Doctor Who Treated Deceased French Survivor Contestant Commits Suicide

Thierry Costa, the staff doctor for the French Survivor spin-off Koh-Lanta, committed suicide Monday, The Hollywood Reporterreports. Costa's death comes 10 days after contestant Gerald Babin died of a heart attack on the first day of filming the latest season.
"We have learned with dismay that Dr. Thierry Costa passed away in Cambodia today," a statement from Adventure Line Productions read.  "His high level of professionalism and humanity towards participants and production teams has always been unanimously recognized."

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Costa, who had been with Koh-Lanta four seasons, left a suicide note that said his reputation had suffered after Babin's death."Unjust accusations and assumptions have been made against me," he wrote, adding he was confident that he treated Babin "as a patient and not as a contestant."Babin, 25, complained of cramping during a tug-of-war challenge and was treated on set, but he suffered "a series of cardiac arrests" en route to the hospital and passed away.After Babin's death, the entire season of Koh-Lanta was canceled and Babin's family announced they are seeking damages on the basis of "illegal conditions" and "breaches of health and safety." French authorities have also opened a manslaughter inquiry into Babin's death.According to Deadline, Adventure Line Productions announced it was going to sue for defamation after an anonymous source questioned Costa and the production team's on-site treatment.