Number 11 Gary Sims In 2014, former Royal Marine Gary Sims choked to
death during an impromptu pickled egg swallowing competition. The incident took place in Berkeley,
Gloucestershire, England. 55-year-old Sims had ordered six eggs while playing a game at an
establishment called the Boar’s Head Inn, where he was a regular. He’d swallowed three eggs but
quickly began to choke. His friends intervened and called the emergency services while a staff member
attempted the Heimlich maneuver. The technique can prove to be a vital intervention if someone’s is
choking. Repeated thrusts, applied on the abdomen above the navel, expel air from the lungs which
force the obstruction out. Unfortunately, Sims’ airways couldn’t be cleared in time,
in spite of subsequent efforts made by the paramedics. He died in the ambulance,
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Number 10 Edward Archbold
32-year-old Florida man Edward Archbold died, in October of 2012, following a competition in which
he ate live worms and cockroaches. The contest was organized by the Ben Siegel Reptile Store,
in Deerfield Beach, and the grand prize was an ivory ball python. Archbold was reportedly
trying to win the snake, worth an estimated $850, so that he could give it as a present
to one of his friends. The creepy crawlies had all been raised in sterile conditions,
which presumably made them safe for human consumption. Nevertheless, competitors had
been asked to sign waivers recognizing the risk of allergic reaction, gastrointestinal sickness
or pain associated with passing them through the esophagus. Archbold ate dozens of meal worms,
super-worms that were 3 inches long and numerous discoid roaches. He was downing them with such
speed that he had to cover his mouth to prevent them from crawling out. The father-of-two won the
contest but fell ill as soon as he stepped out of the store. He was rushed to a hospital, where he
was later pronounced dead. Archbold was initially suspected to have suffered an allergic reaction
to the massive amount of foreign protein he’d ingested. However, an autopsy would later reveal
that he’d suffered asphyxia caused by choking. Number 9 Alexandra Yudina
In February of 2020, Russian woman Alexandra Yudina died in a speed-eating competition at a
Moscow bar. Reports claimed that the 23-year-old, who’d recently graduated medical college with a
paramedic qualification, hadn’t planned on joining the contest when she went out on Saturday night.
One local media outlet reported that she’d been diagnosed with leukemia a few months
prior. Yudina had reportedly told friends that she wanted to take advantage of every opportunity to
have fun. She and two other contestants were each given three Choco Pies, cakes with a marshmallow
filling, and they raced to finish them. After she ingested the deserts, Yudina was seen covering her
mouth and patting her chest. As she walked away from the contest table, footage captured by the
venue’s CCTV cameras showed her collapsing near the bar. Friends rushed to her aid. Her mouth was
still full of cake and they were unable to clear the blockage. An ambulance crew quickly arrived at
the scene but they were unable to save her. Number 8 Unnamed Romanian Man
In October of 2013, an unnamed Romanian man passed away shortly after winning a sausage-eating
contest. The incident, which was caught on video, took place during the 6th edition of an annual
sausage festival in a village called Berca. The 60-year-old had won the competition which
reportedly also involved eating bread along with the sausages. As he walked up to the microphone
for his acceptance speech, the man passed out. Organizers and bystanders tried to help him but
it took some time before paramedics arrived at the scene. The organizers hadn’t provided
the on-site emergency medical assistance that’s typically a requirement for such competitions.
Many believed that the man had suffered a heart attack which is why they didn’t perform the
Heimlich maneuver which could’ve saved his life. By the time paramedics arrived and attempted to
remove the obstruction, it was already too late. The man died and a coroner’s report confirmed
that asphyxiation had been the cause. Number 7 Caitlin Nelson
In 2017, student Caitlin Nelson suffocated to death after choking during a pancake eating
contest. The 20-year-old was the vice president of community service at the Kappa Delta sorority
of Sacred Heart University, in Connecticut. While taking part in the Greek life competitive eating
event, Nelson had downed four to five pancakes. A nursing student, who was attending the contest,
recognized that the young woman was in distress. She caught Nelson and slowly brought her to
the ground. She began CPR and, within minutes, emergency responders arrived at the scene. They
unsuccessfully tried to clear the obstruction from Nelson’s airways. She was taken to St. Vincent’s
Medical Center and then transferred to Columbia University Hospital, where she passed away. Nelson
suffered from food allergies but had taken the necessary precautions before entering the contest.
Her death wasn’t a consequence of anaphylactic shock, as initially believed, but suffocation.
Thousands of students attended a memorial vigil for Nelson, in the aftermath of her passing.
