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NBC's 'Ultimate Slip 'N Slide' series halted after 'explosive diarrhea' reported on set

It looks like Ultimate Slip 'N Slide is slip slidin' away into temporary limbo. On Friday, The Wrap reported that production on the upcoming NBCUniversal reality series had been indefinitely suspended following an on-set outbreak of giardia — a microscopic parasite that can cause diarrheal disease if swallowed.

"The health and safety of everyone on our set is our number one priority, so out of an abundance of caution we have made the decision to stop production of Ultimate Slip ‘N Slide at the current location," a spokesperson for Universal Television Alternative Studios told Yahoo Entertainment in a statement. "We are in the process of determining next steps in order to complete production."

Originally scheduled to premiere on NBC on Sunday, Aug. 8 at 10:30 p.m. — immediately following the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics — Ultimate Slip 'N Slide features teams of contestants competing in a variety of challenges in a water park filled with rides based on the backyard game from Wham-O. According to an NBC press release, the series "takes the spirit of the classic backyard slide" and funnels it into games like "Human Pong, Body Bowling, Cornhole, Bocce Fall," culminating in the Big Slipper, described as "a colossal multi-part slide meant for only the bravest and boldest players."

Production on the series originally paused on June 2, when the studio was made aware that a crew member had tested positive for giardia. (According to The Wrap, as many as 40 crew members were ultimately affected by the parasite, leaving people "collapsing" on set due to "awful explosive diarrhea" and "being forced to run into port-o-potties." ) Working with L.A. and Ventura County Health Departments, NBCUniversal employed a third-party environmental lab to run tests on the location's water source and determined that it was negative for giardia.

However, additional testing conducted on June 10 turned up positive tests in the surrounding area. As a result, Ultimate Slip 'N Slide will find a new site to complete its final week of production. (The series was originally scheduled to wrap on June 11, with the crew compensated accordingly.)

While giardia was no laughing matter for the affected crew members, the news definitely kept Twitter in stitches. Ultimate Slip 'N Slide hosts Ron Funches and Bobby Moynihan traded gags about the gag-worthy news online.

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