October 23, 2019 • 30 mins
Reality television shows are entertaining - they make you laugh, cry, and left wanting more. But what if a show goes too far? Listen in to Episode 19 and learn about a reality television show caused untimely deaths of many.
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Music: "Humbled in a Battle" by Antti Luode (http://anttismusic.blogspot.com)
Follow us on Twitter @UntimelyPodcast
Music: "Humbled in a Battle" by Antti Luode (http://anttismusic.blogspot.com)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:10):
When she was seventeen, an almostfatal car accident left her paralyzed. The
recovery was long and hard, andfor two agonizing years she fought her way
back to walking again. Her firstlove was sailing, and eventually she became
a professional sailor, but later thisfirst love became secondary to a daughter she
(00:33):
named Marie, who she truly lovedand adored, and nothing else mattered,
but the sport of sailing was tooloud to ignore. By nineteen eighty nine,
at thirty two years old, shecompeted with a group on board the
Charles Jordan in the Whitbread Round theWorld race. The same year she recorded
(00:55):
a duet song called Flow about sailing. In nineteen ninety she set a new
world record for the fastest solo crossingin the North Atlantic for a full two
days ahead. Her talent and skillswere compared to none, as she was
the best, and her generosity andpassion showed as she took part in a
(01:17):
campaign to stop killing whales in thePharaohs. In two thousand and nine,
at fifty two years old, shepublished an autobiography documenting her life thus far.
In two eleven, at fifty fouryears old, she managed to save
her own life when she accidentally felloverboard her sailboat while alone somewhere around the
(01:40):
coast of Corsica. But in twofifteen, at fifty eight years old,
despite all the accomplishments and skills andbarriers that this amazing woman has shown the
world, a preventable tragedy will ruina life that made this world a better
place. You are listening to Untimely, a podcast about untimely fatalities in earlier
(02:13):
or recent history that resulted in damagesfrom its wake. I'm your host Lynn.
Let's face it, reality TV canbe addicting view The viewer are given
an intimate, although heavily scripted,look into the lives of different people.
Some reality TV shows are fun towatch, like The Amazing Race or Dancing
(02:36):
with the Stars, while some area bit gruesome, like Fear Factor.
But an added layer of curiosity canmake reality TV into a must watch.
Just add famous people. In thisepisode of Untimely, we'll go back to
twenty fifteen, where we'll learn aboutwhat happens when a reality TV show becomes
(02:58):
something hard to watch. Survivor isone of the oldest reality television shows that
I know most of you may knowthat the concept of Survivor originated from a
(03:20):
series called Expedition Robinson in the latenineteen nineties. Season one of the show
Survivor was aired in the United Statesin two thousand. Once Richard Hatch was
the only one left standing, thenation was hooked for more reality shows.
With its popularity, over fifty othercountries adopted the TV series and had their
(03:43):
own unique Survivor shows and produced byseveral companies all over the globe. Adventure
Line Productions was one of these companiesthat made their mark in France. True
to its name, ALP creates andproduces adventure themed shows where hestants can win
a lot of money by using theirphysical prowess, intelligence, and soft skills.
(04:06):
One of these shows is Kolanta,similar to Survivor, that is still
in production to this day. Butas these steps of shows become more and
more commonplace, production companies tend topush limits further and further to satisfy the
public's hunger for reality TV to thepoint where it becomes dangerous and plain ridiculous.
(04:28):
It doesn't matter, though, sincemany will continue to support these shows,
especially when it is controversial. Intwenty fourteen, the reality show that
storsa aventiret was released in Sweden.I would like to apologize to my Swedish
friends if I bungled that pronunciation,but the title was translated to English as
dropped. The success of the showgot the attention of Adventure Line Productions and
(04:54):
in no time started brainstorming and planningto bring this series to France. The
plan is to begin production in thefirst half of twenty fifteen and release the
show later in the year. Sowhat sparked the interest of ALP to with
this show in particular? To understand, let's take a look at what this
show is all about. That storestaAventirette is Swedish for the biggest Adventure.
(05:17):
At the beginning of the show,two teams of about four or five people
are selected. One team is readand the other blue. In each episode,
team members arrive in a clearing wherethe host and two helicopters with pilots
are of course waiting. The teamshop aboard each one and given blindfolds to
put on. The teams are thentransported to a remote location and dropped off
(05:42):
and left to fend for themselves.The goal for Each team is to reach
a town or destination within seventy twohours where they can charge a mobile phone
and inform the host of their success, then get the next set of instructions.
The losing team will have to competewith each other through various skills or
tests like starting a fire from scratch, and the team member who loses is
(06:04):
knocked out of the contest. Oncethe teams are down to two each,
the battle then becomes an individual competition, vying for the title off Adventurer of
the Year. In this final competition, the remaining players are awarded or deducted
points, where the one with themost points wins the prize. What elevates
(06:26):
this show among others, is thatcontestants are all athletes. Most of them
are Olympic winners or champions, consideredat the top of their sport. It
makes watching the adventure even more interesting. So after the success of season one,
ALP took this concept of France andrecruited athletes who will be the first
(06:46):
contestants of Dropped. The commercial forthe TV show used this tagline, two
teams are dropped into the middle ofnowhere, no food, no map,
no help, and with that productionbegan. Alp recruited the following athletes to
start in the first season of Dropped, scheduled to start filming in late February
(07:10):
twenty fifteen. Sylvain Wiltord was fortyfive years old at that time. He
is best known as a professional footballerwho participated in the Olympics as well as
the World Cup. Wiltord also playedfour seasons in the Premier League as a
foreword for the Arsenal Football Club.Florence our Thought was fifty eight and a
(07:31):
record breaking yachts woman. Her nicknamewas the Little Fiance of the Atlantic.
