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The inaugural pie-eating competition was held in January 1878 in Toronto, Canada. Albert Piddington secured the victory, earning what culinary historian Sarah Lohman describes as a “beautifully bound book.”
In the beginning, masculinity was often measured by how many pies a man could consume within a set time frame. These events were initially hosted at men’s clubs and bars catering exclusively to male patrons. However, by the 1940s, these contests evolved into community gatherings, engaging groups like Boy Scouts, Rotary Club members, college fraternities, and even rival branches of the U.S. military.
According to Lohman, “Today, competitive eating has become a lucrative industry, with both male and female participants being regarded as professional athletes.” These events also welcome amateurs, where eager and often hungry individuals—driven by the desire for fame, fortune, or both—compete in front of audiences, sometimes with tragic outcomes.
As evidenced by the 10 individuals on this list, participants have succumbed to choking, seizures, and other complications resulting from consuming excessive amounts of food, ranging from hot dogs and tacos to chicken wings, eggs, pancakes, doughnuts, lamingtons, fairy cakes, croissants, and even cockroaches and worms.
10. Madelyn “Madie” Lee Nicpon
Madelyn “Madie” Lee Nicpon, a Tufts University athlete, fell unconscious after choking during a hot dog eating contest held for charity in Somerville, New York. The University reported that “first responders administered life-saving measures on the scene” before she was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital. Tragically, Nicpon, aged 20, passed away the next day.
Nicpon, a beloved and vibrant individual, had ambitious dreams ahead of her. As a junior studying biopsychology, she aimed to build a career in medicine. Her teammates captured her essence and their grief in a social media tribute, stating, “Madie will be remembered as a radiant soul, a social butterfly, an exceptional teammate, a compassionate and generous person, [and] a devoted sister and daughter [whom]… we can all strive to follow.”
9. Dana Hutchins
Dana Hutchins, 41, passed away at a local hospital after competing in a taco eating contest during a Fresno Grizzlies minor league baseball game at Chuckchansi Park. An autopsy revealed that his death was caused by choking. His family was left in shock, with his sister Mecca Hutchins expressing disbelief, “Who would think something like this would happen?” ABC News reported that Hutchins “choked and collapsed… falling face-first onto a table before hitting the ground.”
On April 5, 2021, the Associated Press reported that Hutchins’s family filed a lawsuit against Fresno Sports and Events, the owner of the Grizzlies, alleging negligence for failing to inform him of the “risks and dangers associated with participating in an eating contest.” The lawsuit argued that Hutchins, an amateur competitor, might not have understood the necessity of “training” or preparing himself physically for the challenge of consuming as many tacos as possible within a set time frame.
8. Fredy Jayadi
Fredy Jayadi, 45, tragically lost his life during the 2016 “Eat or Treat” competition in West Jakarta, Indonesia, after a KFC chicken wing became lodged in his throat. While attempting to consume his third wing, he collapsed and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Following the fatal incident, the event organizers canceled the competition and issued a statement expressing their full support for the Jayadi family and cooperation with authorities.
KFC clarified that their involvement was limited to providing the venue for the event and that they had no role in its organization. During the police investigation, Criminal Unit Police Chief Taufik Iksan noted that the organizers had failed to provide medical personnel on-site. Had Jayadi won, he would have received a prize of £367,000.
7. Subhash Ladov
Subhash Ladov’s challenge was simple: swallow 50 eggs to win 2,000 rupees (approximately $28 USD). As K. Thor Jensen notes in a Newsweek article, “He was progressing well until his 41st egg. Upon attempting the 42nd, he lost consciousness.” He was rushed to a local clinic and later transferred to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, where he passed away hours after admission without regaining consciousness.
Jensen highlights that “50 eggs weigh around six pounds, far exceeding the capacity of an average human stomach without causing severe discomfort.” It remains unclear whether the bet was inspired by a similar, non-fatal scene in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, starring Paul Newman. In the movie, Luke, a prisoner on a Florida chain gang, wins a wager by consuming 50 hard-boiled eggs within an hour.
6. Caitlin Nelson
What began as a “fun” pancake eating contest turned into a tragedy, as described by Fairfield Police Lt. Bob Kalamara. When Caitlin Nelson, a 20-year-old Sacred Heart University student, started choking, two nursing students, along with police officers and paramedics, were present to administer “lifesaving measures.”
