# What to do when a reality show contestant dies mid-run? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990 "2011-12-21T20:25:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zoinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zoinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoinks)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/21 "2011-12-25T04:55:45Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Years ago, didn’t a contestant die during the filming of another country’s version of _Survivor_? IIRC this was before the show even premiered in the U.S. Did they ever air that competition? That was the original Dutch Survivor, the guy killed himself after getting voted off the island. I believe that started the general reality show policy of only recruiting self-involved assholes who are too egotistical to have their feelings hurt when their fellow contestants turn on them. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/22 "2011-12-25T09:46:29Z")
The late great infomercial pitchman **Billy Mays** died in the middle of them showing a reality show about, well, infomercials. Not in the middle of filming mind you, but during the show’s initial run. I can’t remember the name of the show but it was actually pretty interesting (and I hate reality shows). It showed the nuts & bolts science of how infomercials and the selling of their products work (or don’t). Also showed the great love/hate relationship between pitchmen Mays and Andrew Sullivan… ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2011, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/23 "2011-12-25T10:04:41Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > … I can’t remember the name of the show … pitchmen … [But it’s right there on the tip of your tongue?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PitchMen) 😃 CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/24 "2011-12-29T01:44:30Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > What happens if (or more likely, when) a contestant dies _on air_? Not a reality show, and the incident wasn’t actually seen on air since it happened when they were showing a pre-recorded interview, but Owen Hart’s infamous death during a failed stunt at the WWF’s Over the Edge, which was running live on pay per view, is probably an example worth bringing up. They continued on with the show, but later admitted it was a mistake to do so. The following night’s live Raw broadcast was changed into a tribute show for Owen. ---
**Author:** ![coolbyrne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@coolbyrne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coolbyrne)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/25 "2011-12-29T04:50:08Z")
Wade Belak was cast in the Canadian reality series, “Battle of the Blades”, but committed suicide before the third season got under way. From what I remember, CBC had an hour long tribute show to him, where they showed footage of how the hockey players and pro skaters get paired up and practice and whatnot. The third season went on, with his partner, Kim Navarro getting paired up with someone else, if I’m not mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/26 "2011-12-29T18:16:02Z")
I think because of this all reality shows should be banned permamently. Because they’re tripe. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/27 "2011-12-29T18:59:31Z")
Thank you for your contribution to this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/28 "2011-12-30T05:53:05Z")
Those complaints are just the nature of the beast. No one can please all the people all the time. Someone is always willing to take offense, and in slow news cycles, some producer is willing to give it 90 seconds to see if it floats. If it does, then it gets 3 minutes, and Og forbid that one news show runs a story that the others don’t. Suddenly, its a big deal when every channel has to keep up with the Jones’. Following up on **TBG** ’s post, the show continued after the Owen Hart accident mostly because no one had time to really think anything through. It was live TV, and a decision needed to be made right away. Even creepier was the Chris Benoit double murder/suicide. WWE cancelled the next night’s shows and ran a Chris Benoit tribute show. Only problem was that details started hitting the news wires during the tribute. Everyone is finding out halfway (maybe 3/4 of the way) through the tribute’s airing that Benoit murdered his wife and child and killed himself. I’m pretty sure that a lot of those interviews recorded earlier would have had a much different tone had the interviewee known what really happened. ---
**Author:** ![UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/46a35a/32.png) [@UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UFC_Is_Sux)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/29 "2011-12-30T15:25:35Z")
I agree with the critics. It would have been less creepy and more honest if TLC had run Durden’s tribute card at the start of the show rather than waiting until the end. What they did gives the impression that they were trying to wring the last drop of entertainment value (and advertising revenue) out of him before finally acknowledging that he had died. And speaking strictly for me, if I were a fan of the show (which I’m not), it would be far more poignant to have known up front what happened to him. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990/30 "2011-12-31T00:58:44Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Those complaints are just the nature of the beast. No one can please all the people all the time. Someone is always willing to take offense, and in slow news cycles, some producer is willing to give it 90 seconds to see if it floats. If it does, then it gets 3 minutes, and Og forbid that one news show runs a story that the others don’t. Suddenly, its a big deal when every channel has to keep up with the Jones’. > > Following up on **TBG** ’s post, the show continued after the Owen Hart accident mostly because no one had time to really think anything through. It was live TV, and a decision needed to be made right away. Even creepier was the Chris Benoit double murder/suicide. WWE cancelled the next night’s shows and ran a Chris Benoit tribute show. Only problem was that details started hitting the news wires during the tribute. Everyone is finding out halfway (maybe 3/4 of the way) through the tribute’s airing that Benoit murdered his wife and child and killed himself. I’m pretty sure that a lot of those interviews recorded earlier would have had a much different tone had the interviewee known what really happened. And the next night Vince had to come out on ECW and apologize for the tribute, and even Benoit’s name has been forbidden from being mentioned on WWE programming since then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-when-a-reality-show-contestant-dies-mid-run/606990.md?page=1)