Part One: A boxer, an attorney, a single dad -- all have taken their own lives in the wake of being on reality shows.
And see more updates in TheWrap's investigation of reality tv:
The Consequences of Children on Reality TV
Reality Shows Under Scrutiny -- Who's Accountable?
Reality-Show Suicides on 'Larry King Live'
Confessions of a Reality TV Star
Aside from Paula Abdul's departure from "American Idol," it was perhaps the biggest news story of August: Ryan Alexander Jenkins, a former participant on VH1 reality series "Megan Wants a Millionaire" and "I Love Money," was found dead in a Canadian motel room amid allegations that he had earlier murdered his ex-wife in a most gruesome way.
The lurid case put the spotlight on the broader reality-television genre: How did a guy so emotionally troubled wind up on mainstream entertainment television?
Perhaps it shouldn't have been such surprise. As reality has proliferated over the last decade to become television's dominant creed, emotional stability has not always been a casting requirement.
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.
The victims are as varied as they are unexpected: a deputy district attorney, a single father, a young boxer -- even the sister of a contestant on a makeover show prodded to make hurtful comments about her sibling's "before" look.
And the phenomenon is not limited to the United States. TheWrap's investigation found suicides and attempted suicide among contestants as far afield as India, England and Sweden.Certainly, many of these people had pre-existing problems, which may have been why they were looking for such instant TV fame in the first place. But mental-health workers have discovered that many contestants on shows like “Survivor” and “Big Brother” -- even those who win -- suffer severe and often long-lasting psychological trauma. (Read Part Two tomorrow for more on this subject.)
Here are the victims, beginning with those on U.S. shows:
1. CHERYL KOSEWICZ
“Pirate Masters,” CBS
July 27, 2007
A Deputy District Attorney from Reno, Kosewicz, 35, killed herself after being bounced from the show.
