PHOTOS French Survivor contestant Gérald Babin dies during filming

25-year-old Gérald Babin, a contestant on the French version of the popular reality competition series Survivor (called Koh-Lanta), died during filming after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest on location in Cambodia. It was the first day of shooting for the 13th season of the show.

Gérald Babin, 25, a participant in the 16th season of Koh-Lanta died today of cardiac arrest during the first day of filming in Cambodia. … All their thoughts are with his parents, his sister, his girlfriend and his family. It was immediately decided to stop filming and repatriate as soon as possible all the teams in Paris.

Judging from the photo above (though I am not sure when it was taken), Babin looked to be in fantastic shape. I assume contestants get a thorough medical examination before going on these rigorous worst of reality shows, but I can’t help but think the doctors may have missed something. Not onyl was he only 25 years old, but Babin was competing in his very first challenge on the very first day when he died.

The death is not the first for the worldwide Survivor franchise. 53-year-old Noncho Vodenicharov also died of a heart attack while filming the Bulgarian version of Survivorin 2009.

Although the American Survivor has never suffered a fatality, they did have a huge scare during the second season of filming in the Australian Outback when Michael Skupin “was stoking a fire at the Kucha camp after a Reward Challenge victory, when he inhaled smoke and passed out, falling forward into the fire pit. As a result, he suffered second and third degree burns on his face, hands and chest which necessitated his evacuation and removal from the game.” (Wikipedia)