Reality Show Contestant Drowns During Challenge

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A contestant on a Pakistani reality TV show drowned while performing a challenge for the program, a spokeswoman for the show's sponsor said Sunday.

Pakistani contestant Saad Khan, 32, was swimming across a lake while wearing a 15-pound backpack when he called out for help and then disappeared underwater, according to Fareshte Aslam, information officer for Unilever Pakistan, the show's sponsor.

Okay, the swimming part I get. But what genius decided he should have fifteen pounds of dead weight strapped to his back while he was doing it?

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Unilever Pakistan accepts no liability for Khan's death, Aslam said, but added that the company is in discussions to provide for Khan's wife and four children "out of rightness."

"We don't want her suing our sorry asses, so we'll pay off some hush money and call it square."

Part of my lifeguard certification test was being able to carry a 50 lb weight from the bottom of 12 foot pool to the surface and over to the side. I distinctly remember how I hovered about three inches below the surface, kicking as hard as I could (a competitive swimmer of over three years) and it took me a good ten seconds before I was able to finally break the surface.

15 lbs for an inexperienced or amateur swimmer? Honestly, what the hell were they thinking?

Geez, maybe having it as a challenge is acceptable - but you'd think they'd have somebody in a boat close-by in case they got into trouble. By close by I mean right next to them.

There is no way they should have done a task that involves swimming without trained rescue workers around who could save someone who couldn't handle the weight. What were they thinking?

Couldn't he have just taken the weight off?

KJM wrote:

Couldn't he have just taken the weight off?

Moot point, really.

Quote :

Khan had already been eliminated in the as-yet-unnamed show's previous rounds, but had returned for a special challenge to earn a spot in the finals.

Oof, there´s some bitter tastin´ irony for ya. There´s a ´final´-pun in there, somewhere, but I'm far too classy to make it.

KJM wrote:

Couldn't he have just taken the weight off?

Depends how deep the water was and how tired he was when he started to get into trouble.

Chaltab wrote:

There is no way they should have done a task that involves swimming without trained rescue workers around who could save someone who couldn't handle the weight. What were they thinking?

That's exactly my thoughts.

Well, drama sells quite well. Maybe it was only for the profit. :lolinsane:

VB wrote:

Part of my lifeguard certification test was being able to carry a 50 lb weight from the bottom of 12 foot pool to the surface and over to the side. I distinctly remember how I hovered about three inches below the surface, kicking as hard as I could (a competitive swimmer of over three years) and it took me a good ten seconds before I was able to finally break the surface.

15 lbs for an inexperienced or amateur swimmer? Honestly, what the hell were they thinking?

They weren't.

First reaction: Oh, how horrible. What a terrible way to die.

Second reaction: Of course the company is going to pay off the family; they were responsible for his death, after all.

Third reaction: Waaaaait a second...maybe he discussed this with his wife beforehand and this is all just an elaborate plot for the wife and kids to get more money out of the production that he ever would have gotten by competing and failing (which he had done beforehand).

...that's it; no more internet for me. I am becoming far too jaded.

Aggie wrote:

First reaction: Oh, how horrible. What a terrible way to die.

Second reaction: Of course the company is going to pay off the family; they were responsible for his death, after all.

Third reaction: Waaaaait a second...maybe he discussed this with his wife beforehand and this is all just an elaborate plot for the wife and kids to get more money out of the production that he ever would have gotten by competing and failing (which he had done beforehand).

...that's it; no more internet for me. I am becoming far too jaded. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

oh jeez. a faked death! haha. maybe it's all a publicity stunt from the producers.

seriously, though. someone died.

Did he go down well with viewers?

Knorg wrote:

Did he go down well with viewers?

I'd no idea they ate him. You learn something new every day.

bikini zebra wrote:

oh jeez. a faked death! haha. maybe it's all a publicity stunt from the producers.

You know, I hadn't even thought of that one; however, it seems rather unlikely. Wouldn't that require a metric fuckton of planning that could easily go wrong at any point?

Unless, of course, you think that that's what I meant (which it's not). What I said was that there was a tiny inkling that he chose to drown because the hush money the production company would undoubtedly pay the wife would be far more than he could ever earn himself. But when you read the last line of my post you see that I rejected that extremely pessimistic thought nearly immediately.

Lexin wrote:

Knorg wrote:

Did he go down well with viewers?

I'd no idea they ate him. You learn something new every day.

The lungs were a delicacy.

Of course a man would drown during the challenge. He's bred to not swim properly. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Waffles wrote:

Of course a man would drown during the challenge. He's bred to not swim properly.

Of course a woman would float during the challenge. She's bred with built in flotation devices.