Tim Janus, the competitive eating star known as “Eater X” who later competed on “The Amazing Race,” has died at 49 after a long battle with cancer.
Janus died Sept. 16 from complications related to his illness, Major League Eating announced over the weekend.
The Connecticut-born athlete spent 12 years on the professional eating circuit, competing from 2006 until 2018 and at one point climbing to No. 2 in the world rankings behind longtime rival and friend Joey Chestnut.
Janus became recognizable at competitions for the Viking-style paint he wore across his face and built a reputation as one of the sport’s most colorful personalities.
He later teamed up with Chestnut on Season 30 of CBS’ “The Amazing Race” in 2018.
The pair competed as Team Chomp and ultimately finished the season in eighth place.
Janus’ accomplishments stretched well beyond reality television.
During his professional eating career, he captured world titles in tiramisu, ramen noodles and nigiri sushi, according to Major League Eating.
“Amazing Race” contestant Tim Janus has died at 49.
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He was also credited with helping introduce the “Alternative Beverage Movement” to competitive eating, giving competitors more freedom to choose what they drank during contests instead of being limited to water.
Janus was eventually inducted into the Major League Eating Hall of Fame and said at the time that he “learned a lot about life by eating hot dogs.”
His life outside the eating circuit was just as unconventional.
Janus was once the “largest winner” in the history of “Cash Cab” and also appeared on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
He was accepted into the United States Foreign Service, but Major League Eating said his “plans to serve abroad were disrupted by his illness.”
Former roommate and former world oyster-eating champion Crazy Legs Conti remembered Janus as someone who refused to live according to anyone else’s expectations.
“Tim followed his own passions and dreams without regard for the pressures or expectations of society,” Janus’s former roommate and former world oyster-eating champion, Crazy Legs Conti, said in a statement. “He was unique, brilliant and beloved by his friends. He lived his life on his own terms.”
Janus’ death closes the chapter on a career that took him from competitive eating stages to national television and eventually into the sport’s Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his mother, Lucinda Hannon, his father, Peter Janus, his stepmother, Nancy Janus, and his sister, Tess McNair.
A gathering celebrating his life is expected to be held in New York City in October.
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