The PCRM has produced a video promoting its proposed ban on competitive eating.
Sun-Sentinel reports that the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has requested that Broward County, Florida, site of a recent insect eating contest fatality, ban eating contests and restaurants' eating challenges. update The Great Escape theme park in Queensbury, NY is holding a cockroach eating contest tomorrow.
The Keynan Daily post reports that a 72 year old man lost consciousness for 10 minutes after competing in a porridge eating contest held in Mombasa. (via Olabode)
Jell-O Pudding Prix violates MLE safety standards
The MLE facebook announces the Jell-O Pudding Prix, where the public will submit videos in which they attempt to best the times for eating a cup of pudding posted by five ranked MLE eaters. (No prizes are listed.)
This competition appears to be in complete violation of the Major League Eating safety standards which are posted at http://www.ifoce.com/safety.php
MLE will not sanction or promote any events that do not adhere to the highest safety regulations. MLE believes that speed eating is only suitable for those 18 years of age or older and only in a controlled environment with appropriate rules and with an emergency medical technician present.
MLE is against at-home training of any kind. MLE strongly discourages younger individuals from eating for speed or quantity under any circumstances. MLE urges all interested parties to become involved in sanctioned events — do not try speed eating home.
Presumably “at” should be the second to last word of the above paragraph.
update Oct 12 CKKraft calls the Pudding Prix a “huge advertising mistake”
Eating / Drinking contest deaths, updated Oct 2012
Previous edition of list (last updated Dec 2009)
1983 North Carolina Marine dies in donut eating contest at the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station
1999 Chicago, a 12 year old school girl dies playing “Chubby Bunny” in an unsupervised classroom. The goal of “Chubby Bunny” is to say “Chubby Bunny” after stuffing one’s mouth with as many marshmallows as possible.
2002 Japan, school boy dies in cafeteria after attempting a stunt seen on a televised eating contest.
2004 Canada man dies after choking in chicken wing eating contest held at Regina bar.
2004 Japan, housewife dies in bread eating contest in Fukusaki, Hyogo Prefecture
2006 Canada, woman dies in “Chubby Bunny” contest held at Ontario fair
2007 Sacramento, woman dies of water intoxication after competing in a bladder endurance contest sponsored by a radio station.
2007 India, man (believed to be epileptic) dies from breathing complications in an idli eating contest
2008 Wales, man dies in unplanned post party cupcake contest to use up left over buffet food. Articles about the contest do not make it clear if the contest was a mouth-stuffing contest or a speed eating contest
2008 Taiwan graduate student dies after victory in a steamed bun eating contest
2008 India, engineer at Nokia Siemens of India chokes after making a pastry eating bet at a company party.
2009 Kaliningrad, Russia Boris Isaev chokes in pancake eating contest
2009 Hyderabad, India Bandu Joshi dies after stuffing 6 laddus into his mouth
2010 Phetchchaburi, Thailand 66 year old Hing Laichan dies after choking in noodle eating contest
2010 San Pedro, California 13 year old Noah Akers choked on a hot dog topped with whipped cream at a fundraiser for Haiti
2011 Tokmak, Ukraine 77 year old Ivan Mendel wins dumpling eating contest, then dies
2011 Timonium, Maryland (near death experience) Michael Solano lacks a pulse for four minutes after choking at a crab cake eating contest, then recovers after hospitalization
2012 Deerfield Beach, Florida Eddy Archbold dies after winning an insect eating contest held at a reptile store
Eddy Archbold dies after winning bug eating contest in Deerfield Beach, FL
update Oct 9 The reptile store has posted a statement from its attorney on its facebook page
Urban Jungles Radio was present at the contest and recorded a podcast
Palm Beach Post article | interview with Eddy Archbold’s girlfriend
Miami Herald article
Local10 article and news video
CBSMiami news video
update Oct 8 The AP has an article which has been picked up by numerous outlets.
BuzzFeed has a thread
“The governing body of all stomach centric sports” may not be the optimal motto because it implicitly makes incidents like this IFOCE/MLE’s responsibility.
