A 24-year-old live-streamer tragically died while broadcasting a 10-hour binge-eating challenge online.
Pan Xiaoting, known for her Mukbang streams, was stuffing herself with cake, chicken fingers, and seafood—eating up to 10kg of food in front of thousands of followers. It wasn’t long before her body gave in to the strain, and her stomach tore. The autopsy showed her stomach was badly deformed, packed with undigested food, when she passed away. Her stomach is believed to have burst from the extreme binge.
She regularly participated in these eating binges, consuming insane amounts of food—up to 10kg. It was all part of her Mukbang challenge, a trend that came from South Korea, where she would sit in front of a camera, eating mountains of food for her followers.
Xiaoting had started her 10-hour live-stream on July 14, but things went horribly wrong. She collapsed mid-stream, and despite her viewers’ attempts to send help, it was too late.
Known for her eating challenges, Xiaoting had a huge fan following, even though she worked as a waitress. She was inspired by a friend to start live-streaming her meals, eating alone in front of the camera, which pulled in massive attention.
But things weren’t always as they seemed. After a previous binge-eating challenge, Xiaoting was hospitalized for gastrointestinal bleeding, but just the next day, she started another round of binge-eating. She died shortly after, on July 14.
China has taken action, removing binge-eating content and passing a law to ban the practice, but the videos still keep popping up.
“I feel so bad for people that do these to fill their cravings for views and attention,” one person wrote online.
Another said: “Mukbang absolutely disgusts me.”
Dr. Andrew Harris, a senior lecturer of psychology at Nottingham Trent University in the UK, said: “Mukbang videos center around consumption and indulgence, potentially reinforcing a cycle of overeating or unhealthy food relationships.”
Her death isn’t just a tragedy—it’s a dark warning about the deadly extremes some people will go to for online fame.
