Chase Me (Chinese: 追我吧) was a Chinese reality show broadcast by Zhejiang Television. Chase Me was shot in the central business district of Ningbo, involving two teams competing in challenges at night hours.[1][2] The show premiered from 8 November 2019 and abruptly ended on 22 November 2019.
| Chase Me | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Traditional Chinese | 追我吧 |
| Simplified Chinese | 追我吧 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Zhuī wǒ ba |
| Genre | Reality show |
| Starring | See below |
| Country of origin | China |
| Original language | Standard Chinese |
| No. of episodes | 12 (planned) 3 (broadcast) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multicamera setup |
| Production company | Zhejiang Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Zhejiang Television |
| Release | November 8 – November 22, 2019 |
On 27 November 2019, filming and broadcast were suspended following the sudden death of model-actor Godfrey Gao while filming its ninth episode; the fourth episode that was due to air two days later was not broadcast.[3] On 5 December 2019, Zhejiang TV announced that Chase Me would be pulled from airing indefinitely, after three episodes of airing.[4]
Cast (Chase Me team members)
edit- Hua Shao (MC)
- William Chan (episodes 1–3)
- Huang Jingyu (episodes 1–3)
- Jam Hsiao (episodes 1–2)
- Fan Chengcheng (episodes 1–3)
- Zhong Chuxi (episodes 1–2)
- Song Zu'er (episodes 1–3)
- Wu Xuanyi (episodes 3)
Episodes
edit- Episode 1 (Airdate: 8 Nov 2019)
In the first episode, the team members competed against people who possess strong physical strength.
| Order | Chase Me team | Chaser | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fan Chengcheng | Hong Xiaolong (bodybuilding champion) | Hong Xiaolong |
| 2 | Song Zu'er | Shi Wei (sports enthusiast) | Shi Wei |
| 3 | William Chan | Yi Erpan (national basketball team member) | William Chan |
| 4 | Huang Jingyu | Shen Chen (sniper) | Huang Jingyu |
| 5 | Jam Hsiao & Zhong Chuxi | Tu Yuexiu (MMA fighter) | Tu Yuexiu |
- Episode 2 (Airdate: 15 Nov 2019)
In the second episode, Chase Me team members joined alongside previous Olympic medalists, then divided into Blue and Yellow teams to compete against each other.
| Order | Chase Me members | Chaser | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow team | Blue team | |||
| 1 | Li Xiaopeng | Zou Shiming | - | Li Xiaopeng |
| 2 | Huang Jingyu, Guo Yue | - | Fang Bin (sports enthusiast) | Fang Bin |
| 3 | - | William Chan, Chen Ruolin | Zhang Jingkun (cycling champion) | Zhang Jingkun |
| 4 | Fan Chengcheng, Chen Ruolin, Mo Shunjia (triathlete), Song Zu'er |
Jam Hsiao, Guo Yue, Wei Sicheng (arm wrestler), Zhong Chuxi |
- | Yellow team |
- Episode 3 (Airdate: 22 Nov 2019)
In the third episode, Chase Me team members faced off against the cast of Keep Running.
| Order | Chase Me team | Keep Running team | Chaser | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Chan | Zheng Kai | - | William Chan |
| 2 | Huang Jingyu, Fan Chengcheng | Li Chen, Lucas Wong | Fang Bin | Fang Bin |
| 3 | Wu Xuanyi | Song Yuqi | - | Wu Xuanyi |
| 4 | Huang Jingyu, Song Zu'er, William Chan, Wu Xuanyi | Lucas Wong, Zheng Kai, Li Chen, Song Yuqi | - | Keep Running team |
- Episode 4 (Unaired)
In the end of Episode 3 it was announced that the guests in Episode 4 were UNINE and NEXT.
Episode 4 was originally due to be aired on 29 November 2019, but was cancelled (see below).
Cancellation
editOn 27 November, while filming the ninth episode in Ningbo, model-actor Godfrey Gao suddenly collapsed and was brought to the hospital, but was pronounced dead three hours after several resuscitation attempts. Gao died due to a sudden cardiac arrest,[5][6] after over 17 hours of filming.[7] Another celebrity in the same episode, Li Wenhan, reported injuries due to a twisted ankle, and the producers decided to suspend the filming of the episode.[8][3]
Following the death, the show faced criticisms in which contestants were involved in a number of high-risk challenges late at night.[9] The lack of safety standards for reality programs in China was also highly scrutinised.[10]
Zhejiang TV pulled the broadcast of episode four (which was initially scheduled to aired 29 November) and until today it has remained unaired. On 5 December, the show was finally announced cancelled after three episodes of air in the aftermath of Gao's death, and Zhejiang TV and the show's director shortly apologized on Sina Weibo and acknowledged the lapse of safety of the cast members involved in the program.[4]
See also
edit- The Late, Late Breakfast Show – a British light entertainment show, which was also cancelled after a fatality as a result of a stunt gone wrong
References
edit- ^ "追我吧阵容官宣 追我家族上演真人版猫令人引期待". hxnews. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
- ^ "会是下一个综艺爆款吗？ 《追我吧》陈伟霆范丞丞黄景瑜都来". www.nen.com.cn. Archived from the original on 2019-11-29. Retrieved 2019-09-06.
- ^ a b "Actor dies while filming reality TV show". Washington Times. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
- ^ a b "浙江卫视：永久停播《追我吧》". sina. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ 浙江卫视《追我吧》确认35岁高以翔去世原因：心源性猝死 (in Chinese). 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ "Taiwanese-Canadian model dies from heart atta..." Taiwan News. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- ^ 高以翔猝死 生前连续工作17小时. Oriental Daily News (in Chinese (Malaysia)). 27 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ "「追我吧」害死高以翔 這位藝人同天錄到坐輪椅". 聯合新聞網. 2019-11-28. Archived from the original on 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
- ^ Brzeski, Patrick (26 November 2019). "Taiwanese Model-Actor Godfrey Gao Dies After Collapsing During Reality TV Shoot in China". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ Pinghui, Zhuang (30 November 2019). "Godfrey Gao death highlights dark side of China's reality TV craze". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 1 December 2019.