The KDND "Wee for a Wii" Contest | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 лип 2024
- "On the 12th of January, 2007, Californian radio station KDND held an on-air competition, the prize for which was a brand new Nintendo Wii..."
As always, THANK YOU to all my Patreon patrons: you make this channel possible.
/ fascinatinghorror
SOCIAL MEDIA:
► Twitter: / truehorrortales
► TikTok: / fascinatinghorror
► Suggestions: hello@fascinatinghorror.co.uk
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:41 - Background
02:09 - The Competition
06:16 - About Water Intoxication
08:03 - The Aftermath
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
► "Dreaming Blue" by Sextile
SOURCES:
► "Radio’s Deadly Stunts - The Jennifer Strange Story" produced by Rex Dale, published by Insider Exclusive, October 2016. Link: insiderexclusive.com/radios-d...
► "Ten Fired After Radio Contest Tragedy" published by CBS News, January 2007. Link: www.cbsnews.com/news/ten-fire...
► "Mom's last hours recalled" by Chritina Jewett, published by Sacbee.com, January 2007. Available via: web.archive.org/web/200701171...
► "A Fraternity Hazing Gone Wrong" by Elaine Korry, published by NPR, November 2005. Link: www.npr.org/2005/11/14/501215...
► "Recording of 'The Morning Rave' Reveals Contestant Complained of Headache" by Deborah Hoffman, published by News10 ABC, January 2007. Available via: web.archive.org/web/200709262...
► "Jury Rules Against Radio Station After Water-Drinking Contest Kills Calif Mom" by Suzan Clarke and Rich McHugh, published by ABC News, November 2009. Link: abcnews.go.com/GMA/jury-rules...
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
As a wise Toxicologist once said:
"Anything can be a poison. It all depends on the dose."
I think that was Paracelsus. Truly was a wise toxicologist.
@@dolphin550 yes and along with it even things we would considered toxic can be safe if you use a small enough dose fluorine used in tap water as an example
Dosis sola facit venenum
@@cartoonkeeper That is not in our tap water for our health. The only way fluoride is helpful to the teeth is when it is put directly on the teeth. Told this by a dentist as well as other studies that showed fluorosis and other issues that build up over time. It doesn't help to drink it.
@@OffTheWagons yeah I know it's not in there for our dental health however it is in there to protect the water pipes from what I've Been Told
The fact that the DJ's were joking about someone who died a couple years prior from drinking too much water is enough to incriminate them
@J Gross and willful negligence, at the very least, opening them and their radio company up to civil litigation. Civil court cases have a lower threshold for proof of liability than criminal cases. Understand now?
Yeah, that was really not waku waku
You can't call it a fact if they only mention it in the video, not even a brief audio clip. Also he only stated that they "made reference to" the 22 year old man, not that they joked about his death.
@@punchline43
but they *knew* that someone died from drinking too much water in a short period of time that's the point, they knew what they were doing could kill someone
@@cottoncandykawaii2673 That's 2 completely different points, but I like your second one better.
So, let me get this straight: a nurse called to warn them the danger of drinking too much water and all the dj could say was that the contestants signed a waiver? How could a freaking waiver save a contestant's life???
The waiver wasn't to save the CONTESTANT'S lives...
Just the idiots that came up with the deadly idea.
I think their response made it pretty clear they weren’t reassuring that the contestants would be safe, but rather themselves from legal liability. Atrocious
Pretty sure it was a joke. If you were holding a hotdog eating contest and someone called in to say that eating contests are dangerous, would you take them super seriously? If yes, then you are a square.
Radio hosts are scumbags, what else would you expect?
@@mushyroom9569 I'm pretty sure it wasn't a joke. You're not a square for not wanting people to get hurt or die
Someone should have gone to jail for this. The fact that they referred to another person's death from water intoxication during the stunt proved that they were aware it could be dangerous.
gone to jail for what
@@jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Manslaughter, I presume.
@@jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Reckless endangerment. It's a crime. Look it up.
@@jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Negligent homicide - the exact name and descrption of the crime differs depending on jurisdiction, but in short, this applies when someone dies due to the reckless actions of another person who reasonably should have known that those actions could lead to death, even if those actions were done without malice. For example, killing a pedestrian while drunk driving falls under this general category of crime.
@@StrongMed Right, or in a scenario more similar to this one, the fraternity brothers who were found guilty during the hazing. If you're encouraging someone to do something that could put them in extreme danger, and you know it's dangerous, you can be criminally liable. And that was the case here. If they had organized a drag race and encouraged people to drive through the city at 100 mph, it's a similar thing
Nurse Practitioner: "This is really dangerous and you should take it more seriously!"
DJs: "Nah it's fine, wouldn't they puke first"
NP: "What? No, that isn't how that wor-"
DJs: "Anyway they signed a waiver so"
NP is 180k a year or more now
Exactly adult people signed a waiver so too damned bad, she made her decision and she failed. Stop blaming others for idiots choices
@@minealsomine9663 who hurt you
@@minealsomine9663 damn dude, you talk as if she signed a waiver to do backflips on the side of a dam during a windy day.
@@minealsomine9663 You wouldn't happen to be a DJ that worked for a certain broadcasting company during a certain promotional giveaway, would you?
"It's dangerous but they signed waivers so it's all good". Great work guys
"If they die, they die xD."
Rite
Is that not how waivers work?
Like I mean, it's perfectly acceptable for the medical industry to use that logic n everyone thinks it's ok
@@uniquefreak13 id prefer to get sleep at night rather than knowing that you contributed to a preventable death..... but hey....waiver
@@uniquefreak13 bs
It's so disturbing knowing that when they got told that a person's life could be put at risk, the first thought that came to them was, "That's OK, because we're not responsible for it."
God forbid people took responsibility for their own actions.
@@hoonaignachowaneha Victim-blaming is a really bad look, you know.
@@GenesisSanctuary Vic-dumb.
they signed a waiver its there own fault
@@jimmyormerod4075 More victim blaming.
The saddest part of all this was that she was doing this for her three kids. I can't imagine how terrible they must be feeling about her death.
They don't
They got 16 million dollars, much better deal than a stupid mother.
@@Drunken_Master Your mom might have been bad but many people had or have excellent mothers, ones that no amount of money can replace. I can't speak to Mrs. Strange's qualities as a mother but I do know no sum of money would preclude me from speaking to my mother again if it were possible.
@@Drunken_Master many rich kids end up in horrible situations too. It's more important to have a mother and father than millions.
If managed correctly, that 16 million could see that family looked after for many generations. It’s no replacement for a mother but for all those who have lost theirs I’m sure 16 million would be something of a comfort
Also heads-up for anyone holding on with 'just' a full bladder too long: this can cause the survivable, but very painful lifelong conditions interstitial cystitis or overactive bladder. The contestants were in real danger of crippling injuries, which might've still made headlines themselves if Jennifer hadn't unfortunately died.
As someone with interstitial cystitis, I can't overstate how bad this condition is. The first few months I had it I didn't take any pain meds. I could only sleep for 2 hours at a time and only if I didn't eat or drink for 10-12 hours prior to going to bed. I literally had to do all my eating and drinking about 3 hours after waking up and I couldn't actually drink that much because I would end up peeing every 5min from the pain. I had a wonderful girlfriend but the pain would be so bad that I would hallucinate from a lack of sleep and I'd get violent. I couldn't leave our tiny apartment even to get food at the grocery store across the street because by the time i got on line to pay, I'd urgently have to pee and the pain would be too bad to bare.
Eventually, I had to start taking opioids just to be able to leave the house and sleep at night. Afterward my family started accusing me of being an addict and faking it. No doctors would help me either. They just handed the diagnosis to me without an adequate treatment plan. It got to the point where I wish I had cancer instead of this because at least my family and doctors would take me seriously.
