11 Reality Show suicides so far

[Philosoraptor]

http://www.thewrap.com/article/thewrap-investigates-11-reality-show-players-have-committed-suicide_3409

Susan Boyle should consider herself lucky that when she was rushed to the hospital a day after the "Britain's Got Talent" finale, it was only for exhaustion.

A Wrap investigation shows that the reality of reality shows is not nearly so benign: at least 11 reality-show participants have taken their own lives -- and two more who have tried to -- in tragedies that appear to be linked to their experience on television shows.

Many people may know about Paula Goodspeed (pictured left), who killed herself in front of Paula Abdul’s house last November after she was bounced from audtions on "American Idol.” Goodspeed, an obsessed fan of Abdul's, was found dead in her car in Sherman Oaks after a prescription-drug overdose.

But Goodspeed is just one among a long list of reality-show related deaths.

[KG]

1. what's with the urge to be publicly humiliated these reality show participants obviously possess?

[PassingFair]

4. Clearly, many of these people are exhibitionists with

destructive urges.

Some are just looking to strike
it rich and famous,
many appear to have severe
drug and alcohol dependency.
I'd steer pretty
clear of any of the "Rock of Love"
"ladies"....

[KharmaTrain]

2. Why Am I Not Surprised...

Find 'em, exploit 'em, use 'em, toss 'em out. "Reality shows" are nothing more than modern freak shows built to embarass or humiliate as entertainment. People didn't watch these shows to see who "won", but who was the most dysfunctional. It's worked for years during the daytime.

We live in a no deposit, no return society...and that includes lives. But, hey did you see the ratings????

[Canuckistanian]

6. Me neither

Imagine the emotional roller coaster ride these people go through.

Take an ordinary person and lure them in with dreams of big money and fame. Then subject them to a very stressful (and arbitrary) situation where everyone is deadly serious. Then when they lose, it must seem like their world has collapsed beneath them.

Should we be surprised that their self-worth plummets to almost zero?

Maybe the reality shows should offer free counselling to the losers.

[Blue_Tires]

9. you would think people already knew this

but of course these shows never have a shortage of potential suckers itching for a shot of fame

[Zodiak]

10. And remember...

Reality shows were invented to get around the writers' strike.

The shows were borne out of greed, basically.

[Bluenorthwest]

14. It ain't rock and roll

It's strike busting entertainment!

[BlooInBloo]

16. Really? Is that where The Real World came from?

[KharmaTrain]

17. Excellent Point...

Reality shows were around before the strike, but they became the staple to fill hours of air time. They're cheap to do...no "stars", no writers or much of anything else. Maximum profit for the least amount of investment.

[ShortnFiery]

13. If not suicide, I'd bet good money that future social science will suggest EMOTIONAL TRAUMA fallout

of increasing numbers within former reality show participant pools. As I stated below, the adults, for whatever twisted reasons, put THEMSELVES on display but their children should be protected from their insensitivity and carelessness. :(

[KharmaTrain]

15. Agreed On Children...

And this would include pagents and other gimicks that sucker parents into living vicariously through a 6 year old with stars and riches waved in their faces.

People will always put themselves on display. When I was a kid, Let's Make A Deal was fun to watch to see people made fools out of themselves or to get zonked, but those people knew what they were stepping into. "Reality" shows are intended to exploit through the "spontaneous" and to focus on dysfunction as entertainment.

[ShortnFiery]

18. True. And most of us who watched "Let's Make a Deal" or "Jerry Springer" thought those people were

TOTALLY out of their minds to put themselves and their families out IN THE OPEN cold light of broadcast television.

Now, people brag about it. However, I've not seen anyone who has come out of the experience as "more balanced" with their life's choices. Quite the contrary, like movie stars and other celebrities, they tend to make horrible choices, such as devolve into drug addictions and other destructive behaviors.

IMO, more times than not, it's A CURSE to be made famous.

[KharmaTrain]

19. Fame & Fortune Can Be A Prison

I've worked with wealthy and "famous" people...and I've long noted they are the most paranoid and insecure people I've met. They're obsessed with their image or wealth and become miserable and totally self-absorbed. No wonder so many become rushpublicans.

Cheers...

[BlooInBloo]

3. I'm not convinced that's a higher suicide *rate* than the general population....

How many reality show contestants have there been *total*?

[Vickers]

5. Excellent point, but that doesn't exactly work as a sensationalistic headline...

"STUDY REVEALS REALITY SHOW CONTESTANT SUICIDES PARALLEL NATIONAL RATE"

:P

[BlooInBloo]

7. BWAHAHAA!!!

Nice!

[BlooInBloo]

8. According to Wolfram Alpha, the US suicide rate is 1.2%....

For 11 suicides, the total number of contestants there would have to be, to equal that rate would be:

11/x = .012 --> x = 917

If there have been more reality show contestants than that, then the contestant suicide rate is LOWER than in the general population.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

11. correlation not equal to causation, especially not such a poor correlation

[ShortnFiery]

12. Leave the children out of "the viewing" within these VILE reality shows.

As a former addiction counselor, I observe the reality show "Intervention" with sheer disgust and horror. Recovery from addiction is centered around the INDIVIDUAL, their family SUPPORT STRUCTURE and does not involve voyeuristic "feeding frenzy" of public viewing.

We have truly lost our soul. However, at least for those under 18 years of age, we could PUSH for legislation that would prevent IDIOT PARENTS from putting their children "on public display."

Children can NOT give informed consent.