A new NBC game show based on the beloved lawn activity “Slip-n-Slide” has washed out thanks to an unfortunate blast of gastrointestinal difficulties amongst its crew. However, could there be a more sinister reason to the show’s problem? First, let’s look at an excerpt from the New York Post that explained the tummy troubles that led to a tumultuous trek to toilets.

Production on NBC’s upcoming competition show “Ultimate Slip ‘N Slide” was halted after more than three dozen crew members were sickened by an outbreak of “awful explosive diarrhea,” according to a report on Friday.

Things were going swimmingly when Variety announced that NBC would launch another one of those wet-and-wild game shows that seem to be the rage such as Wipeout and Cannonball. The NBC press release informed the public:

“NBC is proud to be the home of some of the biggest and most outrageous physical competition shows and we’re thrilled to add this larger-than-life version of the classic backyard game to our summer lineup,” said Jenny Groom, executive VP, unscripted content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, in a statement. “What better way to celebrate all the gold medals from the Olympic Summer Games than to give everyday people the opportunity to soar down an extraordinary 65-foot-tall slippery yellow slide.

This isn’t the first time the beloved Slip-n-Slide has showed a more sinister side. According to a piece from Mental Floss, a number of people were injured on the seemingly harmless device throughout its history:

Between 1973 and 1991, it’s estimated that a total of seven adults and one 13-year-old suffered neck injuries or paralysis as a direct result of using the Slip ‘N Slide. Though these instances were rare, Wham-O was apparently concerned to the point they opted to take it off the market in the late 1970s. It wasn’t brought back to store shelves until Wham-O was purchased by the Kransco company in 1982.

In a classic case of “we can’t have anything nice,” the Slip-n-Slide became the Slip-and-Sue. According to the Mental Floss magnum opus:

The Slip ‘N Slide had always carried warnings that it was for use by children 10 or 11 years of age and younger. But it was not a superficially dangerous-looking plaything, and adults either failed to take the warning seriously or simply discarded the box and instructions without paying any attention to them. As a possible result, Kransco experienced two major lawsuits that would elevate the Slip ‘N Slide to the level of a public nuisance.

Fast forward to 2021 and now, the producers of the Slip-n-Slide game show have shut it down for the time being. The New York Post article noted:

Many infected crew members blamed the mess on a lack of fresh clean water being used in the slip ‘n slide competitions, at odds with the network’s description of the show as a “fresh take on Wham-O’s iconic 1960s outdoor game,” the report said.

However, could there be something more to this? Gentle reader, pause for a moment and ask yourself, could there be some sort of curse to the Slip-n-Slide, much like the Superman Curse or the Kennedy Curse? That’s a question for another day, but one I intend to pursue in another article.

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