@@nate6045 that sounds really awful 😞
Hope you are doing better now 🥲
@@nate6045 Thats a tough story man, are you doing better? (i hope so)
Yes, people need to think for themselves a little and not believe morning zoo djs. It may seem insensitive but Jen has the biggest culpability in her death. These were adults not kids
Nate im so sorry to hear that, sounds soo, soo bad. Take care, try getting off of opoids and go to CBD THC in any form to spare yourself from severe oppoid addiction... Sorry to inquire, how did u get this condition ? :(
This video's timing literally saved my ass. I am dealing with a kidney stone and have been chugging lemon water by the liter and not really tracking how much I was drinking. Watching this in the ER to make the wait go quicker and realized I had all the symptoms of hyponatremia. Ended up needing an iv.
Wow! 👍
Glad you're ok brother
Wow, fate handed you a winning hand. Take care of yourself.
saved by the algorithm
Cool story bro.
I was a kid living in the Sacramento region when this happened and it was a BIG deal at my elementary school. As kids, our biggest shock was that the radio station still refused to give Jennifer’s family a wii after she died. Don’t know if it was a rumor or true, but as eight year olds we all thought that Jennifer’s kids deserved a wii after the radio station killed their mom!
As an adult now, I realize that’s the least of the families concern at that point, but as kids that’s what we all took away from this.
I mean to be fair that would be the absolute least they could do in terms of human decency and the fact they couldn't even manage that is disgusting
@@fantage20012 To be fair really, can you imagine being given a wii by these scumbags after your mother died for it? Would have made me sick to touch the thing after that to be honest. To this day the kids probably can’t think about a wii without reliving that day. Can’t imagine it would have seemed appropriate to the adults in this context, to simply give the family a wii after the mother died for it, at least if they could succeed in giving it to an adult family member without having their own head bashed in by it.
They should have given more. Do they have no conscience? Assholes
@@Ethan-fh9lq with 16million they can buy any number of wiis
I wouldn't want a wii bought with blood.
I remember when this happened and never forgot about it. I kept thinking about her kids, how they lost their mom because she was trying to win them a gift. I also think about the winner and the survivor's guilt he/she must have felt.
I hope he at least gave them the Wii
@@poppy6635 they got 16 million dollars. That's better than a Wii.
@@felixraue2025 even better than getting their mom back amirite
@@janzizka9508 hell yeah
Because their mother made a bad decision. She played a stupid game and won a stupid prize. It is sad indeed, but she is responsible for her actions. That doesnt make it suck any less of course. It is awful.
On the other end of the “don’t drink a lot of --, you’ll die”, I just watched a snippet of some medical drama on UA-cam, in which a frat pledge drank a bottle of soy sauce. He died from dehydration because soy sauce is almost pure salt, and dried up, rather than swelled (like water) his cells.
Bottom line: don’t overdo anything.
Chubbyemu!
@@IamLinda_ yup!
IIRC this can paradoxically lead to the same sort of death. Doctors have to very carefully introduce water or else the cells bring on too much water and swell causing the same fatal injury; I think because the cells take up some of the salt, the salter cells "suck" the extra water out of the blood.
"Sola dosis facit venenum" (only the dose makes the poison)
~ Paracelsus, 1538
Everything in the body is balanced. Too much or too little of any nutrient is deadly. Jennifer died from hyponatria, too little sodium in the blood. The soy sauce case caused hypernatria, too much sodium in the blood.
In the case of salts this is called hypotonic and hypertonic, respectively. This is why sports drinks like Gatorade advertise being isotonic, because its salt concentration matches the average salt concentration of our blood.
I really liked how you included a eulogy about her, a reminder she was a person with hopes and dreams and people who loved her
One thing I love about this channel is when there's personal information known about the victim(s), it's generally included at the end. If I had died in an accident, I'd want to be recognized as more than just a statistic.
You need to be reminded that humans are humans?
Yeah good thing because I would’ve never remembered she was a person… or I would have, because I’m not r3tarded
I’d like to remind you that this human could’ve very easily just let her pee go and lived but she didn’t guess she saw it that getting her kid the game system is more important than living….. it doesn’t take two brain cells to rub together to figure out my stomach feels like it’s going to explode I should probably go take a piss so I don’t die
@@MrShanester117 Well, people tend to forget it more than you think...
I’m so happy to find that most of the top comments are very respectful of Jennifer. A lot of the time when ppl cover this case, it’s followed by a slew of remarks about how silly the death is, or how “stupid” ppl assume she was. This was a working mom who desperately wanted to win a contest for her children. She had no idea what the dangers were and was assured she was fine. I wish the best for her family.
Stupid games stupid prizes. Dying for a gaming console is an extremely stupid way to get yourself killed. It's a shame she already procreated. Now the stupid will continue to spread.
Yeah for sure, you enter a competition by a big company like that you assume they have done the research and due dilegence to make sure it's safe.
Well, fact us that it's always cheaper to buy it yourself with your own money. There's always a price.
What’s even sadder is that more time is spent on “covering your ass” than actual safety for participants.
@@skrimp10pura13 Truth is that that's how most of the world works.
Essentially anything even slightly related to corporations acts like that, they'll tell you they care, but only care as long as it doesn't effect the bottom line.
Fun fact: The DJ, Adam Cox, is the brother of Lori Cox Vallow Daybell, the lady that's been in the news recently about her missing, now dead, kids. She and her current husband ran off to Hawaii and got married while her kids were missing. Her current husband married her only 2 weeks after his last wife died. Her last husband died by gunshot from her other brother, Alex Cox, who also died unexpectedly a few months later. Her sister died too. As well as her second husband. Death surrounds her.
Wow I didn't know the connection. Super sussss
wow I didn't know they were related
No way is he Lori's brother 😳
Sounds like a family of murderers tbh
Why is this a fun fact
"Drinking too much water can be very dangerous."
"It's okay, they signed the waiver."
What a screwed up world we live in.
That got me. Talk about callous.
"Drinking too much water can be very dangerous."
Lady: Sign me up!!!!
it's not about what's right or wrong, only what's legal and what's not legal in the west, it's evil
There was a “house of horror” where they tortured people and said it was ok cuz waiver. I remember there was even a contest that they’d get money if they lasted a certain amount of time. Most quit, but one guy who trained in the army/navy/something tried it and was going to win, but they ended up forcibly removing him before the time limit citing medical concerns that the torture was going to “kill him”.
Guy didn’t want to leave, he knew he was going to win and wasn’t in danger either. Basically they want to torture ppl and they didn’t want to actually have to what they said they wanted to. Probably even worsened the torture to get him into that “fatal state” to begin with.
@@dalethelander3781 Just wait'll you hear the one about the Great Adventure fire in the 1980s.
"Not our fault. It was a temporary building (for 7 YEARS) and isn't subject to any fire codes..."
Killed 7 or 8 teens. Who suffocated. Burned to death...?
when I first heard about this story, I thought the radio station were just nieve and didn't know the dangers but coming to hear a nurse called in and was ignored and they already knew of someone dying in the same way at a college 'hazing' shows they knew the dangers but chose to ignore them.
they werent the ones who ignored them. the contestants were
@@jiogcyihsugyiocjfdoivhphvw6821 Please elaborate. According to the story the nurse notified the hosts not the contestants. The contestants were kept in a separate room. I really can't fathom how you're able to blame the victim here.
Nieve? Did you mean naive?
