Wipeout Contestant Dies After Completing Obstacle Course

Have we gone too far with game show obstacle courses?

On Wednesday, a male contestant from the TBS show Wipeout went into cardiac arrest after completing one of the signature circuits. The man was rushed to the hospital where he died two days later.

TBS confirmed the tragic death, telling People in a statement:

“We are devastated to have learned of his passing and our deepest sympathy goes out to the family.”

The show, which originally aired on ABC from 2008 to 2014, returned this year with even harder tasks than before!

For anyone not familiar, Wipeout has a variety of challenges for their participants with some that sound as rough as they actually are. Believe it or not, Sucker Punch involves climbing a wall while mechanical arms pop out and punch the person. The obstacle courses are full of soft objects and over a pool of water, but people still get exhausted and can take some nasty spills.

No wonder there are injuries — and this case a death.

But according to a source who spoke with TMZ, their setup is incredibly safe. The insider claimed:

“All the contestants on Wipeout undergo medical examinations before they are cleared to participate. There is an onsite safety team that is comprised of several paramedics, two set medics, a paramedic coordinator and a safety producer. There is a safety team present at all times.”

Still, we have to wonder if the victim’s death could have been avoided. We truly hope this makes producers re-evaluate all the wild obstacles they’re pushing people through, at the very least.

Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.

[Image via Wipeout/YouTube & TBS]