Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

A ‘Wipeout’ Contestant Died After Completing The Show’s Obstacle Course

TBS announced in April that it was reviving the obstacle course game show Wipeout after it left the network TV airwaves, but tragedy reportedly struck the production earlier this week. According to TMZ, a contestant on the TBS reboot of the show died after completing the obstacle course. A Deadline report confirmed the incident happened on Wednesday, saying the contestant went to the hospital after filming and later died.

Deadline has confirmed with sources close to production that the contestant on the TBS show needed medical attention after completing the course and was seen to by medical professionals before paramedics were called and the contestant was taken to hospital, where he later died.

The incident took place on Wednesday at the show’s location in the Santa Clarita, CA area.

It’s unclear if the contestant suffered injuries on the show, or even if they fell while running through the elaborate obstacle course set up for people to compete on. Both reports indicated that the contestant “completed” the course, which would indicate that they didn’t suffer a serious enough fall to eliminate them the way the obstacles are meant to in order to get laughs from viewers.

Deadline also got a statement from TBS about the incident.

“We are devastated to have learned of his passing and our deepest sympathy goes out to the family,” a TBS spokeswoman said.

“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and our thoughts are with them at this time,” an Endemol Shine North America spokesman added.

According to the network, the show’s return the airwaves will be hosted by John Cena and and Nicole Byer and featured a slightly retooled format. The announcement of the show’s return in April came with a call for casting, along with the signature giant red balls for which the show became famous.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Meyers Leonard Will Return To Miami On A Two-Year, $20 Million Contract

The Miami Heat’s run to the Finals in Orlando was somewhat unexpected for many. They didn’t quite have the cache or the exposure that teams like the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks enjoyed. But the Heat had it where it counted the most when it come down to the pressure-cooker playoff battles.

And if it wasn’t for a rash of ill-timed injuries, you can bet everyone on that roster believed that they were capable of toppling the Lakers and bringing home the title. Going into the offseason, however, it wasn’t clear exactly what things would look like moving forward, out side of their core group, but Goran Dragic quickly added some stability on Friday when he become the first free agent to announce his return to Miami when the moratorium period opened.

Not long after, forward Meyers Leonard likewise announced that he was returning to the Heat on similar deal reportedly worth $20 million over two years, with a team option for the second year.

Leonard quickly became a fixture in the Orlando Bubble, going viral after posting several admittedly impressive videos of himself shotgunning beers during downtime at the Disney World resort.

Leonard fell out of the rotation for the Heat during the Finals, but he was a solid contributor off the bench for Miami during the regular season, and the front office clearly believes there is value in bringing him back. At the very least, this gives the Heat a $9 million contract that could be used in potential trades as they look for another superstar.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Wesley Matthews Revealed He’s Joining The Lakers As A Free Agent

The Los Angeles Lakers have either lost or risk losing some wing talent this offseason. Danny Green was moved in a trade, while Avery Bradley and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are both unrestricted free agents. Soon after the start of the NBA’s free agency period, though, they managed to bring in some reinforcements in the form of a highly-regarded three-and-D player.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Wesley Matthews will jump from the Milwaukee Bucks to the reigning NBA champions.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports confirmed the news in a unique way, showing off a picture he got sent to him from Bradley of Lakers shorts.

Charania also had the contract details, as Matthews is joining L.A. on a relatively cheap deal: one year, $3.6 million.

Matthews, who just turned 34, is well-traveled in his NBA career, but spent last season in Milwaukee. He started all 67 games in which he appeared, averaging 7.4 points per game and connected on 36.4 percent of his attempts from deep. While Matthews has never played with LeBron James or Anthony Davis in his career, it stands to reason that he’ll get plenty of time as a floor-spacing threat on a Lakers team that is constantly looking for shooting. He’s not the first addition that L.A. has made to its roster this offseason, though, as the team traded for Dennis Schröder of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Goran Dragic Will Re-Sign With The Heat On A Two-Year, $37.4 Million Deal

The Miami Heat are coming off their best season since LeBron James’ departure in 2015. They were something of a sleeper pick to come out of the East last season for those who weren’t paying close enough attention, which the Bucks can certainly consider themselves among those ranks after getting stunned by Miami in the second round.