@@FloodExterminator nieve B) ☃️❄️
@@4rumani naive
I think they reference this in Parks and Rec and the nurse steps in and says ‘nope that’s dangerous’
I feel so sad for this girl, she was so young. Strange how those college kids got in more trouble then an organised business did, especially when they had been warned through out the process. So sad.
Update : anyone else weirded out by the guy who wanted my use of ‘girl’ to be clarified somehow. It comes off as creepy.
She lost her life but it was still called an accident so maybe the judge decided at that point, 16 Million dollars would be a better reparation for the family than seeing someone go to jail?
Girl? Wasn't she a mother trying to win a game for her children?
@@gingerhiser7312 those two things aren't mutually exclusive, you foetus, you.
While some girls get their periods quite young (even before age 10), most girls can't give birth so girls usually are not mothers.
@@gingerhiser7312 Girl means woman below the age of 18 *OR* young woman, generally people say less than 35 years old can be called a girl. Around that time is when you transition to 'lady' or 'ma'am'. There are some occurrences of girls getting called 'young ladies' around the time they start their period; but it's not very common.
The same is true for boy/man/young man and also in the opposite direction, i.e. people start calling boys "young men" around the time they can stay home by themselves without supervision, i.e. around puberty.
The most obvious example is guys in college looking to pick up girls. They're probably not looking for girls under 18... hopefully.
Or (wo)men hitting on boys at the club. Boys/girls aren't allowed at the club. Only (wo)men are allowed at the club, etc.
The strictest definition of "above majority = woman and below majority = girl" is both objectively false (i.e. against he dictionary definition) and colloquially incorrect (i.e. calling young women girls is normal.)
Those pictures of her looking awful in the station while posing with the hosts are haunting. I always thought the hosts were clueless about the danger but knowing people called in to warn them and cracking jokes about someone else who died the same way (PROVING you wouldn’t just vomit when it was too much btw) tells me they shouldn’t have been surprised.
I hate knowing three children lost their mother over a dangerous stunt done against medical knowledge because some genius thought “lol Wii sounds like wee”
Imagine dying for a Weeeeeeee 🤣
I remember this so well. The nurse calling in, warning, flat out pleading, of the danger. She was sadly ignored.
you can tell that nurse takes her profession seriously and cares about people. I'm sure many nurses heard this and knew it was a bad idea, but to take initiative and call shows she is meant to be a nurse
Is this still online somewhere?
@@dodec8449wow, I've met a lot of creeps through the years. Some were trying to convince me that phoebophilia is not the same as pedophilia.
Yet this is the first time I met someone who gets this horny about death. I guess necrophiles are out and about.
Yeah, those hosts were guilty when they referenced the story of that collage kid’s death. Before then it’s likely they could have assumed it was harmless, but they knew it was a possibility.
So should have the contestants
@@MrShanester117 Don’t victim blame. It isn’t clear that they were in the recording booth when the nurse called in with a warning or when the DJs were discussing the hazing death. What is clear is that the hosts knew there was a danger to the contestants but they ignored those concerns callously. Any ethical entertainer has an obligation to protect the physical well-being of their audience.
College.
@@CedarMountainsnow they made a choice based on the knowledge they had, which was insufficient and should have been provided by the hosts. The contract should’ve started with big red letters „WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO IS VERY UNHEALTHY AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY“. Instead, they were told that it’s completely fine and they won’t suffer any harm.
@@foximacentauri7891 All of the contestants were adults, who made their own adult choices. I notice a lot of Americans don't like to take responsibility for their actions when things go wrong. Jennifer can't now. R.I.P.
Wow, the picture of her holding the tickets is chilling. She really looked like she was dying.
She seemed like a really cool mom, it saddens me to hear that she lost her life from their negligence. I'm glad those radio hosts got fired, that was just wrong, and they should've known it was going to go down that far south.
The fact that the DJs joked that one of the contestants was "about to die" while they knew about the death of Matthew Carrington is so low. They knew it was dangerous, but still suffered no consequences other than getting fired. They even got jobs at other radio stations.
From Wikipedia:
_"The former "Morning Rave" hosts went on other radio jobs in different markets; Cox hosted mornings at KRBB in Wichita, Kansas, and as of 2021, was working at KPLD in St. George, Utah. Maney hosts mornings on WNKS in Charlotte, and Sweet hosted mornings on WPLJ in New York City under the name Jayde Donovan until the station's sale in 2019; she now hosts a show on Apple Music 1 and a show syndicated through Westwood One."_
This makes me so mad. They just got to go on with their lives like nothing happened. They were negligent as fuck but instead of them facing any consequences their employer had to pay money. Jennifer’s family should’ve gotten the money from the civil suit but these assholes also should’ve faced criminal charges
yeah, i don't know about actual criminal statutes, but the phrase "depraved indifference" comes to mind
Makes you wonder who they all know....
How to kill someone and get away with it.
It all depends on who at the station was responsible for coming up with the stunt. Most DJs simply follow a script that has been written and prepared for them. A radio station would usually do all in its power to prevent any situation from developing that might result in a law suit. It is clear that in this case, they seriously underestimated the dangers they were exposing the contestants too. They should have made sure to get medical advice before they began the contest. So, unless we know that the DJs themselves were responsible for the inception of the contest, it would be a bit unfair for experienced DJs to have to carry the blame for the rest of their lives.
As soon as you summarized what the contest was, I knew where this was going. Holding your urine and hydrating that much is so dangerous. The kidneys can't filter out excess water from the bloodstream that fast, especially if the bladder isn't emptying, and ultimately, you get hyponatremic. Not to mention, holding your bladder that long can damage your bladder and it's ability to function normally. The conduct of the hosts was telling, the fact they were joking about the death from the fraternity hazing, joking about contestants looking like they were going to die, and completely dismissing the warning from the nurse practitioner that called in. It's like a gross and creepy kind of foreshadowing in a way.
I had an accident a few years ago and had a suspected spinal injury. While I was waiting for them to clear me of spinal cord injury, I was absolutely busting to pee. I couldn’t manage to do it in the bed pan (I had to lie flat and in the high visibility section of emergency because of the spinal injury, not exactly the best place and position for peeing!) and was getting more and more desperate. It felt like my entire body was going into shock, it was awful. I felt like I was burning, the pain in my bladder was so extreme, I was shaking, sweating, getting feverish and almost delirious. It was so awful, I would have given anything to get up and go to the bathroom, no matter what my injuries were. Finally, after 6 hours of that desperation, I got a catheter. The need to pee ended up being far worse than anything else I went through that night. The radio station was unbelievably negligent, they should never have done the stunt at all!
@@belindaf8821 Or she could have just peed.
Someone actually called into the station and alerted the DJ's of the dangers, but they didn't listen. Ultimately, Entercom's Sacramento cluster was found to be solely at fault. When KDND's license came up for renewal next, Entercom (in the process of acquiring CBS' radio division) decided to turn in the license instead. The station's former frequency is now with iHeartRadio and is KZIS.
@@ricky-sanchez That's not how sociology works, smart guy.
I legitimately thought this was an urban legend, didn’t ever realise it was a real incident that cost the life of some poor woman. Thank you for sharing.
This was actually pretty big news when it first happened, wasn't exaggerating when he said the story was broadcast around the world. Glad he made this video to remind people of the reality of it.
When I was in junior high I had a water-drinking contest with my friends. We drank as much water as we could, matching each other glass for glass. I probably ended up drinking a gallon, maybe gallon and a half.
It was horrible. It causes a terrible headache, one of the worst I’ve ever had, and you can’t sleep because you have to pee every ten minutes for several hours. Also you can’t pee such that you feel relief; even though you feel like you have to pee strongly, only a small quantity is ready to go at a time.
This case happened several years later, which was a shock to me. I can’t believe how close to death I was.
