8 Global Records Deemed Too Risky for Guinness Recognition

Achieving fame, even briefly, often involves earning a spot in the prestigious Guinness World Records. Since its inception in 1954, the organization has celebrated everything from remarkable achievements (like the loudest cat purr, measuring almost 55 decibels) to the utterly absurd (such as the most Marvel Comics tattoos).

Sometimes, Guinness removes certain record categories—not because they’re silly, but due to the risks or controversies they pose, making the fleeting fame not worth the potential harm. Below are some discontinued records.

1. Excessive Eating

If you can devour 50 wedding cakes in one go, that’s impressive, but Guinness won’t recognize it. The organization prohibits challenges involving “excessive consumption.” This restriction was introduced in the 1990s. Before that, individuals like Edward Abraham “Bozo” Miller—who famously consumed 25,000 calories a day—were celebrated for their feats.

However, there’s an exception: speed eating is still allowed. According to Guinness, “All our eating records focus solely on the skill of speed eating, limited to brief time frames and small food quantities, like the fastest time to eat three cream crackers.” This is how competitive eater Leah Shutkever secured the title for Fastest Time to Eat a Head of Lettuce in 2023, achieving it in just 46.52 seconds.

2. Unnecessary Medical Procedures or Surgeries

While you might set a personal record for the most rectal exams, Guinness has no interest in acknowledging it. (Frankly, neither does anyone else.) The organization states that it “does not accept records involving medical tests that pierce the skin or involve invasive procedures beyond reasonable comfort levels. This includes tests requiring needles or internal physical examinations.”

Guinness also isn’t interested in records for the most medical tests performed in a short time, unless you’re the one conducting them. For example, the Iglesia Ni Cristo church received recognition for Most Medical Ultrasound Examinations in Eight Hours in 2016, completing 7152 exams. Although surgeries are generally excluded, one exception is Charles Jensen, who underwent 970 procedures by 1994 to treat his basal cell condition.

3. Surviving While Buried Alive

While Guinness once recognized Italy’s Faroppo Lorenzo for voluntarily spending nine days underground in 1898, it has seldom endorsed the extreme challenge of being buried alive—a stunt usually involving a coffin, oxygen supply, and a few newspapers. Englishman Mick Meaney endured 61 days in 1968, expecting recognition from Guinness, only to discover no one from the organization showed up. Such attempts can be deadly, as seen in the case of Sri Lanka’s Janaka Basnayake, who died in 2012 shortly after being sealed in a 10-foot-deep trench.

However, related achievements are still recognized. Allen McCloskey secured the title for Longest Career as a Grave-Digger in 2021, with 68 years and 191 days. (A 2023 article in the Pharos-Tribune of Logansport, Indiana, noted McCloskey was still active, extending his record to 70 years, seven months, and 20 days.)

4. Prolonged Fasting or Hunger Strikes

The risks of starvation are clear, which is why Guinness refuses to endorse such dangerous attempts for fame. “This is a highly sensitive and challenging area to oversee, so we do not accept public submissions for this category,” their website states.

Guinness once acknowledged Angus Barbieri, who survived on liquids and vitamins for 382 days between 1965 and 1966. A 1973 case study in the Postgraduate Medical Journal detailed [PDF] a patient referred to as “A.B.” who, under medical supervision, lost weight from 456 pounds to 180 pounds.

However, the fasting rule doesn’t extend to parasites. Guinness happily highlights that Ornithodoros turicata, or the soft tick, can survive up to five years without feeding.

5. Longest Uninterrupted Saxophone Note

While jazz remains one of the coolest music genres, Guinness takes a strict stance on records for the longest continuous saxophone note. When musician Vann Burchfield achieved this in 2000, he held the note for an astonishing 47 minutes and 5.5 seconds. His secret? Circular breathing, a technique later deemed too risky by Guinness.

Circular breathing involves inhaling through the nose while expelling air stored in the cheeks. Guinness expressed concerns that this method could deprive the brain of oxygen, though no direct medical evidence supports this claim. Despite the lack of proof, Guinness discontinued the record. Burchfield remains the unofficial champion, as Guinness no longer acknowledges attempts to surpass his achievement.

6. Longest Continuous Kiss

While romance is celebrated, Guinness considers endurance kissing too hazardous, leading them to discontinue the category in 2013. The rules for the longest kiss were harsh: participants had to remain standing, lips locked, without breaks or rest. (They could drink liquids through a straw, but their lips had to stay connected.) This led to severe sleep deprivation and other health issues for participants.

The current and likely final record belongs to Thailand’s Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat, who kissed for 50 hours and 35 minutes. Guinness now promotes the Longest Kissing Marathon, which allows for rest breaks.

7. Exhausting, Nonstop Dance Marathons

Dancing, much like kissing, can become grueling when pushed to extremes. The dance marathon trend of the 1920s and 1930s required participants to dance nonstop for hours, days, or even months. After the tragic death of contestant Homer Morehouse in 1923, cities like Boston and Los Angeles banned such events. Guinness now allows dance marathons but mandates that participants be over 16 and take at least five minutes of rest every hour.

8. Silly Animal Tricks

While it’s acceptable to challenge your dog to surpass Otto, the skateboarding bulldog, Guinness typically avoids reviewing records that could harm animals. “This includes any attempts that subject animals to undue stress, such as endurance challenges, or activities posing any level of danger to them,” Guinness states. Your dreams of organizing a canine dance marathon are officially over.