Nelson was quickly transported to a hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where authorities reported her to be in “critical but stable condition.” She was later moved to New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, where, tragically, she passed away three days after the competition.
Sacred Heart University eventually reached a settlement with Nelson’s mother, though the specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
5. Travis Malouff
Travis Malouff’s final meal involved doughnuts. As part of an eating challenge at VooDoo Doughnuts, he and other contestants were tasked with consuming a 1.1-pound (500-gram) glazed doughnut in 80 seconds, equivalent to half a dozen doughnuts in under two minutes. Paramedics responded to reports of a choking incident, but Malouff, 42, was declared dead at the scene by the medical examiner.
As reported by Keith Coffman for news.com.au, “Authorities did not confirm that Malouff died during an eating contest.” However, Denver’s KUSA television station cited an unnamed witness who claimed the man was participating in the chain’s ‘Tex-Ass’ doughnut challenge.
4. Sixty-Year-Old Woman
A 60-year-old woman, whose identity remains unknown, tragically died from choking and a seizure during a lamington eating contest in Queensland, Australia. The event, a traditional part of Australia Day celebrations, drew a “large crowd.” The lamingtons—described as “cube-shaped sponge cakes covered in chocolate and coconut flakes”—were served at the Beach House Hotel in Hervey Bay during the 2020 festivities.
Local news sources reported that the woman’s death, which occurred at a nearby hospital, did not seem suspicious, though police still conducted an investigation. Both the management and staff of the Beach House Hotel and the Top of the Bay Bakery extended their sympathies to the woman’s family.
3. Edward Archbold
In 2012, NBC News reported that the cause of 32-year-old Edward Archbold’s death was uncertain. While competing for a python in a reptile shop’s eating contest, he consumed “60 grams of mealworms, 35 three-inch ‘super worms,’ and part of a bucket of discoid roaches.” Investigators questioned whether an allergic reaction to the insects might have been the cause.
The bugs themselves were not responsible for the death of the “Midnight Madness” bug-eating competition winner. Bill Kearn, an entomology professor, clarified that cockroaches are not toxic, though they are often considered unappetizing due to their storage of uric acid and nitrogenous waste, as well as their consumption of undesirable materials. Other experts echoed this sentiment, noting that while cockroaches might not be appealing, consuming them is not fatal.
A report in the National Post that same month also dismissed the idea that cockroaches caused Archbold’s death, emphasizing that “eating bugs is common in many cultures” and that cockroaches have been consumed in numerous eating contests without incident. For example, Madagascar cockroaches were eaten at a Six Flags theme park in Illinois in 2011, and at the Exploreum Science Center in Mobile, Alabama, purely for entertainment. Mike Tringale, vice-president of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, suggested that Archbold might have reached his limit with the insects, potentially triggering anaphylactic shock.
What about the worms? Could they have been the cause? Ultimately, it was neither an allergic reaction nor the worms that led to Archbold’s death. The Broward County medical examiner concluded that he “died of asphyxia due to choking and aspiration of gastric contents” after “arthropod body parts” obstructed his respiratory tract, preventing air from reaching his lungs.
2. Mario Oscar Melo
Former Argentinian professional boxer Mario Oscar Melo, 65, tragically lost his life during an eating contest after consuming croissants. As reported by People, he “was on his third croissant when he began choking in front of a stunned crowd in Argentina.”
Despite attempts by several men to perform abdominal thrusts, Melo could not expel the fatal pastry. He was declared dead at Pinamar Hospital. His sister initially thought he was joking, but it is believed he died from choking. It remains uncertain whether his diabetes played a role in his death.
1. Adam Deely
Adam Deely, a graphic design student and nightclub worker, joined an impromptu fairy cake-eating contest during a night off in February 2008. The unofficial event took place after the main competition at the Monkey Cafe nightclub in Swansea. Deely collapsed and was rushed to Singelton Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:20 am. The Guardian reported that his death, caused by “several fairy cakes blocking his throat,” was deemed accidental.
An inquest revealed that Deely was joking around, attempting to fit as many cakes into his mouth as possible while competing with friends. One friend shoved three cakes into his mouth, another added four, and Deely topped them by cramming five cakes into his own mouth. He then choked, collapsed, and began convulsing on the floor. The cakes were leftovers from the nightclub’s buffet.