Jimmy Butler was phenomenal for them, and their up-and-coming stars Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro tested their mettle in the postseason and proved that they’re part of the core group for the Heat moving forward. For several other players in the roster, their future wasn’t so certain.

Veteran point guard Goran Dragic, for instance, was set to enter free agency, and until Friday, it wasn’t clear whether the two sides would be able to agree on deal, but as it turns out, Dragic was one of the first chips to fall when the moratorium period opened at 6 p.m. ET, announcing that he was returning to Miami on a two-year, $37.4 million deal — the second year is, reportedly, a team option.

And he did so with plenty of flair, as evidence by this elaborate homemade video announcing his decision to re-up with the Heat.

Dragic says he wants to finish what the Heat started, as their championship run was ultimately derailed by untimely injuries to both himself and Adebayo. With their core unit back in two, Miami will certainly be among the favorites to win the East again, provided they can stay healthy and build on the chemistry they created last season.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Summer Walker Seemingly Confirms Her Pregnancy In A Glowing Post

Summer Walker was the source of some pregnancy rumors earlier this month when the ex girlfriend of her on-again-off-again partner London On Da Track alleged that the singer was pregnant with his child. Walker was quick to quell the reports by saying she was simply bloated in recent photos. But despite her previous denial, Walker has now seemingly confirmed with a glowing photo that she is, in fact, expecting.

Revealing the exciting news in a vague post on Instagram, the singer shared a photo of herself grinning while delicately holding her baby bump.

Ahead of the exciting announcement, Walker was recently joined by Jhene Aiko and Teyana Taylor in calling out certain issues in the music industry by saying a lot of today’s pop music is really just R&B. Taylor said, “If an actual R&B singer sang what the pop artist sang, would the R&B singer get the same exposure?” Walker agreed, “Pop gets all the credit, for sure. We’re cute over here when they want to be in their feelings. But when it’s time to get to the money, it’s all about pop.” Walker continued to say that the double standard “irritates me a little when it comes to radio. It seems the only songs from me that do super good on the radio are those that are more upbeat.”

See Summer Walker’s heartwarming pregnancy announcement above.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Urban Gardener Indy Srinath Wants You To Grow And Forage Your Own Food

“We are all realizing that the past systems of obtaining food don’t really hold up during a global pandemic,” says urban gardener, educator, and forager Indy Srinath. “What I hope for people — and what I think people are finding out now — is that they can provide food for themselves, and it can bring a real sense of joy and help them realize they’re capable of a lot more than they previously thought they were.”

To put it quite simply, Srinath is on a mission to change the way we feed and see ourselves. No, she’s not pushing some new-fangled diet, she’s simply trying to get people more involved in the process of food sourcing as a way to build resilience, self-sufficiency, and community.

“I think that in growing your own food, trading your food with your community, and sharing your crops, you’re helping to strengthen the resilience and create permanency in the area where you live,” she says. “If you have a backyard that doesn’t have anything growing in it aside from grass you don’t have much permanency there. Once you start planting seeds and planning for a food future then you’re creating a community that has value and that strengthens your ties with other community members.”

Indy Srinath

Srinath knows all about what it takes to build a community. Whether we’re talking about the urban garden she manages in Asheville, North Carolina, the many gardens she’s helped set up in other cities around the nation, or the online audience she’s built thanks to her keen eye for beautiful photography and deft ability to educate, she is committed to sharing her life experiences with anyone eager to learn.

“I always just wanted to be an example of what I needed when I was growing up,” she says. “I didn’t have a lot of people that I felt represented how I looked or my demographic to learn from.”

So Srinath became that person. Through her online and in-person teaching efforts and the resources she shares with her audience, she is quickly becoming representative of a new wave of young, positive-minded people who are trying to make the world a better and more equitable place.

“I just want young women of color to feel like they have a teacher,” she says. “Someone who is willing to readily share their experience with them.”

