A tragic reality

The death of Gao has not only stunned his fans, but the much wider viewing audience, including many actors and actresses who had collaborated with him in the past.

"It's so sad to lose such a great young man. Take care of yourself at work," wrote Chinese actor-director Xu Zheng on his Sina Weibo account, which has nearly 10 million followers.

Besides mourning Gao's death, Xu also urged the TV station to take responsibility for the safety of the reality show's contestants.

So are these wildly popular shows really as fun and as exciting as they appear-or is there a more sinister side to them? The truth is shocking.

In 2013, the 18-year-old assistant to Chinese martial arts actor Shi Xiaolong died from drowning during the filming of Celebrity Splash, a reality show centered around diving competitions, also broadcast by Zhejiang Satellite TV.

The hit South Korean reality television show Running Man, which began in 2010, gained a successful Chinese remake under the name of Keep Running, which was launched in 2014, again by Zhejiang Satellite TV. In April 2018, one of the contestants on the show, Chinese actor-director Deng Chao, broke his right arm during filming of the reality series in Datong, Shanxi province. One of the audience members recalls the incident: "It happened around midnight and it was raining. However, they didn't stop shooting even after Deng Chao slipped and injured himself".