‘Wipeout’ contestant who collapsed during obstacle course died of heart attack, coroner’s office says
He died of natural causes, coroner’s office says
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A 38-year-old man who died after competing in a Wipeout obstacle course in November suffered from a heart attack, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.
Michael Paredes was participating as a contestant on the show on 18 November when he fell from the course over a body of water and was unable to pull himself out.
According to the coroner’s report, released Friday, Paredes was resuscitated and brought to the hospital, where he died a day later.
In the coroner’s report, it was revealed that Paredes died of a heart attack and that he suffered from undetected coronary artery disease, according to NBC News.
A toxicology report showed that the Wipeout contestant did not have drugs or alcohol in his system, however, he regularly consumed Nutrex Outlift Amped, a pre-workout dietary supplement.
According to the autopsy, the workout supplement did not play a part in Paredes’ death and he died of natural causes.
The reboot of the show, which originally aired on ABC from 2008 to 2014, was announced last year by TBS but has not yet been released.
According to Deadline, the obstacles featured in the reboot were made to be slightly more challenging, with the game including a “three-stage, obstacle course consisting of multiple strategy and decision points designed to further challenge, and wear out, the stamina of the competitors”.
Prior to his death, the 38-year-old had successfully completed two of the show’s three obstacle courses. After he was pulled out of the water, he was placed in a wheelchair, where he went under cardiopulmonary arrest.
His fiancée, who also participated on the show, told NBC News that Paredes exercised for two hours per day, five days a week, with both passing a required drug screen, an EKG and a Covid-19 test before filming the show.
The show also reportedly had an “onsite safety team" that included “several paramedics," according to People.
In a statement to People in November regarding Paredes’ death, a spokesperson for TBS said: “We are devastated to have learned of his passing and our deepest sympathy goes out to the family.”
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