The CBS reality show Big Brother has become a summer staple, but this season the immersive voyeuristic experience has gotten publicity for all the wrong reasons. As seen on the show's live feed, several of the houseguests have said racist, homophobic, and misogynistic slurs in conversation with one other, directed at fellow cast members.
Andy Dehnart of Reality Blurred posted an exhaustive list of what's been said here. In one instance, Aaryn Gries (pictured above) said about an African-American housemate, "Be careful what you say in the dark; you might not be able to see that bitch." As Dehnart pointed out, "almost half the cast" has said something offensive — and the show only premiered on June 26.
The live feed from the Big Brother house airs on CBS.com 24 hours a day. Show fanatics watched those bits there, and began the outcry that caused Tuesday's response from the network.
So far, none of the hateful comments have aired in the edited CBS episodes (the show is on three times a week). I asked CBS whether the network will air the controversial discussions; it's unclear at this time whether it will.
Here's the network's statement:
"BIG BROTHER is a reality show about watching a group of people who have no privacy 24/7 — and seeing every moment of their lives. At times, the Houseguests reveal prejudices and other beliefs that we do not condone. We certainly find the statements made by several of the Houseguests on the live Internet feed to be offensive. Any views or opinions expressed in personal commentary by a Houseguest appearing on BIG BROTHER, either on any live feed from the House or during the broadcast, are those of the individual(s) speaking and do not represent the views or opinions of CBS or the producers of the program."