Horrific game show injuries – life-threatening illness, split heads and dislocated arms

BBC gameshow It’s a Knockout was first broadcast on this day in 1966 (August 7) – with contestants taking part in a series of unusual challenges.

There have been lots of different gameshows in the years since, with viewers watching contestants take part in series including Total Wipeout, Tumble and The Splash to name a few.

However in recent years, lots of gameshows have seen their contestants suffer horrifying injuries as a result of the rigorous challenges – including a lot of our favourite celebrities.

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From dislocated shoulders to life threatening situations, Daily Star takes a look at the most horrifying game show injuries ever.

Total Wipeout

Total Wipeout followed in the footsteps of It’s a Knockout, including a tough obstacle course that caused many celebrities to be injured during a special edition of the programme.

The late Kenny Everett’s former sidekick Cleo Rocos suffered a knee injury, which left her on crutches for over three weeks.

Meanwhile, personal trainer Kevin Adams tore ligaments, Dominic Littlewood injured his leg and children’s TV legend Kirsten O’ Brien damaged her knee.

It was also reported that former EastEnders actor Joe Swash dislocated his shoulder while taking part too.

The Splash

BBC game show The Splash saw celebrities learn to become professional divers, with a little help from stars including Tom Daley – but one celebrity suffered a life threatening situation.

During filming, BBC presenter Rav Wilding suffered an injury to his leg during training and as a result, had to undergo surgery.

However, he was later left fighting for his life after developing a blood clot on his lung following the injury – with the ordeal leaving him unable to work at the time.

Rav told The Mirror: “It’s been so hard. At one point the surgeon basically said I could die.”

The presenter later sued for loss of earnings as a result of his injuries, and won a five-figure payout from the production company Splash.

That’s not all, as celebrities including Gemma Collins were left with severe bruising to their bodies while taking part in the programme too.

The Splash was later cancelled after two series, with many outlets reporting that a US version was cancelled after being branded “too dangerous for contestants.”

Tumble

BBC series Tumble was another BBC series to pit celebrities physical skills to the test – but it also resulted in a fair few injuries too.

Celebrities including H from Steps took up the challenge of completing gymnastic feats on a variety of equipment.

However, H suffered friction burns on his back and severe whiplash while taking part, and later bruised his nose with a rhythmic cane too.

The star tweeted pictures of his legs following training at the time too, captioning the post: “These are bruises from training today!”

Another tweet showed the rope burns on his hands, with H saying: “No pain, no gain.”

The Jump

Olympic athlete Rebecca Adlington suffered a horrifying injury after she fell off a 100 meter skiing slope during the 2016 series of Channel 4 game show The Jump.

The star suffered a dislocated shoulder, and speaking to Digital Spy after the accident, Rebecca said: “What people didn’t see in the edited footage is that I was lying there with a dislocated shoulder for 40 minutes.

“It was worse than childbirth and it’s still horrible now because people keep knocking my arm.”

She wasn’t the only one to suffer a terrible injury either, as fellow olympian Beth Tweddle broke her back during rehearsals, while actress Tina Hobley dislocated her elbow.

Flash Gordon actor Sam Jones didn’t even make it to the series after suffering a shoulder injury, while Melinda Messenger also had to pull out too after suffering concussion while practicing for the bobsleigh challenge.

Dancing On Ice

Dancing On Ice is a TV favourite, but one series saw actress Jennifer Ellison split open her head during a figure skating move gone wrong.

The star attempted a move called the Scorpion Kick, which involves the skater arching their back and kicking their leg behind them.

Jennifer completed the move, but in the process, cut the back of her head open live on TV.

She continued her performance until the end, but was immediately taken to paramedics as the blood poured down her head.

Jennifer’s professional skating partner Dan Whiston told The Mirror shortly aftewards: “At the end of the routine Jen does a scorpion kick. She threw her leg really high and the heel of her skate has gone into the back of her head.

“Her whole hair was just red because obviously the heart’s pumping and a lot of blood’s come out. But she’s in great hands.”

Strictly Come Dancing

A number of celebrities have been injured while taking part in popular BBC competition Strictly Come Dancing throughout the years.

However in 2009, athlete Jade Johnson injured her knee and revealed to The Mirror that the accident affected her ability to participate in the London 2012 Olympics.

The star suffered ligament damage from her knee injury, which flared up during training for the games, meaning she could not take up her place in Team GB.

She said: “When I went to jump, I just couldn’t get off the board. The pain was ­indescribable. Me and my ­physio just looked at each other and started crying. We knew what it meant.

“I never thought it would come back all these years later.”

Despite this, Jade added that she does not regret taking part in Strictly, adding: “Strictly took me out of my comfort zone and taught me what I was capable of.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk