Donut Eating Competition Turns Fatal

Competitions based on food, are a part of life for some people. For Christ sakes, that’s what the entire premise of Man Vs. Food is based on. Almost everyone has entered a food competition at some point in their life. Yes, those apple bobble, cookie eating games when you were a kid at birthday parties count. Even I have succumbed to the enticement of the ABS wings challenge at Plan B. Undoubtedly, not one of my best decisions. But come on! It’s food and competition! Two of my favorite things combined, what could go wrong? Clearly, plenty could. 

At Voodoo Doughnuts in Denver, that’s exactly what happened to 42-year-old Travis Malouff. Travis was attempting to eat a half pound donut in under 80 seconds as part of the doughnut shops eating challenge when he choked to death.

The city coroner confirmed that Malouff’s death died due to asphyxiation due to obstruction of the airway. One of the customers who was there at the time, Julia Edelstein, was standing in line at Voodoo Doughnuts and said Malouff was trying to eat a half-pound glazed donut at around 1:30 am on Sunday when he choked.

Edelstein said that people tried to help him when they realized he was choking. Unfortunately, it was all in vain. The coroner’s office said Malouff died at the scene. A sad end to what could have been a full life. This has brought to light concerns about the safety of entering a food competition. 

Many people don’t think about the dangers of biting off more than you can chew before it’s too late. Professional food contest eaters hope that the interest in food challenges won’t die down in light of this unfortunate event. They hope to make the public more aware of the safety procedures that should be implemented. I, for one, will definitely think twice before entering a food competition again.