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Death on Chinese TV Show Could Have Repercussions for U.S. Series — Both Shows Are Based on the Same Dutch Format

Apr 22, 2013  •  Post A Comment

The death of one of the personalities participating in a Chinese television program could have an impact on a troubled U.S. series.

Deadline.com reports that Peng Jiaxuan, assistant to martial artist Shi Xiaolong on China’s "Celebrity Splash China," drowned Friday during a training session for the show. Both the Chinese program and ABC’s “Splash” are versions of a show that originally aired in Holland.

“Splash” has had its own problems lately, with the most recent being an injury last week to contestant Nicole Eggert. The New York Daily News reports that the former “Baywatch” beauty, 41, had a bad landing while trying a complicated maneuver that included multiple backflips. Eggert tweeted later that she suffered swelling and bruising on her back and kidneys.

"’Splash’ has lost two cast members to injury over its run. Swimsuit model Katherine Webb, 23, quit the show over a back injury, and ‘Chelsea Lately’ sidekick Chuy Bravo backed out of the program because of a fractured heel,” the Daily News report notes. “Skier Rory Bushfield remained on the show after rupturing an eardrum during a dive. Former Playboy star Kendra Wilkinson left ‘Splash’ over her fear of heights.”

Additionally, Deadline reports that participant Louie Anderson suffered bruised ribs during training for “Splash.”

This is all on a freshman ABC reality show that has been sinking in the ratings, as we reported last week. Tuesday’s installment hit an all-time low with an anemic 1.1 average rating in the key 18-49 demo, based on Nielsen overnights.

Whether the death on the Chinese diving show will convince ABC to rethink its seemingly doomed series remains to be seen, but the news appears to be generating increasingly harsh criticism of “Splash” in online comments.

nicole-eggert.png“Splash’s” Nicole Eggert

2 Comments

  1. I’m surprised that this show made it to the air at all, and I’m flabbergasted that it’s still on. On the other hand, it does give columnists opportunities for a lot of bad puns….

  2. I hope more celebs get injured on this show. Isn’t that the entire attraction? To watch narcissistic maim themselves on national TV? HELL YEAH

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