"Wipeout" contestant Tom Sparks dies

Sparks died last week on Nov. 5 in Los Angeles.

The 33-year-old onetime radio DJ ran the first leg of the course and began complaining of knee pain, a spokesperson for the show's production company Endemol told Entertainment Weekly.

Sparks was running through the first section of the first obstacle course during taping on Oct. 19, when he complained of knee pain, Endemol said Thursday.

According to the production company, the show's medics examined Sparks on-set and found him to also be having shortness of breath. They then took Sparks to a local hospital.

He was moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he underwent numerous brain surgeries, and eventually died due to brain damage, according to The Associated Press report, citing TheWrap.com, which first reported Sparks' death.

APS probably caused death
Meanwhile, the deceased’s father, Bill Sparks, told the Idaho Mountain Express that his son’s death may have been caused by a pre-existing blood condition, called antiphospholipid antibody syndrome or APS.

The APS Foundation of America Inc.'s Web site has described the APS as a rare clotting disorder associated with recurrent clotting events, including premature stroke and heart attack.

According to Endemol, "Wipeout" contestants undergo full medical examinations before they get a go ahead for the show. The show requires all participants to be medically cleared to participate.

However, the diagnosis of APS requires specialized blood tests, the foundation’s Website says.

“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family,” ABC and Endemol said in a joint statement. “This is a tragic loss and our thoughts are with them at this time.”

More on Sparks
Sparks, a former Sun Valley, Idaho, radio disc jockey, was a runner, and recently competed in a marathon. He was a morning show host at KSKI radio in Sun Valley before moving to California.

Sparks, who earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and later earned a master's degree from the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, had married recently and was competing on "Wipeout" with his wife, Kate, on a couple of episodes. The couple would have celebrated their two-month wedding anniversary on Nov. 6.

”Wipeout”
ABC’s "Wipeout" is the reality game show where contestants try to navigate obstacle courses and other challenging obstacles made of elevated, moving platforms suspended over water, including the infamous "Big Balls" that sends participants bouncing into the water.

The game show is in production for the third season, premiering next summer.