HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — A reality TV show contestant has died after falling ill while competing on the ABC series Wipeout.
A source close to Endemol, the production company behind Wipeout, tells CNN that contestant Tom Sparks began to complain of knee pain while running through the first part of an obstacle course challenge during taping on Oct. 19. Medics on the scene later detected shortness of breath and sent Sparks to a nearby hospital for observation.
Sparks, 33, died from a stroke on Nov. 5 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to the Idaho Mountain Express. Doctors believe the stroke was triggered by a condition called antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS), a disease that causes unnatural clotting of the blood, his father told the paper.
A spokesperson for Endemol told CNN that contestants are required to undergo a full physical screening, but it’s highly unlikely that Sparks’ disease could have been detected.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family,” ABC and Endemol said in a joint statement. “This is a tragic loss and our thoughts are with them at this time.”
Sparks previously worked as a disc jockey for the Idaho radio station KSKI 103.7. He is survived by his wife Kate. The couple would have celebrated their two-month anniversary last Friday.