Six Flags amusement parks are holding a series of cockroach eating contests awarding a season pass (these might be cancelled due to the death) Texas | Maryland | Chicago
Topix.com has a thread about the death of Eddy Archbold after winning a roach eating contest held at Ben Siegel’s Reptiles in Deerfield Beach, FL Friday night. A post on the store’s facebook page says it currently lacks any details about the incident. (announcement for the contest) update The store’s UStream channel has a video of the contest (starts around 2 hour mark) in which there are no obvious signs of distress. Another video has been uploaded to youtube, but is now private. Pretty Ninjaa’s twitter feed has tweets about the incident.
Stephanie Torres' appearance on Friday's episode of The Doctors can be viewed online: Introduction | X-ray examination | watermelon eating contest
Stephanie Torres appeared on today's episode of The Doctors, titled "The Health Secrets of Guinness World Record Holders". Recapo has a summary of her appearance. Her appearance closed with a 30 second watermelon eating contest.
The Lowell Sun has an article about Saoheng Young, who is working with the staff of Middlesex Community College in his goal to lose 120 pounds.
Joel "The Cannon" Podelsky announces that his weight has dropped from 275 to 205 pounds after starting a weight-loss regimen on March 10, 2012.
The American Meat Institute has a blog entry defending hot dogs, but not necessarily hot dog eating contests: "There is no doubt that if you eat 68 hot dogs or any food in one sitting, it isn’t good for you, so we will leave that obvious story alone."
The new poll asks what is your opinion on intentional post-contest / challenge "reversals of fortune".
The Washingtonian has an interview with Dr. Robynne Chutkan, an gastroenterologist at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital about the negative health consequences of competitive eating. (The article says the women's Nathan's finals lasted 45 minutes when the actual duration was 10 minutes. )
Deadspin has a blog entry about Ed "Cookie" Jarvis' retirement from competitive eating and subsequent weight loss.
The Daily Herald has an article about Jacob Larry auditioning for NBC's The Biggest Loser. He brought a trophy, a giant check and 40 competitive eating T-shirts to the audition and said he intended to make changes in his life which apparently include retirement from competitive eating.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is looking for volunteers to pass out information promoting vegetarianism at the Nathan's finals July 4.
Randy Santel wrote an article for his website on recovering from eating challenges.
Ed "Cookie" Jarvis announced on his facebook today that a cheek tumor was discovered in his head. Jarvis was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2010, but declared cancer-free later that year. Best of luck to Cookie with the results of his upcoming CT scan. (via Brian Seiken comment).
Men's Health has an article about Ed "Cookie" Jarvis loosing almost 200 pounds (from 575 to 279 pounds).
Joel Podelsky announces he lost the most weight (18 pounds) among the competitive eaters who participated in the DietBet challenge.
Will Millender has a blog entry about the "Diet Bet" he is starting with Eric Dahl, Joe LaRue, Joel Podelsky, Mike Sisco and Todd Greenwald. The participants will be required to lose 4% of their body weight in 28 days. The diet will begin on March 9 with a "last meal" pizza eating contest at Ripley's Believe it or Not in Times Square. update A press release about the event is available.
Fox5Vegas reports that a customer experience a heart attack while eating a Triple Bypass Burger at the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas. The unnamed diner is reportedly recovering in a Las Vegas Hospital. (video of paramedics taking man to hospital.) update as of 4pm eastern, "Heart Attack Grill" is the #9 worldwide trending topic on twitter.
The website for Egizi Funeral Home announces that "Tollman" Joe Paul, winner of Wing Bowl 8 in 2000, passed away. update The Wing Bowl website has a post about Joe Paul.
The Wing Bowl website has a gallery from one of today's qualification stunts captioned: "Wingdippidy Forced To Stop Eating After Near Asphyxiation"
Yahoo! Sports has a column asking the question: "Competitive Eating: Sport or Mental Disorder?"
Loading ...