Always have pretzels if you swallow large amounts of water, or at least drink tap, not pure bottled.
@@mattlogue1300
Bottled water usually has more (good) stuff in it than tapwater. That’s why many of them are called ‘mineral water’.
Either way, I don’t think it matters at all in the case of water poisoning.
Radio hosts: "They'll vomit before they die!"
Nurse Practitioner: "That's not how that works."
Radio hosts: "Well, we got them to sign waivers, so we can't be sued."
Lawyer: "That's not how that works."
Women "lalalalala, shut up, shut up I can't hear you I'm getting me a free console!"
"Radio station staff: "The contestants will drink water, not pee and get a wii. This should be quick and nobody will get hurt!"
If they had run it by legal or compliance: "That's not how that works..."
@@nunceccemortiferiscultu7826 Why are you making this about gender? There were plenty of men in the competition. A man fucking won. And also, no one told the competitors it was dangerous. They didn't know. They were told they would throw up before anything else happened, they weren't ignoring any medical advice.
Radio station: You might die doing this, sign this waiver.
Woman: ok
Judge: She knew what might happen, but I have to give you money so I don't look bad.
That's how court works.
@@zatoth13 that’s not how the 90’s worked. No one checked anything with compliance.
I remember this playing out in court. Afterwards one of the lawyers said they could've settled it for way less, as a usual goofy stunt gone wrong. But the hosts nuked that option by mentioning the college kid.
107.9 was off the radio for years because of this, just static. The station recently came back as a 90s throwback station
Good.
This is why there is an old medical saying "the dosage makes the poison”. People think that certain chemicals are poisonous, but that's not true. Generally, those chemicals we consider 'poisonous' just require a lower dosage to harm you. But too much of anything is dangerous, even water.
It amazes me how ignorant these DJs were even after the death of Matthew, of which a Natgeo episode I still vividly remember
You can't spell disc jockey without the ignorant in it, so it shouldn't be a big surprise.
Thats dumb people dont watch tv anymore. Do you still watch beta max?
@@tvdvd8661 this happened in 2007
Have you ever met a local radio DJ? I've met a few and they were all vapid, ignorant morons with a massively inflated sense of their own importance.
Arguably those are the characteristics that radio stations want as it saves them worrying that a DJ might have an original thought and blurt it out on the air.
@@tvdvd8661 your dad still watches cable lmao who are you kidding?
Now we need the Matthew Carrington episode as a companion piece, the DJs were aware of Carrington's death in 2005 as well though but didn't think it was serious. Carrington's was scarily similar, too
I think this is a sort of “two for one” episode. It might be kind of unlikely that he’d rehash the story with a new episode now that he’s covered the majority of the details and the aftermath.
@@Unownshipper I'm surprised he didn't mention Leah Betts, who died in a similar way after dropping ecstasy at her 18th birthday party. She felt guilty/thought she be found out by her family, whom she was with, and tried to flush it through her system by drinking 7ltrs of water in 90min.
I hate fairly modern sayings, but "play dumb games, win dumb prizes."
@v-town1980 there are instances in which that phrase definitely fits but I don’t think that is one of them. Holding your pee in is such an easy task to accomplish that it doesn’t feel like you are causing a significant amount of harm to your body. I did this a few times as a kid because my babysitter would get freaking hysterical if I got up from my “nap“ and while it was very uncomfortable it did not cause the kind of pain one would associate with having lifelong bladder issues or possibly even death
Investigation Discovery did an episode Matthew Carrington on their show, the Shadows of Death. It includes interviews with his mother, his friend who was there when he died, and one of the men who underwent jail time
I remember when the rave scene broke here in the UK, and people turned to taking ecstasy and drinking water instead of alcohol. There were deaths then attributed to overconsumption of water. It's like we learned nothing.
Too much of anything is bad for you
I remember when I was in jr high, we would drink extreme amounts of water beyond the point of vomiting as a drinking game. Eventually, your vomit contains nothing but water and you can drink it again.
You can get extremely intoxicated by drinking water.
That happened here in Australia too. There was a much-publicized case back in, I think, the 90s about a teenage girl whose friends talked her into taking ecstasy at a rave. Over the following hours, she drank so much water that her kidneys failed and she died. I can't remember the young lady's name right now, but it was all over the news at the time.
@@Markus_Andrew I suspect that she started feeling a little loopy from all the water but assumed it was a symptom of the drug she had never tried before. Her body told her that something was wrong but conventional knowledge told her to ignore that message.
@@SeekerGoldstone Yeah, you could be right.
I read an article once years ago about a girl who dropped ecstasy and became so thirsty due to the drug she drank an excessive amount of water and died. Too much of anything can and will harm you.
That was British girl Leah Betts. I remember it all over the news as a British kid at the time. They used it for awareness about the drug & how it makes you feel (thirst) & the dangers of excessive water drinking.
That "signed a waiver" was disgusting to the max, even after a nurse phoned in and warned them.
They were clearly under impression that they the competition was harmless and the calling nurse kooky. I would not be surprised if they had been misinformed about it beforehand by some other "medical counsel", which would also explain their lame attempts at black humor.
@@clray123 It wasn't included in this video but the hosts put on the competition without actually informing upper management so they didn't consult anyone about any potential risks.
@@nate6045 That claim was an effort by the station to avoid liability. It was spurious, not reflected by policy or fact.
I agree. They should be in jail for putting people like her through that all for a wii.
I wonder did they even have medical assistance on standby?
I usually don't get upset when I watch your videos, but I found this story to be so personal. She was trying to get something to make her family happy but ended up paying for it with her life, so tragic.
She did it to herself. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Imagine being so low IQ.
I heard her interview that morning on my commute to work. She had two older sons she really wanted to surprise with the wii for Christmas. When I heard what happened I cried, she had sounded like such loving mom. I'm glad her family won the lawsuit (although I'm sure they'd rather have her back). It was such an unnecessary death.
The DJs responsible for her death should've been sued, not just fired.
@@baffledbrandon3132 She's responsible for her own death. She did something stupid and payed the price for it. She wasn't some kid, doing a tiktok challenge, she was a grown women.
@@gehtdianschasau8372 the jury and the court of law disagree with your dumb opinion
I had heard of this tragedy several times over the years, but I had always assumed that it had been a truly innocent mistake on the radio station's part. The fact that they knew it could be dangerous, joked about the recent death of a young man who had been involved in a similar situation, and waived away all responsibility when a medical professional called in to warn them of the dangers is both truly shocking and absolutely horrific. The fact that she was already showing signs of hyponatremia but no one responsible (who knew it could be deadly) had bothered to look into any of the early symptoms is heartbreaking.
I really appreciate your approach to these stories. You always provide so much information and much needed context, but more importantly you show a level of respect that hammers home that every victim in these stories was a human with loved ones and a future cut short. My heartbreaks for her family- especially the little girl who will grow up only knowing her mother's face through photos.
One time when I was a teen, I drank so much water in a short span of time that I became nauseous and dizzy. Luckily, my mum knew what water intoxication was and intervened before I hurt myself. Salty crackers and a concentrated electrolyte drink were enough to get me feeling better. It also helped that I wasn't holding my urine at all.
Don't be so quick to believe the graphics that tell you to drink over 2.5L of pure water every day. Remember that there's water in your tea, in your juice, in your food, etc. so you don't need to intake all of it in pure water. Also remember that any decent-sized intake of pure water needs an equal-sized intake of electrolytes. I have a 1.25L water bottle that I drink the entirety of every day. Past that, I maybe drink another quarter of it if I'm not drinking much else. The rest of my water intake comes from the various foods and drink I have during the day.
