2.15.2005
NBC Reality Show Contestant Commits Suicide
"A contestant in the upcoming NBC boxing reality series "The Contender" fatally shot himself in the head early Monday while sitting in a parked car in West Philadelphia, police said.Middleweight Najai "Nitro" Turpin, 22, killed himself around 4 a.m. in front of his girlfriend, police said.
He was only weeks away from the show's March 7 premiere.
"The Contender" chronicles boxers' efforts to win a television tournament, with a prize of $1 million. It also follows their personal lives, including their relationships with spouses and children. Turpin's girlfriend also appears in the series, NBC said. They had a two-year-old daughter." [Via CBS NEWS.com]
Perhaps NBC should start screening their reality show contestants a little better. This is what trainer Percy "Buster" Custus had to say about Turpin, "Fighters want to fight. He was frustrated, because he was, like, training for nothing. He had no motivation."
The Contender premieres March 7th on NBC. The show stars Sugar Ray Leonard and Sylvester Stallone and chronicles several amateur boxers as they try to win a $1 million dollar tournament.
