US reality TV contestant kills himself

The risks of putting people through the emotional strains of reality television were brutally underlined last night after a contestant in a new reality boxing series died.

Najai Turpin, a boxer from Philadelphia, shot himself in front of his girlfriend just three weeks before The Contender, a US reality series in which he featured, is due to start.

NBC, which is broadcasting The Contender, offered its condolences to Turpin's girlfriend and their two-year-old daughter, who also appear in the series, but said the show would go ahead as planned.

"Nothing changes. I'm not even going to make any edits because it's real," said the show's producer and US reality TV guru Mark Burnett.

Twelve of the scheduled 13 episodes have already been filmed, meaning that Turpin will appear in at least one episode posthumously.

Yesterday the show's website listed the 23-year-old as "status active". "Just a few months ago, Najai was robbed at gunpoint and lost $900 [£475]. The next morning he was informed he earned a chance to compete on The Contender. He believes that the news was a sign from God," the NBC site said.

NBC has invested more in The Contender than in any other reality series, spending more than $26m for the 13-programme run.

The network claimed Turpin's death had nothing to do with the reality series but said it was setting up a fund to help his family.

Mr Burnett and co-producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, a co-founder of the DreamWorks film studio, control the 16 contestants through a series of deals designed to promote their careers.

As part of their contracts, the boxers were paid $1,500 a week not to take part in any other fights until the series finished filming earlier this year.

Presented by Rocky star Sylvester Stallone and former world champion Sugar Ray Leonard, the series pitches 16 unknown amateurs against one another with the winner receiving a $1m prize.

Mr Burnett said all of the contestants had undergone extensive psychological testing.

Turpin's death is thought to be the second suicide linked to reality television. A contestant in the first Swedish version of Survivor took his life after being voted off the show.

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