Number 6 Dana Hutchings On August the 13th of 2019,
a taco-eating contest was held at Chukchansi Park, in Fresno, California, in honor of a minor league
baseball game between the Fresno Grizzlies and the Memphis Redbirds. 41-year-old Dana Hutchings took
part in the competition and was rapidly eating the Mexican dish. Witnesses at the Taco Truck
Throwdown claimed that he’d gained an early lead before he suddenly started choking. Hutchings was
given medical assistance on-site, in the form of CPR and defibrillator shocks, before being
transferred to a local hospital. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save his life. In April
of 2021, Hutchings’ family filed a lawsuit against Fresno Sports and the Grizzlies’ owners, seeking
undisclosed monetary damages. The suit alleged that, in contrast with the setting of professional
competitive eating events, the participants in the amateur contest hadn’t been informed about
the dangers they’d be facing. The trial is ongoing but a crucial task that the family’s lawyers would
have to accomplish is proving that Hutchings had no way of knowing he was risking his life.
Number 5 Subhash Yadav In 2019, Indian man Subhash Yadav and a
friend were at the Bibiganj market, in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh. An argument broke out
between the two and they decided to settle it via an eating challenge in which Yadav had to consume
50 hard-boiled eggs. The bet would’ve seen him win the equivalent of $28. It’s unclear if a
scene from the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke” had served as inspiration for the challenge. In it,
the lead, played by Paul Newman, downs 50 eggs as part of a bet. However, due to clever editing,
Newman only ate about 8. Yadav was determined to show his friend that it could be done. The
challenge took a dark turn as the 42-year-old was preparing to eat his 42nd egg. He fell unconscious
and had to be rushed to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences. Doctors
tried to help Yadav but he ultimately succumbed to complications stemming from overeating. The man’s
family refused to comment on the incident. Number 4 Travis Malouff
In 2017, 42-year-old Travis Malouff was taking part in an eating contest at a doughnut shop in
Denver, Colorado. According to Fox News, the Voodoo Doughnuts event wasn’t professionally
sanctioned. In 80 seconds or less, competitors had to consume a doughnut that was about the size of
a small birthday cake. It was a rough equivalent to six regularly-sized products. Malouff still had
part of the half-pound doughnut in his hand, when he collapsed. His airways had become completely
blocked. According to his mother, Malouff’s friends had tried CPR and the Heimlich maneuver
but to no avail. He died at the scene. Number 3 Andrew Lee
In 2008, aspiring chef Andrew Lee and his girlfriend’s brother, Michael, challenged
each other to see who could make the hottest chili sauce. 33-year-old Lee, a forklift driver from
Doncaster, England, had recently passed a physical at work and was declared to be in perfect health.
His father had supplied the homegrown chili used to make the sauce for the contest.
Both Lee and Michael tried the sauce, which was described as “ultra-hot”, but Lee,
presumably in an attempt to win the contest while also proving he could withstand the heat,
ate about a plateful of it. Afterwards, he went to bed with his girlfriend. She claimed that
he’d started to experience intense discomfort and was itching all-over. Lee fell asleep with
her scratching his back. The next morning the woman awoke to find him unresponsive.
The emergency services were called but Lee was beyond saving, as he’d succumbed to heart failure.
His death wasn’t believed to have been due to an excessive intake of capsaicin,
the active component in the chili, but rather that he’d suffered a severe allergic reaction.
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Number 2 Unnamed Australian Woman On Australia Day, 2020, an unnamed
woman died in a cake-eating competition held at the Beach House Hotel, in Hervey Bay, Queensland.
To mark the holiday, contestants raced to eat lamingtons, a traditional sponge cake covered
in chocolate and coconut flakes. Footage emerged of other patrons encouraging the participants,
who each had glasses of water next to them, meant to aid with ingestion. According to witnesses,
the 60-year-old woman started to experience breathing difficulties after cramming one of
the cakes in her mouth. She was reported to have suffered a seizure. Resuscitation was performed on
her at the scene, for over half an hour, by staff members. The woman was then transported to a local
hospital where she was later pronounced dead. Number 1 Dhaou Fatnassi
In December of 2012, Tunisian man Dhaou Fatnassi died following a dare that
involved him eating dozens of raw eggs. 20-year-old Fatnassi’s friends had agreed
to give him an undisclosed sum of money if he successfully completed the challenge of eating 28
raw eggs. He managed to do so but started complaining of intense stomach pain shortly
afterwards. Fatnassi tried to reach the Hopital les Aghlabides, in Kairouan,
but died in transit. The world record for most eggs consumed was set by American competitive
eater Joey Chestnut who, in just 8 minutes, ate 141 hard-boiled eggs. However, unlike Fatnassi,
Chestnut had trained extensively for the feat. As a multiple world record
holder in competitive eating, Chestnut’s preparation involved periods of fasting and
stretching his stomach with water and protein supplements. For the uninitiated, overeating
in a short period of time can primarily result in choking but also fatal intestinal blockages.
Thanks for watching! Would you give up your favorite food if you could
ONLY eat it competitively? Let us know in the comments section below!