Of all the reality TV shows out there right now, Channel 4’s The Jump is possibly the most daring and dangerous of them all, and only the bravest of celebrities dare take to the Austrian slopes as participants! Now, less than three weeks in to its 3rd series, The Jump is proving more dangerous…and slightly disastrous…than ever before, with four contestants quitting the show on medical grounds only two shows in!
Holby City actress Tina Hobley was forced to withdraw after dislocating her elbow, and Olympic Swimmer Rebecca Adlington followed suit, after previously injuring her arm in the very first week.
Even though she won Dancing on Ice, previous victory on the ice did little to help Olympic Gymnast Beth Tweddle, who suffered a broken vertebrae after colliding with a barrier, and has also been forced to pull out. Made in Chelsea star Mark-Francis Vandelli was the fourth and, for now final, celebrity to pull out after fracturing his ankle.
With the two eliminations included, this means that The Jump lost half of this years participants within the first two weeks of the competition! It’s not all bad news, though, as Tom Parker from The Wanted is hoping to follow bandmate Jay McGuinness on the road to reality TV success, and last years contestant Heather Mills has returned to the slopes for a second time as they both join the show as late entrants. Replacements for Beth and Mark-Francis have yet to be announced, but with this many injuries already we’d be surprised if there was any celebrity out there still willing to risk it!
Injuries to the celebrity contestants on The Jump are nothing out of the ordinary, with Ola Jordan and Sally Bercow pulling out in Series 2, and Melinda Messenger, Marcus Brigstocke, Steve Redgrave Henry Conway, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and Sam J. Jones all quitting due to injuries in Series 1.
Viewers have complained at the severity and frequency of the injuries this year, and Channel 4 have launched an investigation in to the safety of this kind of show, though they promise that all Celebrities are fully insured and aware of the risks beforehand. The exact sum of these insurance costs is rumoured to be £31,000 for each celebrity every episode, making it a very, very expensive show to produce!
With all these injuries in the first few weeks, the future of The Jump looks to be in doubt…it’s really got us glued to our screens, though!
Let us know what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter @CelebMix