Contestants Who Were Injured On Game Shows
Step onto the stage and under the bright lights of any TV game show, and there is a risk of serious injury to your reputation. Freeze up during a crucial clue on "Jeopardy," miss an obvious puzzle in "Wheel of Fortune," or wildly overestimate the price of a new blender on "The Price is Right," and you could find yourself a laughing stock among hardcore TV game show fans or even, Trebek forbid, a viral sensation on the internet. But few game show contestants are prepared for the possibility that they may face physical injury during their time in the spotlight as well.
Here's a rundown of game show contestants who found themselves at least mildly and at most gravely injured when they stepped up to the podium on a variety of popular game shows. Some, like Nickelodeon's "Double Dare" or "Dog Eat Dog," have a physical component that makes physical injury a distinct possibility. But other players have managed to get hurt on more intellectual programs like "Wheel" or "Price is Right." It's all part of the real-life Wheel of Fortune we call reality, and some people are just luckier than others.
This Price is Right player injured an ankle on the big wheel
One of the most iconic pieces of "The Price is Right" gameplay is the so-called "big wheel." If you've seen even just a single episode of the show, you probably know how it works, and most contestants are able to escape its clutches without even a scratch. But in the clip above, you can see a contestant named Judy put a little too much spin into her big spin and end up twisting her ankle.
Fortunately, the "Price is Right" producers apparently have a pair of crutches on hand for any mishaps, and Judy was able to play out her "Showcase Showdown" round upright and without further incident.
Contestants on "The Price is Right" who get to spin the big wheel can make it look pretty easy, and everyone seems to have their own unique strategy on how to make the perfect spin. But if you focus too much on raw force and not enough on keeping your balance, it is possible to hurt yourself — a lesson we can all take to heart, thanks to Judy.
A Pat Sajak encounter gone wrong led to a lawsuit for one Wheel of Fortune contestant
The worst thing a typical contestant on "Wheel of Fortune" has to worry about is accidentally straining their back while spinning the titular wheel or perhaps landing a pesky "Bankrupt" slot. But back in 2003, a contestant named Will Wright was celebrating his successful winning game and total earnings of almost $50,000 when longtime "Wheel" host Pat Sajak got a little too overzealous in joining the celebrations, leaping onto him and wrapping his arms and legs around his body.
That's according to a 2003 Washington Post report, which also outlined Wright's legal fight to get financial restitution for injuries he suffered as a result of the mishap. "I stick out my hand thinking he's going to shake it," Wright said. "Instead, he jumps onto me, with his legs and arms ... All I remember thinking was: 'This is Pat Sajak. Don't drop Pat Sajak.'"
Wright started suffering pain shortly after the incident, eventually requiring surgery on his back. He sued the producers of the show for $2 million, all while remaining a loyal fan of the series. It's not known what kind of settlement the two parties ended up reaching, but hopefully Wright is able to smile about the whole thing now — and Sajak probably hasn't done too much leaping into contestants' arms since this unaired incident took place.
The infamous watermelon headshot from The Amazing Race
"The Amazing Race" is not a typical game show in the "Wheel of Fortune" or "The Price is Right" mold, but one thankfully minor injury sustained on the show is so iconic that it has to merit inclusion here. It's the infamous watermelon headshot, seen billions of times on the internet in GIF and viral YouTube clip form.
"Amazing Race" contestants Brook Roberts and Claire Champlin became early viral YouTube stars when their medieval misadventure was shared on YouTube by CBS. You can watch the full clip above, which doesn't skimp on the slow-motion replays of Claire getting absolutely clocked by a watermelon in a way that's both horrifying and somehow visually satisfying. Fortunately, a New Zealand Herald profile written by Champlin herself revealed that the woman known as "watermelon girl" suffered only minor injuries as a result of the watermelon misfire that put Gallagher to shame.
"And yes, I still get recognised occasionally," Champlin wrote, "especially in the produce department."
A tragic Wowowee stampede claimed the lives of 73 people in Manila
Most game show injuries included on this list are not too serious to laugh at, but there's nothing funny about the reported stadium stampede that killed 73 people in the Philippine capital of Manila in 2006. It happened at a live taping of the first anniversary episode of a game show called "Wowowee." About 30,000 people showed up to PhilSports Stadium for the event, and the rush to get in on the game's action and cash prizes resulted in a devastating stampede reported on by the BBC.
It's a horrifying example of what can happen when a large group of people gets out of control when rushing in or out of a confined space. There are examples of this happening at music concerts and other big events over the years, but this "Wowowee" tragedy is probably the only time it's happened in relation to a television game show.
A Price is Right contestant dislocated his shoulder during a celebration
It's always when you think you're out of the woods that the danger is greatest. That wouldn't seem to be a lesson that applies to a game show as cheerful and friendly as "The Price is Right," but it nevertheless seems appropriate in the case of Henry, who suffered a dislocated shoulder during an overzealous celebration on the show.
