A man tragically choked to death after consuming dozens of live cockroaches in a competitive eating event, with the prize being a python. Edward Archbold, 32, from West Palm Beach, Florida, died from asphyxiation when his airway was blocked by parts of the roaches during the 2012 competition.

He collapsed and began vomiting shortly after participating in the “Midnight Madness” promotional event at the Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

His girlfriend, Natasha Proffitt, revealed he had eaten bugs before and intended to gift the female python to a friend. Sarah Bernard, an entomology student at the University of Florida who attended the contest, told the Daytona Beach News Journal that the competition involved several rounds featuring different insects.

In the final round, participants began to consume the roaches, each measuring three or four inches long. No other illnesses were reported among the approximately 30 competitors.

Shop owner Ben Siegel remembered Edward as the “life of the party”, adding: “We feel terribly awful. He looked like he just wanted to show off and was very nice.”, reports <a href=”https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/man-choked-death-after-downing-36308788″ rel=”Follow” target=”_self”>the Mirror</a>.

A lawyer representing him stated all contestants had signed disclaimers “accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest”. A county medical examiner ruled the cause of death as “asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents”.

Medical examiner Craig T. Mallak told the Associated Press: “There is a flap called the epiglottis that is supposed to stop objects from going into the lungs. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work.

In the video you could see him trying to swallow and breathe at the same time. We can’t do both simultaneously.

“Kim Crawford, co-owner of Busch Canvas and Interiors where Archbold worked for four years, paid tribute to Edward. She said: “It’s hard to even think about it. It does bring a little closure because not knowing always puts that question mark out there.”

Kim described him as a “smart, good guy” who was “really good friends to people – calling his death “a tragedy”.

Lou Manza, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College, said people who participate in extreme events like bug eating “are looking for things to make life interesting.”

He told the Daytona Beach News Journal: “At a certain level we’re all looking for things to break up the monotony. We’re striving for something that gives life meaning, something beyond the ordinary. The older you get, you start looking for something else.”