Competitive Eating/Drinking fatalities, updated April 4, 2017
I have updated the list of competitive eating / drinking fatalities with 2015-17 passings. I do not claim this a full roster, just incidents which have been publicized on English language newspapers and websites.
Previous edition of list (last updated Nov 2014)
1906 Normburg, IL Cheese contest results in fatality and put two others in critical condition
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
2012 Surrey, BC Samaljit Aulakh experiences brain damage after choking in a gulab jamun eating contest. As of July 2013, he remained hospitalized.
2012 Tunisia Dau Fatnassi dies after eating 28 raw eggs to win a bet
2013 India, 13 year old schoolboy Bharat Sharma chokes to death after attempting to swallow two idlis
2013 England Sharon Dixon passes away after choking on boiled eggs at a pub’s eating contest
2013 Australia 64 year old Bruce Holland experiences a fatal heart attack while participating in a tavern’s chilli pie eating contest
2013 Spain JoaquÃn Alcaraz Gracia passes away after winning a beer drinking contest
2013 Romania unnamed 60 year old chokes to death in a sausage eating contest.
2014 England Gary Mark Sims choked after attempting to swallow three eggs at a time at a pub in Berkeley, England
2014 Custer, SD Walter Eagle Tail chokes to death in a July 3 hot dog eating contest
2014 Nellukuthupara, India Kandamuthan chokes in an idli eating contest
2014 Staryl, Ukraine Lyana Koroleva experiences a heart attack while waiting to receive a prize for winning a vareniki (dumpling) eating contest
2015 Uganda 30 year old man passes away after eating 8 mandazzis (doughnuts). He did not drink any water
2016 Indonesia Jakarta resident chokes on piece of chicken trying to qualify for a Kentucky Fried Chicken of Indonesia contest
2016 Santa Fe, NM Debra Harbeck chokes after competing in corn dog eating contest where participants simulated performing oral sex. She had had a blood alcohol content between 0.13 and 0.14 percent
2016 Kenya Eating contest held at a funeral results in blocked windpipe
2016 Japan 28 year old male chokes on rice ball
2017 South Korea Freshman orientation eating contest results in airway obstruction for female student
2017 Fairfield, CT Sacred Heart University student Caitlin Nelson chokes during Greek Week pancake eating contest, passes away three days later
2017 Denver Travis Maloof chokes while attempting the “Tex Ass” challenge at Voodoo Doughnut
Anonymous said
April 4, 2017 @ 3:48 pm
Why are you writi g all this. Because the Sheas made him do it.
anonymous said
April 4, 2017 @ 4:16 pm
we have yet to hear if they were allowed to drink water in the pancake contest. If not that is a recipe for disaster. As far as the Sheas right now they are probably proclaiming to themselves “Oh this can never happen in MLE we have EMT on the scene at all times”
anonymous said
April 4, 2017 @ 4:17 pm
YOU CANT BE MLE CAUSE YOU AINT GOT EMT STINK FOR YOURSELF YOU GEORGE SHEA WANNABE
the great gavonne said
April 4, 2017 @ 4:31 pm
I died from competitive eating in 2009 but was revived by”” Sweet” Jill Stoler via Beautiful Brian. I swear to “Badlands” Hooker!
anonymous said
April 4, 2017 @ 10:35 pm
4:16: Only one 10 oz. cup of water is allowed in the Voodoo Doughnut challenge, although enforcement is inconsistent.