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Who doesn’t love reality drama? And Big Brother (and its different versions in different parts of the world – like Bigg Boss in India) always manages to serve what the audience wants. The American version of the controversial reality show – that sees unrelated individuals made to live together and do all they can to win the show is currently nearing the end of its 25th season. That’s right, Big Brother 25 will announce its winner on Thursday, November 9.
As fans of the reality show stay glued to CBS to see what drama the upcoming episodes (November 7 & November 9) of Big Brother 25 are filled with, I decided to look back at the past seasons and revisit the many controversies it made the headlines for.
A reality show like Big Brother makes headlines daily for the things said and done by the contestants, and every season has many such moments. After revisiting them all, I compiled a list of 7 of the most shocking moments that had my jaws dropping and even got me swearing.
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From Jason Dent joking about r*ping Kevin Schlehuber’s wife and Justin Sebik holding a knife to Krista Stegall’s neck and kissing her to JC Mounduix’s inappropriate behavior during Big Brother Season 20, these controversial moments will shock you just like they shocked me. Warning: The list is likely to make your blood boil.
Justin Sebik Held A Kitchen Knife To Krista Stegall’s Neck & Kissed Her (Season 2)
In 2001, bartender Justin Sebik was kicked out of the Big Brother Season 2 house after he was seen holding a kitchen knife against fellow housemate Krista Stegall’s neck while they kissed. Following this eviction, Arnold Shapiro – the show’s producer, told The New York Times that Justin had been warned twice about his behavior and the threatening comments he made against the other contestants. He also revealed that Stegall “was not alarmed in any way” by the incident, and the staff watching over the contestants didn’t intervene as the ‘altercation’ ended within seconds.
Shapiro, while revealing the incident wasn’t staged, said that Justin Sebik was made to talk to the show’s psychologist, after which he was told he was being removed from the show. The then 26-year-old expressed disappointment in the decision and argued that the knife incident had been a joke. While the producer claimed extensive background checks were done on Sebik before bringing him into the Big Brother Season 2 house, Krista Stegall sued CBS in 202 for not screening the bartender more vigorously. It was revealed that he’d actually been arrested five times – with three of those being for assault. The case was dismissed in 2003.
Matt Hoffman Lied About His Wife Suffering From A Rare Progressive Disease (Season 12)
During the twelfth season of Big Brother, Matt Hoffman received backlash after he lied to his fellow housemates in order to gain their sympathy and avoid being voted out of the house. Matt claimed she suffered from melorheostosis — a rare, progressive bone disease that can lead to chronic pain and potential limb deformities. While he told the contestants he intended to use the $500,000 prize money for her treatment, during his confessional, he confessed that his wife didn’t have melorheostosis or any other disease. His reason – “Who would vote off a guy who’s just trying to save his wife’s leg?”
This led to controversy, and Hoffman’s behavior was called by the families of those affected by the condition. While CBS disavowed Hoffman’s tactic, Hoffman didn’t seem to regret his lie. In a post-elimination interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said he planned to stick with the lie until it was useless.
Jeff Schroeder Made Homophobic Remarks About Dumbledore (Season 13)
During the thirteenth season of Big Brother, Jeff Schroeder returned to the game and showed a personality unlike what viewers saw in Season 11. He went from being one of the most-loved contestants in his first outing to courting controversies during his second, owing to a few homophobic remarks he made concerning the Harry Potter series and Dumbledore’s s*xuality. After author JK Rowling announced that Dumbledore was gay, Schroeder – who appeared to have not read the books, told his fellow contestants, “He’s in a school with little kids, you don’t want to make that guy gay.”
On being asked to elaborate, he added, “I don’t think it’s right to have a little kids’ book and have the headmaster that you’re locked away in this magical land be gay. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.” This ‘discussion’ led to Schroeder chastising co-housemate Kalia Booker for her not having the same views as him and even cursing at her. CBS didn’t air Schroeder’s comments on TV but released a statement saying Schroeder’s beliefs were his alone and didn’t represent CBS.
Willie Hantz Head-Butted Joe Arvin (Season 14)
Willie Hantz was shown the exit door during Big Brother Season 14 when he head-butted fellow contestant Joe Arvin during Season 14. The incident – which took place in 2012, was the outcome of an aggravated Willie cursing at his fellow housemates while in the kitchen. During this episode, Joe Arvin said something – that was bleeped out in the footage, which offended Hanz. This led to him taunting Arvin in the bathroom area, yelling, “Hit me!” Moments later, Willie head-butted Arvin.
This led to him being called to the diary room and the makers immediately removing him from the house.
Jason Dent Joked About R*ping Kevin Schlehuber’s Wife (Season 19)
During Big Brother season 19, Jason Dent received severe backlash after making jokes about r*ping Kevin Schlehuber’s wife if Schlehuber put him up to be evicted. Kevin’s wife, Deborah, reacted to the statement and told TMZ at the time that it was the worst thing she’s ever seen. Jason wasn’t removed from the game and didn’t address the controversy in any post-exit interviews. However, at the season’s wrap-up bash, Dent and his wife Holly were seen spending time with Schlehuber and Deborah – they were even snapped together.
JC Mounduix’s Inappropriate Behavior (Season 20)
In 2018, when JC Mounduix participated in Big Brother 20, he was in the spotlight for several misconduct and s*xual harassment accusations. While we saw him inappropriately touch his fellow contestants’ private parts with an ice-cream scooper at the start of the show (he received a warning for this), Mounduix also found himself in the eye of the storm when he was seen kissing Tyler Crispen’s armpit and touching his body while he was sleeping.
He was also slammed when he opened the bathroom door when Haleigh Broucher was using it and refused to close it until the makers issued a warning. This led to the Big Brother producers, Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan, issuing a statement saying, “Tyler and Haleigh explained to producers that they in no way felt threatened, unsafe, or s*xually harassed.” However, they added, “If there was any indication from our houseguests of s*xual misconduct, we and CBS would have taken immediate action.” Mounduix, who also used the N-word during his stay, issued an apology once out of the house.
Jack Matthews Called Black Contestant Kemi Fakunle A ‘B*tch’ & ‘Dogsh*t’ (Season 21)
Jack Matthews was at the center of controversy for his racist comments during Big Brother Season 21. Matthews was seen speaking negatively about contestants of color like Kemi Fakunle on the live feeds. In a clip, he referred to her as a “b*tch” and “dogsh*t” and even said he wanted to “stomp a mudhole through her chest.” He also used the term “rice pudding” when talking about houseguest Isabella Wang. Jack also reportedly used the N-word during his time on the show.
Which Big Brother controversy shocked you the most? Let me know if some other BB controversy ranks higher on your list.
In Big Brother 25, who do you want to be crowned as the winner – truck company owner Jagateshwar ‘Jag’ Bains, Deaflympics gold medalist Matt Klotz or Barrister & DJ Miranda ‘Bowie Jane’ Ball.
Stay tuned to Koimoi for more.
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