In fairness, he had just come one step closer to winning a trip to Hawaii, which might lead anyone to go a little crazy with the jumping and fist-pumping. Fortunately, the official "Price is Right" Instagram account let everybody know he was OK soon after the mishap took place: "He won a trip to Hawaii and the ER #PriceIsRight (Update: Henry is feeling better and all healed now!)"
Thankfully, despite the injury Henry suffered in the midst of his big moment, it didn't produce any graphically disturbing footage, and you'd be hard-pressed to even tell he hurt himself at all if it weren't for host Drew Carey's announcement after the fact. You can watch the whole thing go down in the clip above, as well as the aftermath, in which Henry has a friend help him spin the big wheel with a great result.
A Family Feud celebration resulted in a popped Achilles tendon
"Family Feud" is another classic game show that normally doesn't offer up too many opportunities to get physically injured. It doesn't have any giant wheels to spin, and you'd have to slap the "Feud" buzzer pretty dang hard to hurt your hand in any significant way.
But in 2017, a contestant on "Feud" learned what appears to be a lesson that many game show contestants would do well to internalize: Go easy on the victory celebrations, or you might hurt yourself. As captured in the fan-taken video above, a contestant from a winning "Family Feud" family was jumping up and down in celebration of winning the final round when something suddenly appeared to go wrong. Host Steve Harvey was there to calmly and efficiently let the audience know what was happening: "He popped his Achilles," the host repeated multiple times.
Hopefully, the guy was able to get some proper medical attention and has since made a full recovery, but updates on his condition are scarce as of this writing.
A fatal stroke on the set of Wipeout
Tom Sparks was just 33 years old when he injured himself competing on the physically grueling game show "Wipeout." According to a 2009 report from The Wrap, Sparks complained of pain in his knee during his run on the show's obstacle course, only to be taken to a nearby hospital after experiencing shortness of breath. At some point, he suffered a stroke, and after multiple surgeries, he succumbed to the damage to his brain.
It's a terrifying story, made all the more so because of Sparks' young age and his appearance of perfect health. Though he had recently completed a marathon, his father reportedly said that his son was suffering from antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, a condition that causes excessive blood clotting and can lead to strokes.
While an initial report said that Sparks suffered a stroke while performing the stunt for "Wipeout," it was actually not clear precisely when the stroke initially happened, and his appearance on the game show might have been a mere coincidence. Still, his death has to rank as one of the worst game show injuries of all time and a sad chapter in the history of the show.
A broken bone on Double Dare
Viewers of the golden age of Nickelodeon game shows in the 1990s know that they could be just as full of peril and danger as their grown-up counterparts are. Think about it: "Guts" had its extreme competitive action punctuated by the always hazardous-looking Aggro Crag or some variation thereof, while "Legends of the Hidden Temple" had those terrifying temple guards in addition to its spikes and pitfalls. But contrary to appearances, those game shows remained pretty safe, while one documented example of an injury on a Nickelodeon game show happened on the relatively benign "Double Dare."
In an oral history of the show for Thrillist, "Double Dare's" worst injury was recalled by host Marc Summers, and it was evidently pretty gruesome: "We always asked kids on the affidavit before the contract, or whatever the release form was, 'Have you ever had any broken bones?' One time we did an obstacle course — 'on your mark, get set, go!' — the kid runs from obstacle one or two, he falls, and the bone breaks and goes right through his skin. I walked out of the studio, it made me so sick ... Our legal team did some research, and found out the kid had a disease that was like glass bones, and had broken his arm like 10 or 12 times."
Talk about a physical challenge! Thankfully, that appears to be the most serious injury ever sustained on a Nickelodeon game show, which just goes to show that those temple guards must not have been as dangerous as they seemed at the time.
Another Price is Right contestant dropped like a stone
There haven't been any serious statistical analyses done on this subject as far as we're aware, but, anecdotally, it appears that "The Price is Right" may be the most physically dangerous game show to appear on since it has popped up for the third time on this list alone. Or perhaps that's just a consequence of the series' uniquely long history in the annals of game shows.
In any event, in the clip above from an episode way back in 1998, you can watch contestant Scott, who drops like a stone at the 1:25 mark after finding out he might have had a chance at winning a brand new station wagon. One of the most entertaining aspects of this clip has to be host Bob Barker's repeated allusions to the minor injury, which serves to demonstrate what a quick and funny host he really was.
A Dog Eat Dog stunt went wrong
"Dog Eat Dog" was an NBC game show from the early 2000s that combined trivia questions with physical stunts, many of them involving the show's gigantic water tank that served as its setting. A 2002 article from the Southeast Missourian (via Archive.org) reported how the show had an injury on the set before it even aired. A 26-year-old personal trainer competing in the show's very first challenge participated in a stunt in which he was suspended upside-down by his ankles underwater. Details of the incident were and remain scarce, but the unnamed competitor was evidently taken to a nearby hospital after appearing to fall unconscious during the stunt, in which he was reportedly underwater for about two minutes.
The hospital trip was reported to be merely a precaution, and the contestant didn't appear to have been seriously hurt by his time on "Dog Eat Dog."