The first part of this mission is to teach others that urban farming, gardening, and foraging doesn’t have to be as difficult as it sounds.

“It’s really important to know that you can start small and start locally. Find out what foods are in season and what you can plant at the moment, given your geographical area. You don’t need to have a ton of land access in order to grow a lot of food. You can grow food in a windowsill, you can grow food on balconies, or — like a lot of the work I do with folks who don’t even have access to a house — you can grow food outside of a tent, right on the sidewalk.”

When it comes to foraging, it’s as easy as going outside. Though Srinath says first-time foragers shouldn’t just dive straight into picking random foliage. (I did that once, that’s how I found out all about poison ivy.)

“For beginners, it’s important to just go out as an observer,” she says. “Walk around your neighborhood with a plant identification book, and find out what foods are in season and what foods are growing locally. Tapping into what your environment holds for you is really important.”

@_alexandereast

Srinath believes that every environment, from the densest of cities and food deserts to sprawling rural areas, has bountiful resources for those who are inclined to look or begin to produce for themselves. Ultimately though, the key is to set your expectations realistically, take it slow and enjoy the process. Given that we’re living through a global pandemic, time is on our side and resilience feels like a key skill.

“Enter with a very open mind and realize that you don’t have to do everything all at once. You’re not going to plant a seed and be able to sustain yourself on the first day. Fruitfulness comes from the experience of what you’re doing. Try to really enjoy putting that seed into soil and the planting process can really make you feel fulfilled even in a smaller garden space.”

Ultimately, Srinath states that gardening, farming, and foraging is only part of the journey. She has serious ideas about how we should build community and resiliency going forward. Post-COVID, she believes in highly interactive communities with sharing as a cornerstone value.

“I think that a combination of gardening, farming, and foraging is really helpful for supplementing your food sources,” she says. “But bartering with your community is also really important. If you grow tomatoes and your neighbor grows cucumbers… I think we should return to a way of life where we are open and able to trade with one another for foods that we may not grow or may not have access to.”

Hers is a radical vision for the future — connected to wild spaces and the soil and filled with collectives of people managing shared goals. Yes, it’s a bold dream. But while the challenge is formidable, we have no doubt that’s it’s possible. Especially with young leaders like Srinath working to make it a reality.

Indy Srinath
Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Quavo Shuts Down Rumors That He Cheated On Saweetie With Lil Wayne’s Daughter

All eyes were on Quavo’s relationship with Saweetie in October when he posted a screenshot revealing how he boldly slide into her DMs with a snowflake emoji. The screenshot went viral and everyone from Zack Fox to sports teams stole Quavo’s smooth tactics. That’s why fans were up in arms Thursday when rumors began circulating which insinuated that the rapper had cheated on Saweetie, but it looks like Quavo has now stepped up to lay the rumor to rest.

It all started during Thursday night’s Verzuz battle between Jeezy and Gucci Mane. Comedian/viral prankster Gerald Huston trolled various celebrities in the comment section of the Instagram Live stream and landed on Quavo as his next victim. Along with making a number of other statements, Huston alleged the rapper was cheating on Saweetie with Reginae Carter, Lil Wayne’s daughter.

The rumor took off and began to snowball once the prank was picked up on Twitter and many fans expressed their disappointment in Quavo.

But it didn’t take long for Quavo to catch wind of the rumor and shut down the reports with a since-deleted tweet.

Check out Quavo’s response above.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Joe Biden’s Tone-Deaf Tweet Asking For Money Has Inspired Lots Of OnlyFans Jokes

In her first briefing with the media since October 1 on Friday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany refused to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the election. But she did call CNN’s White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins an “activist” (“It’s understandable why someone who hasn’t done their job — taking questions from reporters — in weeks would confuse someone else doing theirs with activism,” Collins later tweeted) and ignored heckles of, “When are you gonna admit you lost?” It won’t be any time soon, because boss Trump is still claiming that he “won.”

