the jump.
Authorities are waiting for autopsy results to determine a cause of death.
Ben Siegel's Facebook page posted the following:
"We are all very sad at Ben Siegel reptiles about the passing of Eddie Barry (Archbold) We just met him the night of our sale but all liked him very much. He was outgoing and was fun and got the crowd very worked up and excited. We are sorry we will not get to know him better. We will keep everyone updated as we can. Please try to be respectful of Eddie's family as I am sure this is a very difficult time for them as well as everyone involved."
Attorney Luke Lirot, who has been retained by the reptile shop, issued the following statement:
"My firm has been retained to represent Ben Siegel and his business as it relates to the tragic death of Eddie Archbold, apparently also known as Eddie Barry to some. This matter is still under investigation, so I have instructed Mr. Siegel and his staff to refrain from making any comments to the media or anyone else other than law enforcement. Some facts that have come out include the fact that all participants in the contest were entirely aware of what they were doing and that they signed thorough waivers accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest.
The consumption of insects is widely accepted throughout the world, and the insects presented as part of the contest were taken from an inventory of insects that are safely and domestically raised in a controlled environment as food for reptiles. Once Mr. Archbold showed signs of distress, his companion represented that he had summoned emergency personnel and was going to immediately take him to the hospital. Moments later, Mr.Siegel made an independent call to 911 and Mr. Archbold was administered CPR. Mr. Siegel and his staff did all that anyone could to try and help Mr. Archbold, and they send out their deepest sympathy to the family. Any additional questions can be directed to my office. "
Follow @ CleanPlateBPB