Is it the same if you drink coffee or tea because thay have water
it's sadly refreshing to hear those frat members owned up to their terrible mistake. My sister was going to Penn state when Timothy Piazza passed away, and the way those guys tried to weasel out of taking responsibility made me sick to know my sister might even know those guys
There are nearly one hundred thousand students enrolled in Penn State. Stop trying to act like there was a chance you were even slightly connected. You weren't.
@@lolmanyeah1 bro you know how news spreads in communities right?
@@kainraab of course I'm sure thousands marked themselves safe during the horrible hazing tragedy, hastily and desperately trying to find a way to connect themselves as close to the tragedy as possible.
@@lolmanyeah1 if you count all the students at all of the branch campuses. At the main campus where this happened it’s less than half that. Given the large size of classes in general requirements, large number of campus events and large number of social gatherings, it’s quite possible that his sister could have been around or even known those frat members.
I grew up in State College as well as graduating from Penn State. I think it’s quite reasonable for scrat to be concerned about his sister’s welfare after hearing about how casually some of these crimes are treated. It’s called compassion.
@@lotsadogsmt wow congratulations if we jump through hoops we might be able to establish a connection between op and someone who knew a guy who's friend was connected to the hazing -- Kevin bacon style. I can do the same with myself and any of the major tragedies of the century, where is my prize?
The fact that the hosts referenced a recent infamous death caused by the same thing and still got away with it is disgusting
Yeah that’s horrifying, I’ve heard about this but haven’t heard about their active dismissal of putting those peoples lives in danger and killing a young mother. They weren’t just naïvely unaware of the risks, they knew full well and just didn’t care.
The hosts were fired and I'm pretty sure they never worked in that field again after, not exactly something future employers will look kindly upon eh? killing someone?
I always feel really weird when I "like" videos like this story. I don't like that it happened but I like that I learned about it in a respectful way.
It’s just so sad. She did all this to try to get her children a Nintendo Wii for Christmas. It would have been nice of Nintendo to reach out to the family and give them something.
They got 16mil, I think they good regarding the Wii
I don’t think that would’ve been a good idea. It would’ve sounded like, “sorry about your loss. Here’s a Wii. I hope that makes you feel better about your mom dying.”
Edit: besides, at that point, I’m sure a Wii was the last thing on their mind.
@@Ckoz2829 Well, how about a Wii for each survivor? Four Wiis!
@@leisti
Now you’re talking!
Yeah no. Mom worrying about them having the latest toy ruined their family. Poor misled woman. Kids need mom and dad more than they need more plastic battery operated junk
Oh my god everything about this screams liability on the part of the station. They had no Dr present. They told the story of a fatality, making them fully aware of the potential life threatening consequences. The dj, who is not a medical professional, gave them the medical advice that they would vomit before they were in any real danger. An actual medical professional called in, warning the station on potentially dire consequences, at which point the dj, instead of passing this info on to the contestants, dismissed this advice, prioritizing his own lack of expertise, over her actual medical m expertise. And finally by joking about the waiver being of higher priority over the actual safety of the contestants. If you were a personal injury/wrongful death attorney, you couldn't possibly write a more favorable set of facts. I guarantee the attorneys seriously did not want to settle due to the slam dunk liability of a huge media company. That company was begging to settle.
Exactly. And then there's still assholes in the comments saying that it was all Jessica's fault, completely ignoring the fact that three kids are left without a mother or simply not caring. It's so gross.
@@InFiniTosEntertainment I KNOW, RIGHT?! Truly sickening. People just suck. She entered this contest having NO idea what the potential consequences were. I seriously doubt the waiver said that you might die from irreversible cerebral edema related to acute onset hyponatremia.
Yeah, I would have thought that they'd at LEAST have a medical professional or someone acting in a medical role there for this!
If it went beyond a certain point, stop the contest, bring them back another day after their bodies have recovered. >.
@@InFiniTosEntertainment if you dangled a few thousand dollars in front of most of these commenters they'd do similarly stupid things. It's not about how dumb she was its that people rarely think in long term consequences. This is why most people are bad with money. This is why prison and the death penalty dont deter crime. This is why people stubbornly put off dr visits. Everyone understands the consequences of bad decisions but no one thinks it will be them that is the victim. The person that eats a greasy cheeseburger is also not maximizing their long term health in favor of immediate gratification It's just not as in your face obvious as the woman killing herself with water for a Wii.
Not to mention the fact that this all took place with hundreds or thousands of witnesses listening in.
I can’t believe that the DJs just got away with it, especially since they proved that they knew of the dangers. Surely there was a precedent of a year in jail at least for each of them. Does a waiver really protect against this?
Unfortunately there is no crime they can charge them with because they did " sign the waiver". Thats why the family got a civil suit to collect money which I think they were definitely entitled too. I don't think the radio employees believed that anyone would die or they wouldn't have done it but they have to live with that the rest of their life.
@@mrshaneobuenosnodgrass3328 We don’t know if the waiver was legally binding. They certainly didn’t consult medical professionals, they might not have consulted a lawyer regarding the waivers.
@@bwkermadecs Do we know, whether they did inform contestants or not?
A waiver may protect them against any criminal charges, but nothing protects against a civil suit. You need lots of evidence to prove a crime was committed, but you don't need that much for a civil suit. Also, you don't need the "beyond a reasonable doubt" to win a civil suit either. I think without that waiver, the station would have come up against criminal charges. I am very happy her family went for the civil suit and won. There was too much evidence that the station knew of the dangers. I agree with MrShaneobueno Snodgrass, I don't think they thought anybody would die because, even though they knew it had happened before, it is a rare thing. They were still negligent though.
You cannot have someone sign a waiver and expect that to protect you from civil or legal consequences, that's just dumb. A waiver is usually as legally binding as a game of rock paper scissors if there are actual damages. It's usually done to dissuade legal action on more minor consequences. In a civil sense the challenge to the validity of a waiver is the gray area of what constitutes informed consent. In a legal sense it essentially provides zero protection because a contract cannot protect a crime. It'd be like making an undercover cop sign a waiver saying that if he really is a cop he can't arrest you for selling drugs. Cops wouldn't be like, oh damn, he got us there. No point in arresting him, the charges will never stick with that iron clad legally binding napkin contract that allows him to operate above the law. And misleading people about the actual dangers involved is absolutely a crime.
Hello! I am a bit late but firstly, amazing video as always! I came to comment because my uncle was one of the dj's that were actively part of this competition. His on-air name was "Fester", and we actually also called him "uncle fester" growing up. I was only 5 or 6 at the time of this whole thing, so I hardly remember anything, just him and my mom talking about what happened. You can actually see fester at 3:19 at the left hand corner and I honestly don't know what he was thinking with everyone else, but I just wanted to let you all know that my uncle regretted it sincerely. I don't condone his behavior, it was fucking stupid and maybe he deserved more than just getting fired. However, he held severe regret his entire life. I don't think he went an entire day without thinking about Jennifer. I wish I asked him more about what happened, but he unfortunately passed away when I was 12. Again, I'm not here to condone his actions, or defend his stupid decision. I guess I just wanted to say that he did hold real regret for what he did, and it was obvious for a lot of my family. It's going to be 10 years since his own death pretty soon and I guess it's just weird seeing a video made about this situation by one of my favorite youtubers. I just wanted to tell everyone that at least for my uncle, he did regret it deeply.
Thank you for sharing.. such a mess all around, and I believe it.
