TV show contestant badly burned in attempt to 'get a better shot'

By PATRICK GOWER and ANGELA GREGORY

A reality-TV show contestant suffered serious burns when walking through a wall of fire for the second time so its makers "could get a better shot".

The man's shirt caught on fire during filming last Thursday for a Fear Factor-type show being made in Auckland by Touchdown Productions.

The man, understood to be in his 20s, received burns to his upper body and was last night recovering from skin-graft surgery in Middlemore Hospital.

He did not want to speak to the Herald yesterday, but sources close to him said he was "a really unhappy customer".

"He was walking through a wall of fire for the second time to get a better shot when the shirt caught on fire," the source said.

Occupational Safety and Health is investigating. Its Auckland regional manager, John Forrest, said a misfire or malfunction did not appear to be the reason the man, who he confirmed was a contestant, was burnt by "pyrotechnic effects".

The man was either burnt when the effects went off or got too close to the flames, he said.

OSH was notified on Friday, but Mr Forrest could not confirm whether it was by Touchdown or another party. He said the 24-hour delay was "reasonable".

The OSH investigation would find out what safety precautions were taken, what went wrong and if there was any breach of the Health and Safety in Employment Act.

The act was amended in May, with maximum fines for breaches increasing from $100,000 to $500,000.

The Touchdown website is at present advertising a new show called Going Straight, where a virtual lane is drawn across the landscape and five contestants try to stay in it while completing challenges put in front of them. The contestant with the fastest time wins $10,000.

An application form asks contestants questions about their experience with killing animals, how they react when scared and why they would be an asset to a television show.

Managing director Julie Christie refused to comment last night, hanging up the phone on two separate calls.

The company has produced a number of high-profile reality shows, such as Treasure Island and The Chair, some of which are internationally franchised.

Ms Christie has previously told the Herald Touchdown sometimes manipulates events in the shows.

She said an example was when shooting Treasure Island, where its makers would ask contestants to re-enact parts of a race afterwards for a better camera angle - but they would not interfere with the race itself.