First death on a reality TV show?

Drewcifer · Post by **Drewcifer** » 2003-06-20 02:09am

When or if do you think this will happen? Are reality shows just another trend that will fade in popularity, or will there be a progression to something truly Roman?

There have already been fatalities associated with talk shows (Morton Downey, Sr. and Jenny Jones comes to mind) and iirc, some guy is suing Dog Eat Dog due to serious injuries he sustained on the show.

I've seen some of these new prank shows, and wonder about things when the mark gets really mad. What happens when one of these shows messes with the wrong person and they break down or go nuts and get really violent? Many of the reality series rigorously screen applicants but someone could slip through, and many of the shows deal directly with public at large where anything is possible. The relationship shows seem ripe for someone unbalanced to create major problems as well.

How long before someone wins a Darwin award on reality TV?

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-06-20 02:12am

I think reality shows are staged in many ways so that we will likely never see a death on air, but we may see a death on one of those Police gone wild vidoes or animal attacks one day.

Post by **fgalkin** » 2003-06-20 02:14am

Drewcifer wrote:When or if do you think this will happen? Are reality shows just another trend that will fade in popularity, or will there be a progression to something truly Roman?

There have already been fatalities associated with talk shows (Morton Downey, Sr. and Jenny Jones comes to mind) and iirc, some guy is suing Dog Eat Dog due to serious injuries he sustained on the show.

I've seen some of these new prank shows, and wonder about things when the mark gets really mad. What happens when one of these shows messes with the wrong person and they break down or go nuts and get really violent? Many of the reality series rigorously screen applicants but someone could slip through, and many of the shows deal directly with public at large where anything is possible. The relationship shows seem ripe for someone unbalanced to create major problems as well.

How long before someone wins a Darwin award on reality TV?

Ever seen The Running Man?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-06-20 02:21am

Smash TV, baby! "Big prizes! Big cash! You'll love it!"

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-06-20 02:23am

I think there will be a freakout in one of the Big Brothers and someone will be killed.

Better be soon though, they took off Seinfeld for it.

Drewcifer · Post by **Drewcifer** » 2003-06-20 02:25am

Stravo wrote:I think reality shows are staged in many ways so that we will likely never see a death on air, but we may see a death on one of those Police gone wild vidoes or animal attacks one day.

There's been several police shows with clips from incidents where people were killed or died violently. They usually don't show the actual moment, but I remember seeing a guy holding a hostage get blown away by a sharpshooter (the guy fell like a sack of potatoes, kind of weird). Too, there was an episode of Cops where the officers were doing CPR on someone who died before the paramedics got there.

Darth Gojira · Post by **Darth Gojira** » 2003-06-20 07:21am

IF someone dies, I would hope that the reality show craze will stop, they will righteously burn in TV hell, along with Voyager and other crap.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2003-06-20 07:25am

Well, I'm sure that reality shows will soon resemble "The Running Man" anyway...

I just hope the networks get sued out of existance. Good riddance.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-06-20 07:36am

No! When I watch "reality TV" I go "Where is the violence? Where's the blood spray?" Screw the weenie peacenik bleeding heart hippie liberals! I want to see a fucking 5'4" housewife from Green Bay gun down condemned criminals on national television to win 50,000 dollars and a chance to win a 7 day trip to sunny Cancun, dammit!

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-06-20 07:42am

Gil Hamilton wrote:No! When I watch "reality TV" I go "Where is the violence? Where's the blood spray?" Screw the weenie peacenik bleeding heart hippie liberals! I want to see a fucking 5'4" housewife from Green Bay gun down condemned criminals on national television to win 50,000 dollars and a chance to win a 7 day trip to sunny Cancun, dammit!

This man wants to live the dream. We should praise him.

Jason von Evil · Post by **Jason von Evil** » 2003-06-20 11:34am

Drewcifer wrote:
Stravo wrote:I think reality shows are staged in many ways so that we will likely never see a death on air, but we may see a death on one of those Police gone wild vidoes or animal attacks one day.
There's been several police shows with clips from incidents where people were killed or died violently. They usually don't show the actual moment, but I remember seeing a guy holding a hostage get blown away by a sharpshooter (the guy fell like a sack of potatoes, kind of weird). Too, there was an episode of Cops where the officers were doing CPR on someone who died before the paramedics got there.

I remember that episode of Cops, the guy with the mic was doing chest compressions while the cop gave mouth to mouth. I also remember that they revealed that the mic and camera crew were vests.

Anyways, we'll probably see it happen one day, probably on one of those Suvivor shows.

El Moose Monstero · Post by **El Moose Monstero** » 2003-06-20 11:38am

Well, there's that film, I forget exactly what it was called - something 7 I think, about Big Brother with the emphasis on hunting down and killing your opponents, or there's that Ben Elton book called Dead Famous, which is actually a good read, both of which tell this sort of story and do it well.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2003-06-20 11:39am

The_Lumberjack wrote:Well, there's that film, I forget exactly what it was called - something 7 I think, about Big Brother with the emphasis on hunting down and killing your opponents, or there's that Ben Elton book called Dead Famous, which is actually a good read, both of which tell this sort of story and do it well.