It's unfortunate for everyone involved but if the person drinking the water doesn't know any better there's no reason for anyone to think a guy that does stuff on the radio would know any better.
this is an extremely sad story. the mother left behind 3 kids and her husband all because she wanted to get a Wii for her kids
When I first heard of this case, I thought no one related to the stunt had the information that doing it was dangerous. But the fact that there was a precedent of a death by doing the same thing, AND that a nurse contacted them to inform them of the risk -and they responded to that by joking that it’s ok because they wouldn’t be liable?That goes to show the horrible mindset of the DJs and everyone responsable. That poor woman and her family, what a waste. Thank you for the informative video.
Exactly!
I wish legal action had been taken.
I wish she had dialed 911 and said sometime was being murdered at the studio because that's exactly what was happening. They knew so in mind it was more than negligent homicide or manslaughter
Which makes this border on criminal. Interesting that the DA chose not to charge the employees of the station involved with the contest.
I so wish this didn’t happe such a shame the lord is o the DS’s hands
As a person who grew up with an over-active bladder which was thankfully cured through surgery, this story especially made me wince. Even though death is obviously much more severe, that contestant could have ended up having to wear diapers or have a urine drainage bag strapped to her leg for the rest of her life. Take care of your bladders people, they can’t be replaced.
Hell as a person that used to get UTIs regularly, this is scary. Holding your urine can lead to UTIs and the longer they go untreated the higher the chance of bacteria sticking to the walls of you bladder and never being able to get rid of it. This bacteria could then travel to your kidneys and cause an entire urinary system problem. Just constant UTIs with no possible way to actually treat it. I wonder how many people suffered with consequences for this stupid contest, beside the beautiful woman that lost her life. The strain on the bladder alone could cause so many health problems.
Edit: Not only could they have to use a catheter for the rest of their life, they might have to have their bladder removed and have to have a stoma in order to urinate.
what kind of surgery cures this?
I don't think have an overly active bladder but I do go way more often to the bathroom than anyone I know.
sometimes it's kind of embarrassing... but I do drink way more water than anyone i know... so
@@las10plagas Hmmm... I consulted at least 4 urologists before the last one suggested the surgery so if you're not sure, I'd suggest seeing at least one. They'll measure how fast you pee and how much comes out after drinking a few glasses; in my case I was taking double, on rare occasions triple the time of an average male to dispense 200-300 ML of fluid (average is apparently 400-500 ML on a full bladder).
My surgery involved widening the tunnels all along my urethra with lasers and knives (painful recovery). They were too narrow so the pressure was causing the nerves in my bladder to think they were more full than they actually were. Ultrasounds also revealed that some urine was being left behind.
I absolutely sympathize with the embarrassment. Pre-surgery, I was purposefully dehydrating myself and still having to get up during movies with my friends. I also had anxiety issues whenever I entered a building and didn't know where the bathroom was. Even if you feel like your case is natural because you drink a lot, better safe than sorry.
@@samanthajade3782 That's some solid medical insight and advice. Thanks for sharing!
I'm sorry that you had to go through that, and I'm glad it's better now.
My parents told me about this in 2007 when we got our WII, I've always remembered this because they tied that story to that console for the rest of my time remembering it. It's tragic what radio stations will do for attention and contests.
The studio should have asked a couple doctors about this stunt.
Might have saved a lot of trouble and heartbreak all around 😔.
Yea i don’t fucking understand why they were able to have waivers written up without doing their due diligence by consulting a doctor????
There's a video about this exact scenario on a channel called Chubbyemu. He goes into great detail of the effects of water toxication on the human body using case studies to explain the symptoms and why they're occurring. I suggest watching it if you're interested in the medical side of how this could potentially be a fatal occurrence.
Great video as always!
I was hoping there would be another fan of our wonderful Dr. Bernard in these comments!
Man ate 10 Nintendo wiis in one sitting, this is what happened
Chubbyemu is so great!
Ah, that's another of my favorite UA-cam channels too. It seems we both like stories of human suffering XD
EMIA - meaning 'presence in blood'
Next time I have a jump-off-a-cliff competition I'll have to make sure everyone signs a waiver.
Ahhahahaha.
If they don’t enjoy the experience, you offer a full refund too
Got a free console to give away?
Idiots will flock to "compete" safe in the knowledge that if they die doing what they gleefully chose to do, it'll be your fault.
@@nunceccemortiferiscultu7826 You're an odd one. You really think that there are people who are ok with dying as long as it's someone else's fault? I'm pretty sure that most people would rather be alive.
I heard about this case when it first happened, I remember a nurse friend of mine saying that her brain basically drowned. I remember being freaked out. My heart goes out to her family, and her poor young daughter who had to grow up without her.
The one picture of Jennifer with the DJs, standing in front of a poster and blocking letters so it says "end" is creepy
"She decided to win the WII on behalf of her children" devastated me
@Ocean's Mist ego: "I'll win this even if it kills me"
@@CedarMountainsnow Except, she didn't know she was putting her health at risk and wasn't properly informed of the risks despite the organizers of the event knowing it was dangerous.
Even after the death of their mom, they didn't even get a Wii. I know it doesn't fix anything, but they should have received all the Wiis
@@MicrophonicFool 16 million tho
@@Mattened True. One could by a couple of Wii's with that. Assuming you could find them that year.
Wow... I remember when this story broke out hearing that she died "because she didn't go pee." which I laughed at because it sounded ridiculous. Now after hearing all the facts I'm horrified because I myself did a water drinking competition in my college frat and remember getting a splitting headache afterwards that took me days to recover from. I had no idea that it could have been potentially fatal.
I was the same when I first heard about the woman who sued mcdonalds when she spilled her hot coffee. The full story, and the pictures of her injuries, are pretty horrific.
@@SkyWidows coffee so hot you would your lips off. all because they didn't want to make customers wait for fresh coffee to be brewed
It just goes to show that if you get your knowledge from the sensational media, you'll have a pretty warped viewpoint.
what the? I thought I had the burn there. did the youtube ai chat remove it?
Right, many people don't know and why I don't think it's okay that people laugh and victim blame her, I'm sure many others could have become the victim too.
I still weep for Jennifer and her children. They are grown now and I hope they are living happy lives.
Jennifer was a great mother. Period.
I had always seen “Hold your wee for a Wii” in like, meme-style “Did you know?” Facebook posts growing up (I was 13 in 2011) and thought it was like an urban legend for some reason. Probably because I was so young. I had no idea it was real, resulted in a loss, and was in my own city. thanks for spreading awareness of this tragedy. I hope Jennifer’s family is holding up okay these days, they’re in my prayers.
I love how you’re including more modern stories, it would be interesting to hear more
They were warned about the dangers by a nurse and they still allowed someone to die. I hope those responsible are suffering with the consequences
At least one of the DJs took zero responsibility and said they were…wait for it…just following orders.
I can’t believe they weren’t prosecuted. Shit, they gave a 16 yr old black kid years in adult prison for (potentially) stealing a backpack. God, makes me mad.
@@michele6740 I imagine the DA declined to prosecute because he didn’t think a jury would find them guilty. They didn’t intend for Jennifer’s death to happen, plus the radio executives gave the go ahead for the contest. The DJs were just a bunch of idiots who didn’t know what they were doing and didn’t do the right thing when they should have. I am not denying their culpability, but DAs only want to bring people they think will be found guilty to trial. It’s all just a big game to them. I think.
@@michele6740 that's your example, not all the men in prison for decades on false rape charges, even after the woman has recanted the story? Also, i'd love for you to site your evidence, rather then sitting on the story, I'd get off my ass and ACTUALLY try to free a child in prison
or, are you lying, and he was tried as an adult because he pulled a gun and shot/killed someone? The funny thing, my story has ACTUAL EVIDENCE behind it, yours is the same old tired CNN bullshit we've heard and never get evidence to support
@@shannonmc7090 I think so too. It’s not about justice - it’s about winning.