The president’s refusal to concede means that, among many, many, many other issues that threaten our democracy, Biden can’t access the transition fund that “is expected to help cover the costs associated with the bureaucratic handover, including the hundreds of aides who have already been hired to staff the transition and its agency review teams, who are a mix of paid staffers and volunteers,” according to Politico:

The General Services Administration must “ascertain” that Biden won the election before the federal government will release roughly $10 million in funds to which the transition is legally entitled… So far, the transition has raised more than $8 million, according to three people familiar with the total, hitting their initial $7 million to $10 million goal. Now they’re upping it by “several millions of dollars in anticipation of GSA not relenting before the inauguration,” said one person familiar with the transition efforts.

Biden reached out to his Twitter followers, asking for donations because “President Trump refuses to concede and is delaying the transition, we have to fund it ourselves and need your help. If you’re able, chip in to help fund the Biden-Harris transition.” The tweet did not go over well, coming a day after the Associated Press reported that “of the roughly 20 million Americans now receiving some form of unemployment benefits, about half will lose those benefits when two federal programs expire at the end of the year.” Biden has dozens of billionaire supporters, but as comedian Paul F. Tompkins pointed out, “But for this they have to make a request of people who are severely hurting.”

Biden’s tweet has also inspired “only” one joke.

But, seriously:

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Ivanka Trump Got Defensive About Her Dad’s Sketchy Tax Write-Offs That Could Land Her In Hot Water, Too

Taking a page directly from her father’s playbook, Ivanka Trump lashed out on Twitter after the New York Times reported that she could be implicated for fraud in New York. The dual civil and criminal investigations by state attorney general Letitia James and Manhattan attorney general Cyrus Vance Jr. will probe into the Trump family business, including questionable records of a consulting fee paid to an Ivanka-co-owned company that matched the amount of a Donald Trump write-off. In a fiery tweet, Ivanka accused James and Vance of attempting to a settle a score for the Democratic Party.

“This is harassment pure and simple,” Ivanka tweeted. “This ‘inquiry’ by NYC democrats is 100% motivated by politics, publicity and rage. They know very well that there’s nothing here and that there was no tax benefit whatsoever. These politicians are simply ruthless.”

The suspicious consulting fees first came to light back in September when the Times published a damning report on the president’s finances including the bombshell revelation that he paid $750 in taxes in 2017. Following the report on Trump’s taxes, former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman told CNN that the president’s records show signs of fraud, which could land both Ivanka and her father in legal trouble. Via The Independent:

“Tax avoidance is simply getting-taking the tax code and getting the most deductions you can get under the code that’s perfectly legal. Tax fraud however is lying about what your income was, what your deductions are, and there are just a couple of items that stand out in that report that appear to go beyond tax avoidance.”

Akerman speculated that Ivanka’s consulting fee are one of those times that appear to be an attempt at tax fraud.

(Via Ivanka Trump on Twitter)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Nicki Minaj’s Upcoming Six-Part HBO Docuseries Will Give An ‘Unfiltered Look’ At Her Personal Life

It’s been an exciting week for Nicki Minaj fans thus far — and it just got even better. After celebrating the tenth anniversary of her hit album Pink Friday with a deluxe release, the rapper took to social media Friday to officially announce an upcoming six-part docuseries on HBO Max.

In a selfie video announcing the series, Nicki said that it’s going to give viewers a “raw, unfiltered look at my personal life and my professional journey.” Press materials further describe it as a project that will “guide viewers through the most challenging and fulfilling times in her life, navigating highs, lows and misguided agendas in her stratospheric rise to fame and her journey to motherhood.”

The upcoming series is directed by Emmy-nominated Michael John Warren, who also worked with the rapper for her 2015 documentary Nicki Minaj: My Time Again. Speaking about the project in a statement, Warren said: “I love that this series not only provides an all-access glimpse at one of the most iconic musicians of our generation; it also profiles the brave woman behind the artist, Onika. I believe all of us can learn a great deal from her remarkable professional and personal life. It’s an honor to be entrusted with this dynamic story.”

Nicki and HBO have yet to unveil the docuseries’ official title and release date, but the rapper implored fans to keep an eye out on HBO Max’s social media pages for incoming details.