I think it was Season 7.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-06-20 04:40pm

Aya wrote:
Drewcifer wrote:
Stravo wrote:I think reality shows are staged in many ways so that we will likely never see a death on air, but we may see a death on one of those Police gone wild vidoes or animal attacks one day.
There's been several police shows with clips from incidents where people were killed or died violently. They usually don't show the actual moment, but I remember seeing a guy holding a hostage get blown away by a sharpshooter (the guy fell like a sack of potatoes, kind of weird). Too, there was an episode of Cops where the officers were doing CPR on someone who died before the paramedics got there.
I remember that episode of Cops, the guy with the mic was doing chest compressions while the cop gave mouth to mouth. I also remember that they revealed that the mic and camera crew were vests.

Anyways, we'll probably see it happen one day, probably on one of those Suvivor shows.

Next time, on "Survivor: The Nile"

On Day 27, Bob was eaten by a crocodile after spearing fish on the banks of the Nile while wearing no clothes:

Bob: "Well, I dunno, Marcy really pisses me of. I'm gonna vote her off in the next AAAAAAAAAARRRGHHH!"

Later that day . . .

Bubba: "Duude, that sucks. Bob got eaten' by a crocodile!"
Tim: "Did you see the blood spray, that was awesome!"
Marcy: "I knew a croc'd get him."

Post by **RogueIce** » 2003-06-20 04:59pm

I'm think "Scare Tactics" might have that dubious honor. From what I can tell, the people they're scaring have NO idea what's going on...unless it's all staged, I can see it going too far one day, and someone might have a heart attack, or overreact to defend themselves (with some previews I've seen, it's kinda likely).

The Silence and I · Post by **The Silence and I** » 2003-06-20 05:45pm

I would so not be a good thing for Scare-Tactics as I don't scare easily. If some guy in a disguise jumps out at me I will either tackle him, having realized this is set up (I HATE these kinds of shows) or watch in amusement, depending on my frame of mind. That one prevew with the zombie thing in the coffin made me laugh, I mean it was obviously a guy in make-up! I would go over and kick him.

Darksider · Post by **Darksider** » 2003-06-20 06:08pm

RogueIce wrote:I'm think "Scare Tactics" might have that dubious honor. From what I can tell, the people they're scaring have NO idea what's going on...unless it's all staged, I can see it going too far one day, and someone might have a heart attack, or overreact to defend themselves (with some previews I've seen, it's kinda likely).

Someone already overreacted, it was the Ep where a hitchiker held a knife on the guy who picked him up. (The driver was in on it, they were trying to scare the guy in the back seat.) The guy in the back seat came up front and started pummeling the man with the knife. They were screamng at him (The guy in the back seat) To stop for at least a min. before he calmed down and found out that it was just a show.

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2003-06-20 06:23pm

I'm going to have to agree with GMT. The first death will probably be an accident on Survivor or Amazing Race where someones repelling harness breaks and the guy drops 200 ft.

nechronius · Post by **nechronius** » 2003-06-20 06:41pm

Darksider wrote:Someone already overreacted, it was the Ep where a hitchiker held a knife on the guy who picked him up. (The driver was in on it, they were trying to scare the guy in the back seat.) The guy in the back seat came up front and started pummeling the man with the knife. They were screamng at him (The guy in the back seat) To stop for at least a min. before he calmed down and found out that it was just a show.

I can think of several friends of mine who would have reacted differently in that scenario if they were the unsuspecting victim. The end result would have been a combination of a gun and a dead actor. I would THINK that they screen for thing like that, but how would you broach the subject without rousing suspicion? "Uh, no, you can't carry your off duty pistol with you because we don't want our actor getting shot."

Enforcer Talen · Post by **Enforcer Talen** » 2003-06-20 07:00pm

Gil Hamilton wrote:No! When I watch "reality TV" I go "Where is the violence? Where's the blood spray?" Screw the weenie peacenik bleeding heart hippie liberals! I want to see a fucking 5'4" housewife from Green Bay gun down condemned criminals on national television to win 50,000 dollars and a chance to win a 7 day trip to sunny Cancun, dammit!

someone's been watching late night tv on cartoon network.

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2003-06-20 07:57pm

Perhaps someone will die on a reality TV show, but hopefully it will only be someone dumb enough to appear on reality TV voluntarily.

Post by **AdmiralKanos** » 2003-06-20 08:17pm

On next week's Reality TV show, we pretend to hold up a Texan at gunpoint, just to see how he reacts!

*next week*

We regret to inform you that this week's show has been cancelled due to an unfortunate fatality.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2003-06-20 08:39pm

On the NBC gameshow "Dog Eat Dog" a guy got hospitalized because he passed out and was underwater for too long. He's currently suing the show.

They're mostly so safe that injury is rare (even on Fear Factor)

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-06-20 09:21pm

Read Dead Famous (I think thats it) by Ben Elton, its a piss-take of Big Brother about a reality show where there is a murderer in the house...

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-06-20 09:22pm

Read Dead Famous (I think thats it) by Ben Elton, its a piss-take of Big Brother about a reality show where there is a murderer in the house...

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

First death on a reality TV show?

First death on a reality TV show?

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