I used to worry about over-hydration when I was in the club "scene". In an altered state, you may think you're not getting enough water, and then you've got troubles. Lucky my best clubbin' mate was a doctor!
I remember reading about this in the newspaper after it happened- it was the first time I had ever heard of water poisoning, or hyponaetremia. I remember being quite surprised at the thought that something "harmless" like drinking water could actually kill a person.
Our bodies can have too much of anything
I literally remember hearing about this on my way to elementary school as it was unfolding and the interviews and how they played sounds of water to make the contestants want to pee and then hearing the coverage of the death Monday morning on my way to school; I think about this event very frequently at least 3x a year
If I recall correctly, it didn't help that the water was distilled - lacking many of the minerals that were being diluted in the participants' systems. Chubbyemu did a great video based on this event that goes deeper into the exact biological processes. ✌️🍍
Damn, I didn't know that.
I know hindsight is a beautiful thing, but it still amazes me that *nobody* at the station thought that anything could possibly go wrong with this.
One of the lowest casualty count of anything you've covered, but to me this is one of the most upsetting.
i agree. this was really, really awful to watch. the poor woman just wanted to win a console for her children ):
This was one of those that made the rounds as sort of a schoolyard horror story. In '07, it wasn't anyone's first instinct to check the internet for verity.
I was a teen in 2007 and we were, and had been for years, taught that information on the internet was often wrong. People believing anything they find on the internet is a FAR bigger problem now than it was then.
@@adde9506 yep, Snopes was founded in 1994, and we learned early on to use it! This was all over the news. It bears no resemblance to an urban legend.
@@adde9506 That's a good point, and highlights the need for discernment in the information age. I'm of the opinion that, if you know what you're doing, finding honest/unbiased sources online doesn't require so much effort. The unfortunate bit is those sources aren't the ones being promoted.
My point though was more that you could've hopped online in '07, run a search for "hold your wee for a wii" and found found a bunch of sources corroborating the story. The whole _normalization_ of the net had yet to occur, but was right around the corner as today's social media giants would rise to prominence later in the year.
As soon as I saw the title I remembered always hearing about this around that time
@@bodhi6769 weirdly enough I just thought of it the other day as I added an electrolyte packet before drinking a bunch of water!
I recently heard about this for the first time on another UA-cam channel. I was so shocked and fascinated that I spent some time googling and reading about it.
You unsurprisingly found more details, and told Jennifer 's story in a more complete and thoughtful way, than anyone else. Well done, as usual
Was it Chubbyemu
@@TankswillRule He scares me
@@TankswillRule if it was he only really talks about the hard facts rather than the person in question
@@pinkdiamond1847 do you mean the toxicology report
My mom told me about this when I was a kid like it was some kind of urban legend. I thought if it did happen, it was in the 90s before I was born or as an infant. Didn't realize it had happened only a few years before she told me the story.
Thank you for being such a good host for a UA-cam channel, respectful to the victims and just presenting the facts of the case without demonising anyone or victim shaming,this is one of my favourite channels on UA-cam, specifically because of the balanced reporting/narration and respect for the victim(s) in every case. please keep up the great work and keep shining as something for other channels to look up to
I love hearing this guy describe utterly banal shit like morning radio shows. "The tone was generally upbeat".
it's a lost art --- reading old newspapers from the 1800s or early 1900s has similar tones
I remember this so clearly. Her death for so needless. Just bc someone signs a waiver doesn’t mean you have no moral responsibility (and in this case legal responsibility)
People think waivers are a "get out of lawsuit free" card. They fail to realize waivers do not negate laws and that waivers only cover a limited amount of indemnity.
She was a grown ass woman. They talked about the frat kid dying right in front of her. She knew it could be dangerous. Why are they responsible for her decisions? She wasn't a child.
@@ButterBallTheOpossum actually, if the event was presented in a way that she was led to believe it was safe, the station could have been deceptive, which is actually a violation, even then. For example, a bank cannot mislead a customer into getting a loan product using ads that misrepresent interest rates or fees that appear after they are contractually obligated, car dealers cannot charge odometers or sneak on charges and fees to Jack up a price of a car, and a breakfast cereal company cannot make medical claims of their corn flakes.
@@ButterBallTheOpossum They held a contest which they knew would be dangerous without providing any medical treatment or oversight. Per the lawsuit, Jennifer acted like any normal person would thinking it was safe. The radio station assured her multiple times it was safe & most would happen would be she would vomit. Again, they weren’t doctors or medical people and cared more about her signing their waiver vs her actual safety.
@Alpha Beta I think waivers have a limit, as in “reasonable” in terms of what sort of things they indemnify. In this case, the DJs knew the event could cause death, both by acknowledging that it previously happened at a college and by the nurse calling in to warn them, as well as misleading the participants into thinking there was no danger in participating (you cannot rely on participants, customers or users knowing the dangers-there are literally federal agencies set up to protect the public and laws and regulations imposing penalties for not disclosing things to people despite “fine print”. In fact, “fine print” is regulated on how fine the print can be).
I was a student at UCD at the time, driving and heard the contest going on over the radio. I remember thinking “wow, this is a bad idea.” Crazy.
I remember this, it’s so weird that if you get too little of something, your body shuts down but if you get too much, it does the same thing.
*remember hearing about this, I didn’t know about it when it happened
Oh boy. I remember when this story broke out on the news. I felt so sad for the family.
Yeah I remember it being a pretty big story. Hell, I remember people bringing it up for years after
Those poor kids. They lost their mom because she was trying to get them a present. I can only imagine the guilt that accompanied their grief.
I’ve heard this story on other UA-cam channels, but yours is by far the best. You put a real human face on this tragedy and you have good source material.
Also KDND was shutdown in 2017 but The End was moved to KUDL 106.9 meaning that the station still exists and 107.9 was bought by iHeartRadio which built KZIS and went on the air this year (2022).
My dad almost died of hyponatremia in 2005, when he drank too much while running in the heat in the summer. When he began to develop a headache, he figured he was dehydrated, so he continued to drink water. A lot of water. Eventually, he realised something was really, really wrong so we called 911.
When the paramedics came, they heard that he was a runner who had been out in the heat. And they assumed he was dehydrated. So what did they do? Started IV fluids. It wasn't until he had a seizure and fell into a coma at the hospital that anyone had any idea something else was wrong.
He ended up in a coma in the ICU for a week, and then in hospital for another week, before finally being sent home. the fact both the paramedics and the ER doctors didn't even consider anything other than dehydration almost killed my dad.
This story then happened two years later, and it was absolutely heartbreaking. Too much of ANYTHING is bad, and I hope this video helps raise awareness.
I was in my mid 20s when this happened. Such a tragedy, and still an outrage that the radio hosts didn't care about those people, even blowing off the nurse who called in warning them of the danger.
This story makes my kidneys nervous. I know what it’s like to almost die from dehydration, what it’s like to have a kidney stuffed completely full of stones, what it’s like to suddenly develop a UTI so bad that an ambulance had to take me to the hospital. I once had to go to the ER and was admitted when, after a kidney operation, I seemed to be passing pure blood instead of urine. I am hyper aware of the need to keep drinking fluids, and then the inevitable need to urinate. The very idea of making yourself hold it for very long at all is extremely uncomfortable. People shouldn’t put their bladders through more than they were meant to handle. Seriously, I have had nephrostomy tubes twice, and I have a cluster of scars on my back to show for it. Some body systems are a lot more sensitive than you might imagine.
This has happened quite a bit, especially with people on ecstasy. It makes you so thirsty and feel like you are dying of thirst no matter how much you drink. Quite frequent in the 90s, when ecstasy was more popular. Cant post links, but a quick search will yield several ecstasy users who drank themselves to death using water.
