Florida man Edward Archbold celebrates victory in live cockroach eating contest... hours later he was dead

This is the moment that Edward Archbold, 32, celebrated winning a roach-eating contest in South Florida just hours before he mysteriously dropped dead.

About 30 contestants downed dozens of the live bugs as well as worms during Friday night's contest at Ben Siegel Reptile Store in Deerfield Beach about 40 miles north of Miami. The grand prize was a python.

Edward Archbold, 32, of West Palm Beach became ill shortly after the contest ended and collapsed in front of the store, according to a statement from Broward Sheriff's Office.

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He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Authorities were waiting for results of an autopsy to determine a cause of death.

None of the other contestants became ill, the sheriff's office said.

'We feel terribly awful,' said store owner Ben Siegel, who added that Archbold did not appear to be sick before the contest.

'He looked like he just wanted to show off and was very nice,' Siegel said, adding that Archbold was 'the life of the party.'

Siegel said Archbold was selling the exotic prize to a friend who took him to the contest.

Michael Adams, professor of entomology at the University of Califoia at Riverside, said he had never heard of somebody dying after consuming cockroaches.

'Unless the roaches were contaminated with some bacteria or other pathogens, I don't think that cockroaches would be unsafe to eat,' he said.

'Some people do have allergies to roaches, but there are no toxins in roaches or related insects,' he added.

A statement from Siegel's attoey said all the participants signed waivers 'accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest.'

The bugs consumed were from an inventory of insects 'that are safely and domestically raised in a controlled environment as food for reptiles.'

The Ben Siegel’s Reptile Store posted a message on its Facebook page: 'All we know is that sadly he has passed on. Please respect the privacy of the family as they try to determine what happened. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Eddie’s family in this terrible time.

'Although we just met Eddie the night of the sale, we all liked him right away. All of us here at Ben Siegel Reptiles are sad that we will not get to know Eddie better, for in the short time we knew him, he was very well liked by all.'

All participants had to sign a waiver 'accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest'

A flyer advertising Friday night's contest which took place at the Ben Siegel Reptile Store about 40 miles north of Miami