Competitive eating champion 'Eater X' dies at 49 after cancer battle

Major League Eating announced his death on Sept. 20, four days after he died. Neither the organization nor his family specified the type of cancer he had.

Janus competed professionally for more than a decade before announcing his retirement in 2016. He was inducted into the MLE Hall of Fame.

Competitive eater Tim Janus, known as "Eater X." Photo from Tim Janus's X account

At the height of his career, Janus rose to No. 2 in MLE's world rankings behind Joey Chestnut. He held competitive eating records for ramen, tiramisu and nigiri sushi.

He placed second at Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York in 2010 and third in 2014.

Janus was easily recognized on the competitive eating circuit by his Viking-style face paint, which was inspired by his childhood love of professional wrestling. He was also willing to take on almost any food challenge.

"I’d eat a roll of pennies if I thought I could set a world record," Janus told Food Republic in a 2011 interview. He said taste did not matter and he wanted to try every food in the world at least once.

In 2012, he won the inaugural World Burping Championship with an 18.1-second burp.

When Janus retired in 2016, he wrote on X: "Deep down I've wondered how long-term stupid competing is for my health. I can't ignore that feeling anymore."

In another post, he said competitive eaters were destroying their bodies and that each person had only one.

He later joined the U.S. Foreign Service and was working in Mexico City, Time reported in 2024.

Outside competitive eating, Janus and Chestnut competed together on season 30 of the reality television show "The Amazing Race," which aired in 2018. They finished eighth.

Crazy Legs Conti, Janus's former roommate and a former world oyster-eating champion, said Janus pursued his passions without worrying about society's expectations.

"He was unique, brilliant and beloved by his friends. He lived his life on his own terms," Conti said.

Worldwide, the number of new cancer cases among people under 50 rose 79.1% between 1990 and 2019 and is projected to increase another 31% from 2019 levels by 2030, according to a 2023 study in BMJ Oncology.