Our Thowd broke gender barriers in themaritime sports world, having successfully sailed across
the Atlantic by herself. Alaine Bernardwas thirty two then, but already a
champion swimmer. He became a householdname in France during the two thousand and
(07:53):
eight and two twelve Summer Olympics,winning a total of four medals in Beijing
and London respectively. Philippe Candelauo wasforty three and a former competitive figure skater.
He started skating at four years old. Although he suffered a broken leg
early in his career, Candelauo wontwo Olympic medals in the Winter Games in
(08:15):
Lina, Hammer and Nagano. AlexisVastin was twenty eight at that time and
competed in boxing. At age eighteen, he started his career as a lightweight
in the Junior World Championship. Inthe two thousand and eight Olympics, Vastin
won a bronze medal participating in thelight welterweight division. Genie Longo was fifty
(08:35):
seven then. She was once hailedas the greatest female cyclist in France,
having won twenty five times in Francein fourteen times in the World Championships.
Before her cycling career, Longo wasa downhill skier and won while she was
in university. Camille Muffat was twentyfive at that time. Moffatt mastered the
(08:58):
freestyle and participated in medley while breakingswimming records. In the twenty and twelve
London Olympics, Muffat won a gold, a silver and a bronze for France.
Finally, Anne floor Markser was bornin Switzerland but competed in France.
She was a winning snowboarder, havinglearned this sport the moment she could walk.
(09:18):
In two thousand and twelve Markster onethe Free Ride World Tour for snowboarding.
The seven athletes were teamed as follows. One team was Wiltered, Our
Thought, Vestine and Muffat, andthe other was Longo, Candelauro, Markser
and Bernard. The first episode wasfilmed in a remote location in Argentina,
(09:43):
somewhere in Patagonia. The productions staff, camera crew and the athletes arrived at
the starting point and the contest wenton its way there. The contests were
a group in two teams red andBlue, and made their way to their
destination. In this episode, thefinal goal was to reach the city of
Yushua, the capital of the Tierradel Fuego Archipelago, located at the southern
(10:05):
tip of Argentina. At the endof filming the first episode, professional footballer
Sylvain Wilturd was knocked out of thecompetition. Wiltred eventually returned to France.
After his loss, Vastin or thoughtIn Muffat were left of their team,
while the other team of four remainedintact. On Sunday, March eighth,
(10:26):
the crewing athletes were in the nextlocation for episode two, somewhere in the
lari Joja, a province in thenorthwest region of Argentina. The area is
known as Vilia Castelli, a smalltown around seven hundred thirty miles or eleven
hundred seventy kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires. Villa Castelli is at the foothills of
(10:48):
the Andes Mountains. This location waspreviously used by the Danish and Swiss versions
of Dropped. The next day,March ninth, episode two was scheduled to
start filming. Two local pilots,one Carlos Castillo and Roberto Abarte, was
hired by the production crew to flythe helicopters. The pilots were well experienced
(11:13):
and have over eight thousand hours offlight time between the two of them.
Both pilots had up to date operatinglicenses and medical certificates. One helicopter was
leased from the Larijoja government and theother from the neighboring town of Santiago del
Estorro. The helicopters, manufactured asUdicopter Squirrels, were reasonably new, built
(11:35):
in two thousand and ten and twothousand and twelve, used as light utility
transport. Each had six available seats, including the pilot. The production crew
was preparing for the day's filming andthe contestants were doing the same. The
plan was to take both helicopters tothe remote site. The purpose of the
first helicopter was to film the secondone while it transports the contestants to introduce
(11:58):
the episode. The pilots were giveninstructions to lift off one after the other
so the first helicopter can get aclear shot of the second as it descends
from the ground. Once up inthe air, the helicopters will need to
stay close to one another again toget a good shot of the contestants from
the outside and make a three hundredand sixty degree turn toward the direction of
(12:22):
the remote site. The final andprimary instruction was to fly low to the
ground. This directive was to allowthe camera to have aerial shots of the
helicopter with the contestants while using theterrain as background. On that day,
the weather cooperated for filming. Initially, the filming was supposed to start at
(12:43):
three o'clock local time, but producersfelt that the natural light was not at
its best. The schedule was thenmoved two hours later. By that time,
the sky was bright blue and thesun was to the west, and
the wind was optimal for flying usingVFR or visual flight rules. However,
due to the isolated area of theclearing, there were no immediately available reference
(13:05):
points or markers for the pilots touse. There was no air traffic control
clearance or oversight to give guidance tothe pilots, but since both pilots were
locals and familiar with the area,they were able to consult with one another
and with the producers and agreed onthe flight path. It was a little
under thirty two celsius or eighty ninedegrees fahrenheit, with a wind speed at
(13:26):
twenty five knots or about twenty ninemiles per hour, and forty five percent
humidity. The first helicopter with acall sign lq FJQ, was carrying four
crew members, director Laurent s Basnick, journalist Lucy may Dalby, producer Vologna
Guinnard on set, medical doctor EdwardGillis, and the pilot. The second
(13:50):
helicopter with call sign LQCGK carried thethree team members of Vastin Muffat in Our
Thought, accompanied by camera man BryceGilbert and the pilot. This was the
first wave of filming the episode,where the contestants are shown to be blindfolded
while being transported to the remote locationto start the adventure. The plan was
(14:13):
to drop off the first team,then the helicopters will go back to Villica
Stelly and pick up the second teamof Bernard Candelauo Markser and Longo and crew
members for their turn, then backagain for the rest of the crew.
