Tim Janus, the world champion competitive eater known as “Eater X” who competed alongside Joey Chestnut, has died at age 49.
Janus, who lived in the East Village in NYC, died on Sept. 16 following a long battle with cancer, per Major League Eating.
He peaked at the No. 2 ranking in the world as a competitive eater, behind only Chestnut, who he teamed with on “The Amazing Race 30” in 2017, coming in fifth place.
Janus held titles in tiramisu eating, ramen eating, nigiri sushi eating and burping.
He was also a regular at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, where he finished second to Chestnut in 2010 and third to him in 2014.
Janus was committed to eating anything.
“I’d eat a roll of pennies if I thought I could set a world record, taste doesn’t matter,” he told Food Republic in 2015. “I’d like to eat everything in the world at least once. I’d eat alien if we could find it. If we could raise dinosaurs, I’d sign up to eat those.”
Janus’ career lasted from 2006-18 and he was later inducted into the Major League Eating Hall of Fame.
His signature look on stage was a painted Viking mask face, inspired by his love of wrestling as a child.
“I tell people that I learned a lot about life by eating hot dogs, and I mean it,” he said at his induction. “If you care about something and work hard at it, it makes you better.”
According to the Daily Mail, Janus tweeted in 2016 that he feared the impact competitive eating would have on his body.
“Deep down I’ve wondered how long-term stupid competing is for my health. I can’t ignore that feeling anymore,” he wrote. “For me it’s more about how we’re destroying our bodies. Each of us only gets one,”
Janus retired from the sport two years later and was accepted by the United States Foreign Service, though those plans were halted when he was diagnosed with cancer.
“Tim followed his own passions and dreams without regard for the pressures or expectations of society,” recalled Crazy Legs Conti, Janus’s ex-roommate and former world oyster-eating champion.
“He was unique, brilliant, and beloved by his friends. He lived his life on his own terms.”
