On the 12th of January, 2007, Californian radio station KDND held an on-air competition,
the prize for which was a brand new Nintendo Wii.
To win the gaming console, contestants would simply have to last as long as they could
without urinating, whilst also drinking large quantities of water.
It was intended as a light-hearted challenge that would generate publicity for the radio
station… but it would end in the premature death of one of its contestants.
KDND was one of a number of radio stations owned by media company Entercom.
It made its debut in 1998 as 107.9 The End.
Its main focus was playing recent chart hits, with a particular preference for rock and
pop music.
In between songs, a roster of radio DJs would entertain listeners with on-air banter, call-ins
and occasional competitions.
In the mornings, during the hours when most listeners were commuting to work, KDND presented
their breakfast show segment, titled “Morning Rave”.
For several years this attracted a reasonably large audience, but hosts were always looking
for ways to raise the profile of the programme still further.
In 2007, they came up with an idea for a competition that they hoped would generate publicity.
The previous year the Nintendo Wii had been released, and had proved an incredibly popular
console – so popular, in fact, that production could not keep up with demand.
Even into 2007, it was difficult to find the console in stores.
For this reason, the hosts at KDND decided to obtain one and offer it as a prize in their
competition.
To win this prize, it was decided, contestants would compete to see who could last the longest
without urinating, while also drinking a large quantity of water.
Hosts gave the competition the name: “Hold Your Wee for a Wii”.
Shortly after 6:00am on the 12th of January, 2007, 18 contestants arrived at KDND’s studio
in Sacramento.
They had all qualified to compete in the contest by calling in and telling the story of the
worst Christmas gift they had ever received, with the best (or, more accurately, worst)
stories selected by radio station employees.
Among the contestants was Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old woman who had decided to try
and win the Nintendo Wii on behalf of her three children.
She and her 17 fellow contestants were shown to a break room within the studio, and the
contest began at 6:45am.
Every 15 minutes contestants were given a 240 millilitre (or eight ounce) bottle of
water to drink.
They would be eliminated from the contest if they could not drink the whole thing in
a timely manner, if they vomited, or if they gave in and went to the bathroom.
As well as being provided with bottles of water every 15 minutes, contestants were also
intermittently visited by the hosts of the Morning Rave program, or taken into the studio
to complete interviews or give updates on their progress.
The hosts were upbeat, and would joke with the contestants about their discomfort, as
well as doing everything they could to create an atmosphere of excitement and competition.
As the competition progressed, several people called in to the station to comment.
One caller, a nurse practitioner, asserted that drinking too much water could be dangerous.
In response to this, the DJs assured her that the contestants had signed waivers, and thus
they would not be responsible if anyone died.
The DJs additionally voiced their conviction that any contestant who did drink too much
water would simply vomit it back up rather than suffering any serious health consequences.
The hosts made many other comments during the four-hour broadcast that indicated they
were aware that drinking excessive amounts of water could be dangerous, but that they
did not feel as though there would be any serious consequences in this case.
For example, at one point a DJ joked that a contestant was in so much discomfort that
he was, “Just about to die.”
To which his colleague jokingly replied, “Make sure he signs the waiver first.”
They also made reference to the death of Matthew Carrington, a 22-year-old man who had passed
away just two years before after being made to drink an excessive amount of water during
a college fraternity hazing ritual.
In that case, the fraternity members who had coerced him into drinking several huge bottles
of water during the ritual were given jail sentences of up to a year.
They all accepted their punishments, with one of them saying that he hoped it would
serve as a warning to others.
In the KDND studios, the competition went on.
As the hours passed, the number of contestants dwindled, with many deciding to give up when
hosts started plying them with larger bottles of water.
Most left of their own volition when they decided they could not wait any longer without
urinating.
At least one contestant vomited.
After several hours, Jennifer Strange decided she could not continue.
She was interviewed by the hosts, who noted that she had drunk so much water that her
stomach was distended – something which they said made her look pregnant.
She complained of a severe headache, which she attributed to excess consumption of water,
but also said that she had been told she would vomit if she had indeed drunk too much.
Jennifer had lasted a significant time in the competition, and had come very close to
being the winner.
Ultimately she placed as runner up, missing out on the console but winning some Justin
Timberlake concert tickets instead.
Disappointed and in significant pain, she called a co-worker to let them know she was
heading home.
Although this co-worker didn’t know it at the time, this would be the last time that
anyone spoke to Jennifer.
She was already in the early stages of Hyponatraemia, and had only hours to live.
Generally, drinking water is seen as a healthy activity.
And with good reason – imbibing an adequate amount of water prevents dehydration.
Dehydration has many detrimental effects, from impairing brain function to causing liver
damage.
Additionally water is viewed as a very benign choice when compared with other beverages.
Fruit juices contain sugar that can be damaging to teeth.
Coffee has large amounts of caffeine which can cause a range of medical issues and alcoholic
drinks dehydrate and intoxicate.
In contrast to all of these things, water is seen as having only beneficial qualities,
and it is rare for people to think that drinking water could harm them.
However, too much water can indeed be extremely harmful.
Consuming an excessive amount of water can lead to a condition called Hyponatremia.
The huge amount of water in the body changes the concentrations of sodium and other salts
throughout, causing cells to absorb far more water than they normally would.
This, in turn, causes them to swell.
In the case of some cells, this is not a problem.
Soft tissues can swell considerably without causing any harm… but other cells and organs
cannot.
The brain, for example, can only swell a relatively small amount before it begins pressing up
against the inside of the skull, leading to compression of the brain tissues, and obstruction
of blood vessels in the area – something which can be extremely deadly.
This is what happened in the case of Jennifer Strange, who had consumed around 9 litres
(or 2 gallons) of water during the competition.
After heading home with a splitting headache, she was found dead less than an hour later.
In the immediate aftermath of Jennifer’s death, the Morning Rave program was taken
off air, and any presenter who had been connected with the stunt in any way was fired.
The local police initially declined to investigate, noting that by all accounts there had been
no criminal conduct, and that nobody had been forced to participate in the competition.
A civil suit was brought against Entercom, the parent company of the radio station, by
Jennifer’s family.
It concluded in 2009, with Jennifer’s family being awarded compensation of approximately
$16 million.
Additionally, it was ruled that Jennifer herself had in no way contributed to her death, with
the responsibility for the accident placed solely on the company that had allowed the
competition to be conceived and executed without oversight.
Jennifer, it was noted, had behaved as any normal human would given what she knew about
the healthy properties of water, and the assurances she was given by the DJs during the competition.
Jennifer Strange was survived by her partner and three children.
She is remembered as a kind and giving person – one who served as a role model for her
youngest daughter, who was only 11 months old at the time of her death.
Her partner Billy Strange said, “In the brief amount of time she got to spend with
Jen, the 11 months, she really picked up a lot of her qualities and her personality."
The story of the death of Jennifer Strange was broadcast around the world, raising awareness
of the dangers of drinking excessive amounts of water.
The story remains prominent to this day, a possible deterrent for anyone who might consider
a similar, seemingly harmless stunt.