NBC's Contender contestant Najai Turpin, 23, took his own life yesterday; he had a 2-year-old daughter. The show, which combines a televised boxing tournament with the personal lives of the fighters, has been taped up to the final match but has yet to air. Turpin's suicide presents a heartwrenching decision for the execs behind the show; what will they do? How will they handle this?

Mark Burnett, the show's executive producer, said: "Nothing changes. I'm not even going to make any edits because it's real." Mr. Burnett said that at some point, the series will make a mention of Mr. Turpin's death, probably in an onscreen message at the end of an episode.

Nothing has changed. Nope, nothing at all. Thank God we can rely on NBC to bravely carry on with our scheduled entertainment, come hell or high water. Did we mention that Turpin was African-American? Entertainment Weekly's Mark Harris, who has been speaking out against Burnett's depiction of African-Americans (the "crazy black chicks" from The Apprentice, "lazy black man" from Survivor, etc.) is going to have a field day with this one.
Contestant on NBC Reality Show Commits Suicide [NYT]
You're Tired! [EW - sub. req'd, but the lede hits the point]
The Contender - Najai [NBC]