Tim Janus, the world champion competitive eater known as “Eater X” and for appearances on The Amazing Race and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, has died at 49.
According to Major League Eating, Janus died on September 16 following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Janus reached No. 2 in the world competitive-eating rankings, behind only Joey Chestnut, who later joined him as a teammate on The Amazing Race 30.
His impressive list of titles included world championships in tiramisu, ramen, nigiri sushi and burping.
Among his standout achievements, Janus consumed four pounds of tiramisu in six minutes, 10.5 pounds of ramen in eight minutes and 141 pieces of nigiri sushi in six minutes.
He was also a regular at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, finishing second to Chestnut in 2010 and third behind him in 2014.
Tim Janus, the champion competitive eater who appeared on The Amazing Race, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and other television programs, has died at 49
Janus, pictured R, competed alongside fellow competitive eater Joey Chestnut, pictured L, on The Amazing Race 30
The pair teamed up for The Amazing Race 30 in 2017, ultimately finishing in eighth place.
“I’d eat a roll of pennies if I thought I could set a world record, taste doesn’t matter. 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,” he told Food Republic in 2015.
Known for competing with his face painted, Janus began his professional eating career in 2004. He was later inducted into the Major League Eating Hall of Fame.
“I tell people that I learned a lot about life by eating hot dogs, and I mean it,” he said during his induction. “If you care about something and work hard at it, it makes you better.”
Janus also brought his competitive spirit to television, appearing on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Cash Cab and The Amazing Race.
He made television history on Cash Cab as the show’s biggest winner at the time, taking home $1,600.
During a 2009 appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, he won $100,000.
Janus began working for the United States Foreign Service in 2023, but Major League Eating said his health prevented him from serving overseas.
Despite his success, the world champion had also expressed concern about the possible impact of competitive eating on his health.
Janus won world titles in tiramisu eating, ramen eating, nigiri sushi eating and burping
Janus competed on television shows including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Cash Cab and The Amazing Race
Janus, who competed with a painted face, entered the world of competitive eating in 2004 and was later inducted into the Major League Eating Hall of Fame
In 2023, Janus started working for the United States Foreign Service, yet his health prevented him from serving abroad, according to Major League Eating
‘Deep down I’ve wondered how long-term stupid competing is for my health. I can’t ignore that feeling anymore,’ he tweeted in 2016.
‘For me it’s more about how we’re destroying our bodies. Each of us only gets one,’ he also said.
Janus’s former roommate and fellow competitive eater, Crazy Legs Conti, paid tribute to a man who ‘lived life on his own terms.’
‘Tim followed his own passions and dreams without regard for the pressures or expectations of society,’ he told Major League Eating. ‘He was unique, brilliant and beloved by his friends. He lived his life on his own terms.”
