The producers of the
CBS reality show "Big Brother" have grounded a pilot
they say planned on ruining the show, according to a
TMZ.com report.
Lawyers for Endemol USA Inc. sent a cease and desist
letter to Jerry Hider of Blue Yonder Air, to stop
him from flying his plane over the "Big Brother"
house. According to Endemol, Hider was planning a
flyover carrying a message that told the other
players in the house that Eric is "America's Player"
-- essentially ruining part of the game.
Endemol alleges that by doing this, Hider's proposed
actions would violate a "tort of intentional
interference of an advantageous business
relationship" -- or, in layman's terms, "Dude, don't
ruin the game!"
In Sunday’s
episode, CBS had no choice but to acknowledge the
banner, which called housemate Eric Stein a liar.
"Stein,
of course, is the “Big Brother” mole, CBS’ nod
to interactivity," points out Mark A. Perigard of
the Boston Herald. His previous stunts have included
pretending to sleepwalk right into Joe Barber II’s
bed and defacing one of Jen Johnson’s shirts with
mustard. His votes to evict - which are actually
determined by viewers - are coming back to throttle
him.
Watching Stein squirm is a pleasure. Reality show
players have long complained that they are edited
poorly, and this year CBS has offered unprecedented
proof by running three hours of raw footage each
night on corporate sister station Showtime Too as
“Big Brother After Dark” (at midnight).
Hider alleges that
he's not trying to ruin the game, and that he was
simply paid to do a job. The peeved pilot wouldn't
release the name of the person who has been hiring
him to make "Big Brother"-related runs, but said
that up until now he, CBS and Endemol enjoyed "a
symbiotic relationship." In 2001, Endemol even
produced a story about the banner operation.
In a statement to TMZ, CBS says: "It's always great
to have fans that are this engaged and passionate
about 'Big Brother.' However, we also need to
protect the integrity of the competition, which does
not allow any outside influence on the houseguests
who are sequestered fromHider alleges that he's not
trying to ruin the game, and that he was simply paid
to do a job. The peeved pilot wouldn't release the
name of the person who has been hiring him to make
"Big Brother"-related runs, but said that up until
now he, CBS and Endemol enjoyed "a symbiotic
relationship." In 2001, Endemol even produced a
story about the banner operation.
In a statement to TMZ, CBS says: "It's always great
to have fans that are this engaged and passionate
about 'Big Brother.' However, we also need to
protect the integrity of the competition, which does
not allow any outside influence on the houseguests
who are sequestered from the public broadcast and
therefore unaware of some of the secret twists in
the show."
Bodog.com has a
female the favorite to win Big Brother 8 (The
American version) at -130 compared to a male at even
odds.
Big
Brother 8 Banner Flyover Controversy