While waiting for their turn, theother production staff and contestants were gathered near
the lift off site as they gotthemselves ready. A few had their phones
(14:37):
out documenting their time on the ground. Some of the townspeople of Villica Stelly
was also in the area watching thefilming that was going on. At around
five fifteen pm, both helicopters firedup their main rotors and readied for its
ascent. The speed of the bladesfrom both the main rotors on the top
and the rear steered the dust inthe air, almost covering the helicopters,
(14:58):
making it visible if not for theloud noises. The doors to both helicopters
were wide open to allow for thecameras to film both helicopters. Everyone on
board closed their eyes away from thedust and dirt. What happens next was
caught in at least two cell phonevideos. These videos will be used in
the investigation that will happen later.The two helicopters can be seen a little
(15:22):
above the tree line against white cloudsand blue skies. F JQ was slightly
ahead and shortly above CGK, bothhelicopters moving at the same speed. F
JQ was moving towards the right,with CGK following not too far behind.
The helicopters somewhat disappear behind a talltree, but the sound of the blades
(15:45):
can still be heard. As thetwo appear back the horizon again, it
looked like CGK increased its speed,and then it was increasing its elevation,
and in a matter of seconds,CGK was speeding closer and closer to FJQ,
and then collided with one another,followed by a loud boom. The
(16:07):
loud crash echoed through the small town, and pillars of fire and smoke disturbed
the blue skies of Villa Castelli.After realizing what happened, some of the
production staff and members of the communityscrambled toward the crash site. Those who
were first on the scene looked foranyone they can save and move away from
the fire. One look at thewreckage one by one. They thought there
(16:30):
was no way anyone can survive thisdevastating crash. Unfortunately they were right.
The mid air collition of both helicopterscaused the deaths of everyone on board.
All ten died on impact. Policearrived at the scene twenty minutes after the
crash and helped secure the sight ofthe accident. The remaining crew and contestants
(16:56):
were at a loss for words.This tragedy was completely un expected and caused
a wave of sadness and terror foreveryone involved in the production. When the
smoke cleared and fires from the explosionwere extinguished entirely, the ji AAC or
Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board, whichis the official investigator from the Argentine government,
(17:18):
documented the crash site for further analysis. From France, the Bureau of
Inquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safetyalso assisted since French nationals were on board
the helicopters and involved in the production. Representatives from the manufacture of the helicopters,
Airbus was also on site, aswell as the head of Aviation Provincial
(17:38):
Administration of the province of Larijoja toassess the damages. The investigation of how
the two helicopters crashed was studied carefullyby the ji AAC. The final report
was based on hours on the field, photos, the two cell phone videos,
and interviews with the production staff contestedand all other witnesses on the ground.
(18:03):
There's one thing missing in each helicopterthat could have helped the investigation.
Usually, the flight recorder or blackbox is recovered in any type of collision.
In the case of these two helicopters, there were no flight recorders on
board since it was not a requirementunder the specific certifications needed. Both French
and Argentine aviation and forensic investigators carefullyuntangled the mess. The reports stated both
(18:30):
helicopters were completely demolished with little towork with. Only the main rotors from
each helicopter remained. The final crashsites of both helicopters were only forty six
meters or one hundred and fifty feetfrom one another. CGK crashed near a
row of trees, while FJQ crashedon the field. The bodies inside were
(18:55):
so severely burned that forensic investigators hadto use dental records and X rays to
identify individuals from each helicopter. Todescribe the aerial paths of each helicopter and
how the collision happened, several diagramswere drawn. I will try to explain
the diagram that shows an aerial viewof the crash. If you remember,
(19:15):
the plan was to make a threehundred and sixty degree turn before going straight
through the location. In reality,it's more of a really wide U turn.
I'd like you to imagine the faceof the clock and I will use
the hours on the clock to describewhere the helicopters were as it ascended and
turned. The helicopters were initially onthe ground at the five o'clock mark,
(19:37):
facing about ten degrees to the right. Helicopter FJQ, the one carrying only
production crew, was on the right, and CGK, the one with the
contestants, is to the left.The first to take off was FJQ,
with a pilot and a staff memberin the front and three in the main
cabin. Fj Q made its ascenttowards the four o'clock mark with the speed
(20:03):
of seventy knots and climbed up aroundeighty five meters or two hundred and seventy
nine feet. Forty five seconds later, helicopter CGK, the one carrying the
contestants, took off, following nearbut behind f JQ. CGK was flying
fifteen meters below. This difference invertical height was so FJQ can get great
(20:26):
shots of the contestants and the flightpath. At fifty seconds above the one
o'clock mark, FJQ turned slightly tothe left while decreasing its speed but maintaining
its height. FJQ kept a shortdistance of ninety meters from CGK, which
at this point also made a slightleft turn. At seventy five seconds above
(20:51):
the eleven o'clock mark, f JQused the same maneuver, turning slightly left
and once again decreasing its speed butmaintaining the same distance from CGK. Both
helicopters are now facing the opposite wayfrom their original positions on the ground.
At ninety seconds because of the decreasein speed, FJQ made a sharp increase
(21:14):
in speed and elevation, while CGKmaintained the same radius, speed and height.
