Eric Hill, who was a contestant in the upcoming 2014 season of "The Bachelorette," died in April 2014 from injuries suffered in a paragliding accident. Hill is seen here in a photo taken from his Facebook page. He was 31. "MasterChef" runner-up Joshua Marks was in "the battle of his life fighting mental illness" when he killed himself on October 11, his family said. Gia Allemand appeared on Season 14 of ABC's "The Bachelor." In a statement, her family said the 29-year-old's death apparently was suicide. Shain Gandee of MTV's "Buckwild" was found dead in April in Kanawha County, West Virginia, authorities said. The body of Gandee, 21, was discovered in a vehicle along with the bodies of his uncle, David Dwight Gandee, 48, and Donald Robert Myers, 27. Jennifer Lyon, who appeared on "Survivor: Palau" in 2005, died at her home in Oregon in January 2010. The 37-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer after her stint on the reality show. "The Real World: Hollywood" cast member Joey Kovar died of a suspected drug overdose in August 2012 at 29. Kovar also appeared on the third season of "Celebrity Rehab." "Swamp People" star Mitchell Guist, right, died in Louisiana in May 2012. He was working to build a houseboat when he appeared to have a seizure and fell backward in his boat, said Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack. Another person, who did not want to be identified, performed CPR and called 911. In 1994's "The Real World: San Francisco," cast member Pedro Zamora shared his struggle with HIV/AIDS. After Zamora died in November 1994, President Bill Clinton said the Cuban-born reality star "changed the face of HIV and AIDS in America forever." "Deadliest Catch's" Capt. Phil Harris died in February 2010 at 53. The reality star was hospitalized after he suffered a stroke on January 29. Rachel Brown, a 2006 contestant on "Hell's Kitchen," which is hosted by Gordon Ramsay, was found dead of a gunshot wound in her Dallas home in 2007. The Tarrant County medical examiner's office said Brown's death was ruled a suicide. "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn was drunk and speeding up to 140 mph when his 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 crashed and caught fire on a Pennsylvania highway in June 2011, police said. The 34-year-old died from "blunt and thermal trauma" in the fiery crash, according to the autopsy report. Frankie Abernathy was a cast member on "The Real World: San Diego," which aired on MTV in 2004. Abernathy, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and digestive track, was 25 when she died in June 2007. New Jersey restaurant owner Joseph Cerniglia, who appeared on the first season of "Kitchen Nightmares," jumped from a bridge into New York's Hudson River in September 2010. The medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. Russell Armstrong, left, hanged himself in 2011 while appearing on Bravo's "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." The series featured his estranged wife, Taylor, grappling with the aftermath of his suicide.
- Eric Hill died after finishing filming "The Bachelorette"
- He was one of 25 bachelors vying for the heart of Andi Dorfman
- The show's host praised his "passion and and courageous spirit"
(CNN) -- "The Bachelorette" premiered Monday night with a tribute to a contestant.
Eric Hill, 31, died in April from injuries suffered in a paragliding accident after filming the show. He was one of 25 men vying for the heart of "Bachelorette" Andi Dorfman, 26.
Andi Dorfman with Eric Hill on the season premiere of "The Bachelorette."
At the beginning of Monday's show, host Chris Harrison offered some kind words about Hill, who was an adventurer who documented his goal of visiting every country in 1,200 days on his website, The Global Odyssey.
"Eric passed away shortly after concluding his filming on this show," Harrison said. "In the coming weeks, you'll see that Eric was a vibrant man. Every day, he impressed us with his passion and courageous spirit. He will be greatly missed. And we dedicate this season to him."
The premiere kicked off Season 10 of the series. During the show, Hill gifted Dorfman with dolls from Peru -- the first country he had visited outside of the North American continent. Dorfman thanked him and later selected him as one of the bachelors to whom she granted one-on-one time.
Harrison, who in addition to hosting the show also serves as one of the producers, talked to Salon about the difficulty in dealing with Hill's death on the reality show.
"One of the contestants who left the show died in a tragic accident," Harrison said. "And he was a wonderful man, and very much beloved on the show, a central figure early on before he left, and our decision was quickly made: We have to show what he went through. And also because it affected our cast and our crew, what we went through. So to just cut that out of the show wouldn't have done justice to anybody, even him."
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