The helicopters crashed while flying near Villa Castelli in La Rioja province, about 730 miles (1,170 kilometers) northwest of Buenos Aires, La Rioja Secretary of Security Cesar Angulo told television station TN. All 10 people on board both aircraft were killed.
"An explosion occurred and it's believed that they collided," said Angulo. Photographs showed the burning and smoking wreckage of the helicopters on the ground in dry scrubland with people gathered nearby.
A statement from La Rioja's government said that among the 10 dead were French sports stars, including Olympic gold medal swimmer Camille Muffat, Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine and champion sailor Florence Arthaud.
The French sports figures were part of a team filming the reality show "Dropped," a survivalist program with several versions across Europe, said the mayor of Villa Castelli, Andres Navarrete.