At ninety four seconds above the nineo'clock mark, FJQ, realizing that
its turning curve was slightly off becauseof its sudden change in speed and elevation,
increased its bank to the left andsubsequently collided with CGK at one hundred
(21:37):
seconds. The main rotors of FJQand CGK made contact and both helicopters plummeted
to the ground. The investigators gatheredall the facts and evidence from the crash
and analyzed twenty four factors that couldhave led to the collision. Basically,
the report listed what did and didnot caused the accident, let me mention
(22:03):
the wants of interest among others.These were the non contributing factors. There
was no evidence of technical failures inboth helicopters, atmospheric conditions did not contribute,
and both pilots did not have anymedical emergencies or impairment. The contributing
factors found include possible distractions, locationof the helicopters in relation to the sun,
(22:26):
and the low elevation. The investigatorsestablished their conclusion based on the contributing
factors. First, helicopter fjq's locationin relation to CGK was outside the path
and caused limited visual contact with CGKBasically because FJQ made a correction to their
speed, elevation and curve, itwas in CG case blind spot and the
(22:48):
pilot was not able to make thenecessary evasive maneuvers to prevent collision. Next,
there was no formal assessment of thesafety risks for their fly operation.
If you recall, other reality showshave used this location and previously. Pilots
from those instances were interviewed by theinvestigators and stated that production staff usually ask
(23:14):
the pilots to either fly closer tothe other helicopter to create a great shot,
or ask them to fly lower tothe ground. Since there was no
safety assessments or formal procedures of theflight operations and paths, pilots were left
to get direction from the production staffon flying distance, speed, and elevation.
Another is that the helicopters, eventhough they were owned by government agencies,
(23:37):
had no support for any logistics oraerial maneuvers. In summary, here
is a direct quote from the report. The triggering factor of the accident was,
according to the information obtained during theinvestigation in its analysis, the pilot's
lack of perception of the closeness orthe deficit in the separation between their respective
aircraft. This lack of perception ledto the air collision of the aircraft without
(24:02):
attempting invasive or defensive maneuvers. Thefinal report did provide recommendations to the aviation
administrations for both the Larijoho Province andthe Argentine government. These recommendations were to
be adopted immediately and updated regularly.One an operations manual will need to include
(24:22):
guidelines for all flight activities, includingpurposes of film production that have required safety
measures and personal training. Also,additional standard procedures will need to be created
and added in the operations manual forany special flight operations or non standard flights.
Six days after the tragic accident,the rest of the crew and contestants
(24:45):
landed back in France. The presidingJudge in Argentina allow them to return to
their country following the investigations. Theirarrival was met with tears and sadness from
their families and mostly kept out ofthe public eye. ALP completely halted the
production of Dropped and per the companyCEO, the footage of any previous filming
(25:07):
will quote never see the light ofday unquote. You may think well that's
pretty admirable of ALP to stop itsproduction given the horrific deaths that had occurred,
but this is not the first timethat ALP experienced tragedy at its helm.
(25:29):
In twenty thirteen, twenty five yearold Girald Babine was in Cambodia filming
the first challenge in ALP's other realityshow called Kolanta. The challenge was a
tug of war between the two groups, and while it was happening, Babin
started complaining of chest pains and cramps. Piery Costa, the onsite medical doctor,
treated Babine and eventually transported him toa nearby medical facility, but it
(25:55):
was several hours in between the timeBabin first complain of chest pains and when
it was decided that he was tobe brought to a medical facility, and
somewhere between the remote location and thefacility, Babin died. ALP issued a
press release in response to Babine's death, which stated that the cause of death
is cardiac arrest and labeled as naturalcauses, but someone within the production staff
(26:21):
allegedly leaked to an outside source thatthe director delayed Babine's treatment and transportation to
a medical facility which resulted in apreventable death. The controversy also names the
doctor Costa as negligent. Due tothis, Terry Costa committed suicide. In
Costas note, he mentions that thesmearing of his name by the media for
(26:44):
not doing enough to save Babine ashis main reason for ending it all.
Even with the deaths following Kolanta,the show was not canceled. Only the
season and production of Kolanta continued Intwenty fourteen, The Kolanta incident, followed
by the Villacastelli accident, put aharsh spotlight on low budget productions. In
(27:06):
a lack of safety regulations in filmingof reality shows, ALP and other TV
show productions have breached several safety risksin addition to labor laws. With the
success of these types of shows andgenerating millions for its producers, production budgets
are usually slashed in the name ofprofit, but items that are cut or
decreased in the budget are what canbe considered critical safety assessments, personal training,
(27:33):
and quality assurance. These cuts ledto preventable errors and opened the potential
for tragedies. But despite all thisand controversies to surround reality TV shows.
It remains a source of entertainment anddollars for many. One of the families
sued ALP for the wrongful death oftheir loved one due to negligence, siling
(27:56):
lack of proper training. A Frenchchord sided with a family and ordered ALP
to pay one hundred twenty thousand euros. Days after the mid air collision,
Sylvain Wiltour, who would have beenon the helicopter with the rest of his
team members if he would have wonthe challenge, tweeted, I'm sad for
my friends. I'm trembling. I'mhorrified. I have no words. I
(28:18):
don't want to say anything. OnMarch twenty fifth, a joint funeral service
for Camille Muffat and Alexis Vastin wereheld in the church of Saint John the
Baptiste in France. Five days later, Florence our Thought was an inspiration to
men and women alike, having brokenmany records and gender barriers, was laid
(28:40):
to rest at Saint Savans Church inParis. Her daughter Marie was in attendance.
The loss of our Thought, Muffatand Vestin was met with immense sadness,
not only to the people of France, but to the sporting world.
For three days, the Olympic flagswere flown at half masted at the Internet
Actual Olympics Committee headquarters. Thank youfor listening to this episode of Untimely.
(29:22):
As always, I would like tohear your thoughts about today's episode. Our
reality TV show's worth of danger andpotential suffering. Would you participate in one?
Also, please don't forget to rateand review us on your favorite podcast
platform. Feel free to send usa note at Untimely podcast at gmail dot
com, or if you're on Twitter, connect with us at Untimely Podcast.
(29:45):
We'd love to hear from you theback
When she was seventeen, an almostfatal car accident left her paralyzed. The
recovery was long and hard, andfor two agonizing years she fought her way
back to walking again. Her firstlove was sailing, and eventually she became
a professional sailor, but later thisfirst love became secondary to a daughter she
(00:33):
named Marie, who she truly lovedand adored, and nothing else mattered,
but the sport of sailing was tooloud to ignore. By nineteen eighty nine,
at thirty two years old, shecompeted with a group on board the
Charles Jordan in the Whitbread Round theWorld race. The same year she recorded
(00:55):
a duet song called Flow about sailing. In nineteen ninety she set a new
world record for the fastest solo crossingin the North Atlantic for a full two
days ahead. Her talent and skillswere compared to none, as she was
the best, and her generosity andpassion showed as she took part in a
(01:17):
campaign to stop killing whales in thePharaohs. In two thousand and nine,
at fifty two years old, shepublished an autobiography documenting her life thus far.
In two eleven, at fifty fouryears old, she managed to save
her own life when she accidentally felloverboard her sailboat while alone somewhere around the
(01:40):
coast of Corsica. But in twofifteen, at fifty eight years old,
despite all the accomplishments and skills andbarriers that this amazing woman has shown the
world, a preventable tragedy will ruina life that made this world a better
place. You are listening to Untimely, a podcast about untimely fatalities in earlier
(02:13):
or recent history that resulted in damagesfrom its wake. I'm your host Lynn.
Let's face it, reality TV canbe addicting view The viewer are given
an intimate, although heavily scripted,look into the lives of different people.
Some reality TV shows are fun towatch, like The Amazing Race or Dancing
(02:36):
with the Stars, while some area bit gruesome, like Fear Factor.
But an added layer of curiosity canmake reality TV into a must watch.
Just add famous people. In thisepisode of Untimely, we'll go back to
twenty fifteen, where we'll learn aboutwhat happens when a reality TV show becomes
(02:58):
something hard to watch. Survivor isone of the oldest reality television shows that
I know most of you may knowthat the concept of Survivor originated from a
(03:20):
series called Expedition Robinson in the latenineteen nineties. Season one of the show
Survivor was aired in the United Statesin two thousand. Once Richard Hatch was
the only one left standing, thenation was hooked for more reality shows.
With its popularity, over fifty othercountries adopted the TV series and had their
(03:43):
own unique Survivor shows and produced byseveral companies all over the globe. Adventure
Line Productions was one of these companiesthat made their mark in France. True
to its name, ALP creates andproduces adventure themed shows where hestants can win
a lot of money by using theirphysical prowess, intelligence, and soft skills.
(04:06):
One of these shows is Kolanta,similar to Survivor, that is still
in production to this day. Butas these steps of shows become more and
more commonplace, production companies tend topush limits further and further to satisfy the
public's hunger for reality TV to thepoint where it becomes dangerous and plain ridiculous.
(04:28):
It doesn't matter, though, sincemany will continue to support these shows,
especially when it is controversial. Intwenty fourteen, the reality show that
storsa aventiret was released in Sweden.I would like to apologize to my Swedish
friends if I bungled that pronunciation,but the title was translated to English as
dropped. The success of the showgot the attention of Adventure Line Productions and
(04:54):
in no time started brainstorming and planningto bring this series to France. The
plan is to begin production in thefirst half of twenty fifteen and release the
show later in the year. Sowhat sparked the interest of ALP to with
this show in particular? To understand, let's take a look at what this
show is all about. That storestaAventirette is Swedish for the biggest Adventure.
(05:17):
At the beginning of the show,two teams of about four or five people
are selected. One team is readand the other blue. In each episode,
team members arrive in a clearing wherethe host and two helicopters with pilots
are of course waiting. The teamshop aboard each one and given blindfolds to
put on. The teams are thentransported to a remote location and dropped off
(05:42):
and left to fend for themselves.The goal for Each team is to reach
a town or destination within seventy twohours where they can charge a mobile phone
and inform the host of their success, then get the next set of instructions.
The losing team will have to competewith each other through various skills or
tests like starting a fire from scratch, and the team member who loses is
(06:04):
knocked out of the contest. Oncethe teams are down to two each,
the battle then becomes an individual competition, vying for the title off Adventurer of
the Year. In this final competition, the remaining players are awarded or deducted
points, where the one with themost points wins the prize. What elevates
(06:26):
this show among others, is thatcontestants are all athletes. Most of them
are Olympic winners or champions, consideredat the top of their sport. It
makes watching the adventure even more interesting. So after the success of season one,
ALP took this concept of France andrecruited athletes who will be the first
(06:46):
contestants of Dropped. The commercial forthe TV show used this tagline, two
teams are dropped into the middle ofnowhere, no food, no map,
no help, and with that productionbegan. Alp recruited the following athletes to
start in the first season of Dropped, scheduled to start filming in late February
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twenty fifteen. Sylvain Wiltord was fortyfive years old at that time. He
is best known as a professional footballerwho participated in the Olympics as well as
the World Cup. Wiltord also playedfour seasons in the Premier League as a
foreword for the Arsenal Football Club.Florence our Thought was fifty eight and a
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record breaking yachts woman. Her nicknamewas the Little Fiance of the Atlantic.
Our Thowd broke gender barriers in themaritime sports world, having successfully sailed across
the Atlantic by herself. Alaine Bernardwas thirty two then, but already a
champion swimmer. He became a householdname in France during the two thousand and
(07:53):
eight and two twelve Summer Olympics,winning a total of four medals in Beijing
and London respectively. Philippe Candelauo wasforty three and a former competitive figure skater.
He started skating at four years old. Although he suffered a broken leg
early in his career, Candelauo wontwo Olympic medals in the Winter Games in
(08:15):
Lina, Hammer and Nagano. AlexisVastin was twenty eight at that time and
competed in boxing. At age eighteen, he started his career as a lightweight
in the Junior World Championship. Inthe two thousand and eight Olympics, Vastin
won a bronze medal participating in thelight welterweight division. Genie Longo was fifty
(08:35):
seven then. She was once hailedas the greatest female cyclist in France,
having won twenty five times in Francein fourteen times in the World Championships.
Before her cycling career, Longo wasa downhill skier and won while she was
in university. Camille Muffat was twentyfive at that time. Moffatt mastered the
(08:58):
freestyle and participated in medley while breakingswimming records. In the twenty and twelve
London Olympics, Muffat won a gold, a silver and a bronze for France.
Finally, Anne floor Markser was bornin Switzerland but competed in France.
She was a winning snowboarder, havinglearned this sport the moment she could walk.
(09:18):
In two thousand and twelve Markster onethe Free Ride World Tour for snowboarding.
The seven athletes were teamed as follows. One team was Wiltered, Our
Thought, Vestine and Muffat, andthe other was Longo, Candelauro, Markser
and Bernard. The first episode wasfilmed in a remote location in Argentina,
(09:43):
somewhere in Patagonia. The productions staff, camera crew and the athletes arrived at
the starting point and the contest wenton its way there. The contests were
a group in two teams red andBlue, and made their way to their
destination. In this episode, thefinal goal was to reach the city of
Yushua, the capital of the Tierradel Fuego Archipelago, located at the southern
(10:05):
tip of Argentina. At the endof filming the first episode, professional footballer
Sylvain Wilturd was knocked out of thecompetition. Wiltred eventually returned to France.
After his loss, Vastin or thoughtIn Muffat were left of their team,
while the other team of four remainedintact. On Sunday, March eighth,
(10:26):
the crewing athletes were in the nextlocation for episode two, somewhere in the
lari Joja, a province in thenorthwest region of Argentina. The area is
known as Vilia Castelli, a smalltown around seven hundred thirty miles or eleven
hundred seventy kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires. Villa Castelli is at the foothills of
(10:48):
the Andes Mountains. This location waspreviously used by the Danish and Swiss versions
of Dropped. The next day,March ninth, episode two was scheduled to
start filming. Two local pilots,one Carlos Castillo and Roberto Abarte, was
hired by the production crew to flythe helicopters. The pilots were well experienced
(11:13):
and have over eight thousand hours offlight time between the two of them.
Both pilots had up to date operatinglicenses and medical certificates. One helicopter was
leased from the Larijoja government and theother from the neighboring town of Santiago del
Estorro. The helicopters, manufactured asUdicopter Squirrels, were reasonably new, built
(11:35):
in two thousand and ten and twothousand and twelve, used as light utility
transport. Each had six available seats, including the pilot. The production crew
was preparing for the day's filming andthe contestants were doing the same. The
plan was to take both helicopters tothe remote site. The purpose of the
first helicopter was to film the secondone while it transports the contestants to introduce
(11:58):
the episode. The pilots were giveninstructions to lift off one after the other
so the first helicopter can get aclear shot of the second as it descends
from the ground. Once up inthe air, the helicopters will need to
stay close to one another again toget a good shot of the contestants from
the outside and make a three hundredand sixty degree turn toward the direction of
(12:22):
the remote site. The final andprimary instruction was to fly low to the
ground. This directive was to allowthe camera to have aerial shots of the
helicopter with the contestants while using theterrain as background. On that day,
the weather cooperated for filming. Initially, the filming was supposed to start at
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three o'clock local time, but producersfelt that the natural light was not at
its best. The schedule was thenmoved two hours later. By that time,
the sky was bright blue and thesun was to the west, and
the wind was optimal for flying usingVFR or visual flight rules. However,
due to the isolated area of theclearing, there were no immediately available reference
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points or markers for the pilots touse. There was no air traffic control
clearance or oversight to give guidance tothe pilots, but since both pilots were
locals and familiar with the area,they were able to consult with one another
and with the producers and agreed onthe flight path. It was a little
under thirty two celsius or eighty ninedegrees fahrenheit, with a wind speed at
(13:26):
twenty five knots or about twenty ninemiles per hour, and forty five percent
humidity. The first helicopter with acall sign lq FJQ, was carrying four
crew members, director Laurent s Basnick, journalist Lucy may Dalby, producer Vologna
Guinnard on set, medical doctor EdwardGillis, and the pilot. The second
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helicopter with call sign LQCGK carried thethree team members of Vastin Muffat in Our
Thought, accompanied by camera man BryceGilbert and the pilot. This was the
first wave of filming the episode,where the contestants are shown to be blindfolded
while being transported to the remote locationto start the adventure. The plan was
(14:13):
to drop off the first team,then the helicopters will go back to Villica
Stelly and pick up the second teamof Bernard Candelauo Markser and Longo and crew
members for their turn, then backagain for the rest of the crew.
While waiting for their turn, theother production staff and contestants were gathered near
the lift off site as they gotthemselves ready. A few had their phones
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out documenting their time on the ground. Some of the townspeople of Villica Stelly
was also in the area watching thefilming that was going on. At around
five fifteen pm, both helicopters firedup their main rotors and readied for its
ascent. The speed of the bladesfrom both the main rotors on the top
and the rear steered the dust inthe air, almost covering the helicopters,
(14:58):
making it visible if not for theloud noises. The doors to both helicopters
were wide open to allow for thecameras to film both helicopters. Everyone on
board closed their eyes away from thedust and dirt. What happens next was
caught in at least two cell phonevideos. These videos will be used in
the investigation that will happen later.The two helicopters can be seen a little
(15:22):
above the tree line against white cloudsand blue skies. F JQ was slightly
ahead and shortly above CGK, bothhelicopters moving at the same speed. F
JQ was moving towards the right,with CGK following not too far behind.
The helicopters somewhat disappear behind a talltree, but the sound of the blades
(15:45):
can still be heard. As thetwo appear back the horizon again, it
looked like CGK increased its speed,and then it was increasing its elevation,
and in a matter of seconds,CGK was speeding closer and closer to FJQ,
and then collided with one another,followed by a loud boom. The
(16:07):
loud crash echoed through the small town, and pillars of fire and smoke disturbed
the blue skies of Villa Castelli.After realizing what happened, some of the
production staff and members of the communityscrambled toward the crash site. Those who
were first on the scene looked foranyone they can save and move away from
the fire. One look at thewreckage one by one. They thought there
(16:30):
was no way anyone can survive thisdevastating crash. Unfortunately they were right.
The mid air collition of both helicopterscaused the deaths of everyone on board.
All ten died on impact. Policearrived at the scene twenty minutes after the
crash and helped secure the sight ofthe accident. The remaining crew and contestants
(16:56):
were at a loss for words.This tragedy was completely un expected and caused
a wave of sadness and terror foreveryone involved in the production. When the
smoke cleared and fires from the explosionwere extinguished entirely, the ji AAC or
Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Board, whichis the official investigator from the Argentine government,
(17:18):
documented the crash site for further analysis. From France, the Bureau of
Inquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safetyalso assisted since French nationals were on board
the helicopters and involved in the production. Representatives from the manufacture of the helicopters,
Airbus was also on site, aswell as the head of Aviation Provincial
(17:38):
Administration of the province of Larijoja toassess the damages. The investigation of how
the two helicopters crashed was studied carefullyby the ji AAC. The final report
was based on hours on the field, photos, the two cell phone videos,
and interviews with the production staff contestedand all other witnesses on the ground.
(18:03):
There's one thing missing in each helicopterthat could have helped the investigation.
Usually, the flight recorder or blackbox is recovered in any type of collision.
In the case of these two helicopters, there were no flight recorders on
board since it was not a requirementunder the specific certifications needed. Both French
and Argentine aviation and forensic investigators carefullyuntangled the mess. The reports stated both
(18:30):
helicopters were completely demolished with little towork with. Only the main rotors from
each helicopter remained. The final crashsites of both helicopters were only forty six
meters or one hundred and fifty feetfrom one another. CGK crashed near a
row of trees, while FJQ crashedon the field. The bodies inside were
(18:55):
so severely burned that forensic investigators hadto use dental records and X rays to
identify individuals from each helicopter. Todescribe the aerial paths of each helicopter and
how the collision happened, several diagramswere drawn. I will try to explain
the diagram that shows an aerial viewof the crash. If you remember,
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the plan was to make a threehundred and sixty degree turn before going straight
through the location. In reality,it's more of a really wide U turn.
I'd like you to imagine the faceof the clock and I will use
the hours on the clock to describewhere the helicopters were as it ascended and
turned. The helicopters were initially onthe ground at the five o'clock mark,
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facing about ten degrees to the right. Helicopter FJQ, the one carrying only
production crew, was on the right, and CGK, the one with the
contestants, is to the left.The first to take off was FJQ,
with a pilot and a staff memberin the front and three in the main
cabin. Fj Q made its ascenttowards the four o'clock mark with the speed
(20:03):
of seventy knots and climbed up aroundeighty five meters or two hundred and seventy
nine feet. Forty five seconds later, helicopter CGK, the one carrying the
contestants, took off, following nearbut behind f JQ. CGK was flying
fifteen meters below. This difference invertical height was so FJQ can get great
(20:26):
shots of the contestants and the flightpath. At fifty seconds above the one
o'clock mark, FJQ turned slightly tothe left while decreasing its speed but maintaining
its height. FJQ kept a shortdistance of ninety meters from CGK, which
at this point also made a slightleft turn. At seventy five seconds above
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the eleven o'clock mark, f JQused the same maneuver, turning slightly left
and once again decreasing its speed butmaintaining the same distance from CGK. Both
helicopters are now facing the opposite wayfrom their original positions on the ground.
At ninety seconds because of the decreasein speed, FJQ made a sharp increase
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in speed and elevation, while CGKmaintained the same radius, speed and height.
At ninety four seconds above the nineo'clock mark, FJQ, realizing that
its turning curve was slightly off becauseof its sudden change in speed and elevation,
increased its bank to the left andsubsequently collided with CGK at one hundred
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seconds. The main rotors of FJQand CGK made contact and both helicopters plummeted
to the ground. The investigators gatheredall the facts and evidence from the crash
and analyzed twenty four factors that couldhave led to the collision. Basically,
the report listed what did and didnot caused the accident, let me mention
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the wants of interest among others.These were the non contributing factors. There
was no evidence of technical failures inboth helicopters, atmospheric conditions did not contribute,
and both pilots did not have anymedical emergencies or impairment. The contributing
factors found include possible distractions, locationof the helicopters in relation to the sun,
(22:26):
and the low elevation. The investigatorsestablished their conclusion based on the contributing
factors. First, helicopter fjq's locationin relation to CGK was outside the path
and caused limited visual contact with CGKBasically because FJQ made a correction to their
speed, elevation and curve, itwas in CG case blind spot and the
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pilot was not able to make thenecessary evasive maneuvers to prevent collision. Next,
there was no formal assessment of thesafety risks for their fly operation.
If you recall, other reality showshave used this location and previously. Pilots
from those instances were interviewed by theinvestigators and stated that production staff usually ask
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the pilots to either fly closer tothe other helicopter to create a great shot,
or ask them to fly lower tothe ground. Since there was no
safety assessments or formal procedures of theflight operations and paths, pilots were left
to get direction from the production staffon flying distance, speed, and elevation.
Another is that the helicopters, eventhough they were owned by government agencies,
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had no support for any logistics oraerial maneuvers. In summary, here
is a direct quote from the report. The triggering factor of the accident was,
according to the information obtained during theinvestigation in its analysis, the pilot's
lack of perception of the closeness orthe deficit in the separation between their respective
aircraft. This lack of perception ledto the air collision of the aircraft without
(24:02):
attempting invasive or defensive maneuvers. Thefinal report did provide recommendations to the aviation
administrations for both the Larijoho Province andthe Argentine government. These recommendations were to
be adopted immediately and updated regularly.One an operations manual will need to include
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guidelines for all flight activities, includingpurposes of film production that have required safety
measures and personal training. Also,additional standard procedures will need to be created
and added in the operations manual forany special flight operations or non standard flights.
Six days after the tragic accident,the rest of the crew and contestants
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landed back in France. The presidingJudge in Argentina allow them to return to
their country following the investigations. Theirarrival was met with tears and sadness from
their families and mostly kept out ofthe public eye. ALP completely halted the
production of Dropped and per the companyCEO, the footage of any previous filming
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will quote never see the light ofday unquote. You may think well that's
pretty admirable of ALP to stop itsproduction given the horrific deaths that had occurred,
but this is not the first timethat ALP experienced tragedy at its helm.
(25:29):
In twenty thirteen, twenty five yearold Girald Babine was in Cambodia filming
the first challenge in ALP's other realityshow called Kolanta. The challenge was a
tug of war between the two groups, and while it was happening, Babin
started complaining of chest pains and cramps. Piery Costa, the onsite medical doctor,
treated Babine and eventually transported him toa nearby medical facility, but it
(25:55):
was several hours in between the timeBabin first complain of chest pains and when
it was decided that he was tobe brought to a medical facility, and
somewhere between the remote location and thefacility, Babin died. ALP issued a
press release in response to Babine's death, which stated that the cause of death
is cardiac arrest and labeled as naturalcauses, but someone within the production staff
(26:21):
allegedly leaked to an outside source thatthe director delayed Babine's treatment and transportation to
a medical facility which resulted in apreventable death. The controversy also names the
doctor Costa as negligent. Due tothis, Terry Costa committed suicide. In
Costas note, he mentions that thesmearing of his name by the media for
(26:44):
not doing enough to save Babine ashis main reason for ending it all.
Even with the deaths following Kolanta,the show was not canceled. Only the
season and production of Kolanta continued Intwenty fourteen, The Kolanta incident, followed
by the Villacastelli accident, put aharsh spotlight on low budget productions. In
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a lack of safety regulations in filmingof reality shows, ALP and other TV
show productions have breached several safety risksin addition to labor laws. With the
success of these types of shows andgenerating millions for its producers, production budgets
are usually slashed in the name ofprofit, but items that are cut or
decreased in the budget are what canbe considered critical safety assessments, personal training,
(27:33):
and quality assurance. These cuts ledto preventable errors and opened the potential
for tragedies. But despite all thisand controversies to surround reality TV shows.
It remains a source of entertainment anddollars for many. One of the families
sued ALP for the wrongful death oftheir loved one due to negligence, siling
(27:56):
lack of proper training. A Frenchchord sided with a family and ordered ALP
to pay one hundred twenty thousand euros. Days after the mid air collision,
Sylvain Wiltour, who would have beenon the helicopter with the rest of his
team members if he would have wonthe challenge, tweeted, I'm sad for
my friends. I'm trembling. I'mhorrified. I have no words. I
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don't want to say anything. OnMarch twenty fifth, a joint funeral service
for Camille Muffat and Alexis Vastin wereheld in the church of Saint John the
Baptiste in France. Five days later, Florence our Thought was an inspiration to
men and women alike, having brokenmany records and gender barriers, was laid
(28:40):
to rest at Saint Savans Church inParis. Her daughter Marie was in attendance.
The loss of our Thought, Muffatand Vestin was met with immense sadness,
not only to the people of France, but to the sporting world.
For three days, the Olympic flagswere flown at half masted at the Internet
Actual Olympics Committee headquarters. Thank youfor listening to this episode of Untimely.
(29:22):
As always, I would like tohear your thoughts about today's episode. Our
reality TV show's worth of danger andpotential suffering. Would you participate in one?
Also, please don't forget to rateand review us on your favorite podcast
platform. Feel free to send usa note at Untimely podcast at gmail dot
com, or if you're on Twitter, connect with us at Untimely Podcast.
(29:45):
We'd love to hear from you theback
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