Carlos, a 26 year old from Chicago, starred in Season 7 of My Strange Addiction for eating live bugs.
He openly admits that he eats up to 100 live bugs each day. His favorite insect is mealworms because he says that they taste like buttery popcorn. Carlos shares how it began when he was about four years old.
He claims that he remembers being outside when he was about four years old and he was curious about what it would be like to eat insects. Carlos has spent years consuming live insects as part of a deeply personal ritual he describes as “comforting” and “stabilizing.”
Carlos begins most mornings with a small brown paper bag filled with mealworms that are alive when he eats them. He describes the sensation of the insects moving in his throat as “calming,” a feeling that gives him a sense of control during stressful moments and said he loves “how it just tickles my throat.”
Family members express their growing concern.
His partner, Maya, says she still has not been able to understand the compulsion.
“I’m scared for him,” she told producers. “I’ve read about the bacteria and parasites these bugs can carry. I just want him to be safe.”
Medical professionals interviewed on the show repeated those warnings, noting that eating live insects poses significant health risks like being contaminated with bacteria and parasites.
Despite these concerns from people around him, he refuses to stop, claiming that the habit is harmless therefore he refuses to stop. Carlos did mention that he at times does experience heart palpitations, which is obviously a cause of the insects.
In the episode, a producer asked Carlos, “You eat other food too, right?” and Carlos replied with, “I mean yes, of course, I eat other foods, but I mean, I just prefer eating bugs.”
