It’s more than just a bathroom break. Production on NBC’s Ultimate Slip N’ Slide competition series has come to a — uh — stall due to an outbreak of giardiasis, a disease spread from the microscopic giardia parasite. Up to 40 crew members on set succumbed, with a production source reporting that people had “awful explosive diarrhea” and were “forced to run into port-o-potties,” with some even “collapsing,” according to The Wrap.
Ultimate Slip N’ Slide was announced in May as a post-Olympics 10-part series centered around the backyard play-set from the Wham-O company in which a sprinkler or hose squirts on a rubber mat that people glide upon. The show’s hosts were set to be SNL’s Bobby Moynihan and comedian Ron Funches. Funches is seen in Black-ish and Drunk History and voices King Shark on Harley Quinn. Both hosts are reportedly unaffected by the ailment.
In an earlier announcement, NBC said the competition would involve “pairs of siblings, best friends, couples and co-workers [competing] in multiple rounds of games, including Human Pong, Body Bowling, Cornhole and Bocce Fall. The two teams that make it to the final challenge will take on the Big Slipper, a multi-part slide meant for only the bravest and boldest players as it determines who will earn the title of Slip ‘N Slide champion and take home the cash prize.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, giardia is a tiny parasite found “on surfaces or in soil, food, or water that has been contaminated with feces (poop) from infected people or animals.” The giardia parasite “spreads easily, and can spread from person to person or through contaminated water, food, surfaces, or objects. The most common way people get sick is by swallowing contaminated drinking water or recreational water (for example, lakes, rivers, or pools).” The Mayo Clinic says that giardiasis (the disease spread by the parasite) is “almost never fatal in industrialized countries” and lingering symptoms are mostly found in infants and children.
TMZ’s sources say that things initially shut down on June 2 when the first case was made known and that all the water areas, including sinks and water fountains, were tested and found negative. However, another positive test came back on Thursday. There was only one week left to go in the eight-week shoot.
A spokesperson for Ultimate Slip N’ Slide told PEOPLE that “the health and safety of everyone on our set is our number one priority.” The rep added that they “are in the process of determining next steps in order to complete production.”
It’s unclear if Ultimate Slip N’ Slide will regroup after things move more smoothly, or if the production has been flushed.
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