NEW YORK, NY – JULY 04: Tim Janus attends the 2015 Nathan’s Famous 4th Of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island on July 4, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage)
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Tim Janus, who appeared as a contestant on the hit reality series The Amazing Race, and other major game shows and competitive eating contests, has died.
Janus died on Sept. 16 “from complications following a long battle with cancer,” according to Major League Eating. He was 49.
Janus, known in eating competitions as “Eater X,” competed alongside world-renowned speed eater Joey Chestnut in eight episodes in Season 30 of CBS’ The Amazing Race in 2018.
As a competitive eater, Janus was known for his face-painted Viking mask. Starting out as a fan of the sport, Janus eventually spent 12 years in competitive eating, from 2006 to 2018, rising as high as No. 2 in world rankings, Major League Eating noted. At the height of his competitive eating run, Janus ranked only behind Chestnut.
“We started off as pretty much enemies then more we compete against each other we’ve more respect we head and we traveled around the country competing and learning yeah and I’m just learning the country and tragedy and learning to like each other,” Chestnut said of Janus during an introductory segment for The Amazing Race.
Reflecting on Janus’ biggest accomplishments as a competitive eater, Major League Eating noted, “His collection of titles reflected both his ability and the eccentric breadth of the sport. Janus became the world tiramisu-eating champion by consuming four pounds in six minutes, the world ramen noodle-eating champion with 10.5 pounds in eight minutes, and the world nigiri sushi-eating champion after eating 141 pieces in six minutes.”
In addition, Janus was also a competitor in the world-famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in New York on July 4, 2010, where he consumed 45 hot dogs, according to Major League Eating. Janus finished second to Chestnut in the competition. Chestnut earned the title by eating 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Tim Janus Also Won Big On Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’
Tim Janus was born on Dec. 31, 1976, in Farmington, Conn. Prior to competing on The Amazing Race, Tim Janus was a contestant on other notable television game shows, beginning in 2009 with the syndicated TV version of ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
During his appearance on Millionaire, Janus won $100,000, TMZ reported. Janus also appeared as a competitive eater on the TLC series Cake Boss in 2009.
In 2007, Janus was featured in the National Geographic Channel documentary The Science of Speed Eating. He also appeared in the 2021 indie documentary ScarfFace, which chronicled competitive eating contestants, including Joey Chestnut.
Janus was also inducted into the Major League Eating Hall of Fame. Upon his induction, per the publication, Janus said, “I tell people that I learned a lot about life by eating hot dogs, and I mean it. If you care about something and work hard at it, it makes you better.”
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