Wow, whenever I've heard this story in the past I assumed it was a case of ignorance. Learning that they knew it was dangerous and just didn't care as long as they had waivers to hide behind is sickening. Equally sickening are the medical details, I legit feel nauseous rn.
Absolutely. I hoped this was just a case of ignorant, well-intentioned entertainers, but this is simply indefensible. There were multiple chances to end this, to avoid tragedy, but they just kept ignoring them. This seems like textbook negligence.
@Unownshipper yeah, she could have stopped.
Like the other contestants.
But ego took over, she *needed* to win.
And just think, they were never held literally responsible, and the DJs went on to get jobs at other radio stations.
@@nunceccemortiferiscultu7826 I've noticed you've commented a couple of times on here (which is fine, I have too), but I have to ask what is your problem with this dead woman? It really feels like you have it out for her.
Ego? Are you serious? She was trying to win a gift for her children.
@@nunceccemortiferiscultu7826 What are you, the DJ's fucking lawyer? Stop smearing an innocent dead woman. Ffs.
i remember being in middle school a year after this happened -- we discussed it in science class bc a lot of kids were starting to play around with imbibing too much water too fast going 'it's water it can't kill you' and the teacher was like '...well...'
In boot camp (USMC), the drill instructors used to make us drink canteens of water if we did something wrong. The most I ever drank was 4 canteens in around 10 minutes. About a gallon of water.
What a tragic outcome and how sad for her children and partner. I like the way you provided a lot of additional information. Great channel. Just subbed and now happier than a clam that I have so many videos of yours to eventually go through!
Whenever i see a case like this, I think of Leah Betts, who died after taking ecstacy. The leading factor of her death was actually the Hyponatremia from consuming a large amount of water to avoid dehydration.
Naturally, the fact that it involved a Class A drug was a red rag to a bull for our tabloids. Yet, in a similar fashion to the Wee for a Wii campaign, the dangers of excessive water consumption were underestimated.
Leah’s father Paul came and did a talk at my school in which he debunked the hyponatremia idea. Her death certificate reads “ecstasy poisoning”. He really stressed that point. He was an amazing speaker and I remember it really well despite it being *mumble mumble* years ago.
@@Nisabazami How can he debunk it? It's well known that that was the cause of her death. Her brain turned to mush because she drank a ridiculous amount of water in a short space of time. The ecstacy had nothing to do with it. If anything, her death highlighted the misleading bullshit they told children about taking ecstacy back then - the fact people died from dehydration in nightclubs due to the MDMA impairing renal function which meant their bodies weren't telling them when they were overheating.
She was sat around with mates, no dancing, and was drinking copious amounts of water because she was told the ecstacy causes dehydration; it doesn't, the excessive exercise without drinking while on ecstacy is what causes the dehydration.
Poor education and people not using their brains is what leads to these deaths, more often than not.
I bet she was buck wild off that extacy before she passed. I wish I could have been there.
@@ricky-sanchez so edgy
"Drinking too much water is dangerous."
"Don't worry. They've signed waivers."
Bruh...
It was a joke
@@edeliteedelite1961 you don’t say
@@edeliteedelite1961 Bruh it's just a joke broheim. *Stabs you 47 times in this chest* Just a joke bro, chill! Neener Neener can't touch me, etc etc.
I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your channel😁😁😁 I love learning something new everyday. There's stuff you've covered in your past videos including the ones today about stuff that I really just didn't know about. I had heard about the Wee contest but never really knew much other than that. Keep on with the amazing historical nformation💙
6:11 Why did my brain go: "Hypo" meaning "low", "natremia" meaning "sodium presence in blood".
This was a huge talk at the community college as it had a popular nursing program. Teachers and a lot of the nursing students held a talk seminar about the dangers of drinking too much water. It made me and a lot of other students feel infuriated about the radio DJ's who didn't see the real dangers of such a challenge like this.
Oh, I wish you had included the clip of how dismissive those frat boy DJs really were when responding to that nurse. They all thought her concern was such a joke.
The way they were laughing & mocking her was disgusting. I, too, wish it had been included - it really drives home how negligent the DJs were.
I remember my 11th grade anatomy class teacher talking about this case. It was always horrifying to imagine how her brain was swelling up from the excessive water. It was very irresponsible for the hosts to push the limits of the human body to death. It was horrible that she had to die because of the hosts didn't take any health precautions or the warnings of the nurse seriously. Even one of the hosts was joking about a previous incident relating to water excessiveness is just enough to tell what kind of monsters they are.
the hosts did nothing wrong, it was her own damn fault
Growing up I listened to the Morning Rave every morning as I got ready for school and I remember all the local controversy about this before it went national/international. Everyone thought it was crap that the station thought they were covered by a waiver
I know this is practically said in every single one of your videos, but i apreciate your professionalism and respect for the victims and incidents you cover. It's sad to see similar videos in the "related" section that are obviously luring in views with the shock factor.
We really appreciate how you set up so well that Jennifer's passing was in no way her fault.
Even if that assessment is a bit too generous. Are adults old enough to have three children really not accountable for their own dangerous decisions? She entered a contest that involved excessive consumption without getting medical advice. She signed a waiver which didn't claim there would be NO risk, only that she would own the risk. Yet, she did just that. And for what? For a video game system.
Did she deserve to die? No. But neither do the millions of people who do every year in accidents. The media company is indeed accountable, but she was also, just to a lesser degree.
That they are guilty in the larger part doesn't make her innocent. Victimhood shouldn't be a cherished virtue.
@@borderlineiq It's actually disgusting that you'd make a comment like that after watching this video.
8:39 "Additionally, it was concluded that Jennifer herself had in no way contributed to her death..... Jennifer, it was noted, had behaved as any normal person would given what she knew about the healthy properties of water, and the assurances she was given by the DJs during the competition."
She was repeatedly assured that the competition was safe with no risk of death, and she had no reason to think it could be dangerous. You judging her actions in the way you are is extremely stupid and gross.
@@borderlineiq I've looked into this story, and I disagree with you:
1. She was 27, barely an adult (brain isn't fully formed until 25 years old)
2. She was told REPEATEDLY that there was NO HEALTH consequences
3. She was told REPEATEDLY that if she drank too much water, she would vomit it up
4. She was NOT told what the nurse said, that they COULD die from drinking too much water
I shared this video with my wife and grown children for this reason, people perish for lack of knowledge, especially when you have idiots telling you a lie (and the DJ's' were AWARE that it was a lie, and knew that people could die, which imo, is why they should have went to prison for this) - we don't know if there was someone dressed up as a nurse on staff or what the waiver said, so we can't judge, we can ONLY judge what we know, and the dj's made it clear that they knew that water consumption could and had previously lead to death
@@borderlineiq you're so eager to decry "victimhood" that you're straight up ignoring details about the story. You're projecting your galaxy-brained, super-original "society weak" narrative onto a dead woman whose worst mistake was trying to win a game console.
@@Bjorick One thing Jennifer also would not have been aware of was that her slim figure would've dramatically increased those very health risks which she hadn't been informed of.
Side-note: For some greater info about the medical effects of consuming too much water can kill, there's an excellent video by Chubbyemu that presents a medical case study which is based upon this tragedy, going into some more depth about the specifics of how this kills, what was going on in the body.
When I was in the Canadian military we were forced to continuously drink water for several minutes as a punishment. People became sick and started vomitting but they still yelled at the rest of us to continue drinking water. Complaints were filed after the incident by those who became ill, but there were no consequences for the instructors who enforced the punishment. They were just scolded for their actions and that was it.