Celebrity Big Brother Eviction Odds had Shilpa Shetty 25/1 Following Racial Row
Jade Goody has unprecedented odds of 1/500 of being evicted following Shilpa Shetty outcry
As live eviction odds were taking place during press time Friday evening, Celebrity Big Brother housemate Jade Goody seemed almost destined to be eliminated, mostly due to all the flack surrounding alleged racial remarks made towards Indian housemate, Shilpa Shetty. Bet365.com was offering the very steep odds, which would require a US$500 bet just to win a US$1.
The British hit TV show Celebrity Big Brother is being accused of racism, after an Indian movie says she was the target of racist bullying on the show.
Channel 4 chief executive Andy Duncan that there is as yet 'no evidence' of overt racism.
Ms Shetty has been involved in a series of rows with Jade Goody, the latest scenes were sparked off over stock cubes.
The Bollywood star later told fellow contestant Cleo Rocas that she though she was being targeted because of her race. She said: "It is I'm telling you."
Ms Goody and Ms Shelpa are understood to be the two contestants up for eviction from the house this Friday.
The UK's television regulatory authority Ofcom has received in excess of 19,000 complaints about the show, a record number. Channel 4 has received around 2,000 complaints about the reality television show.
Channel 4 described the incidents as a "culture clash" and in and in a statement said there had been "no overt racist abuse."
The latest row with Ms Goody erupted over the ordering of stock cubes which provoked Ms Goody into one of her foul-mouthed rants in which Ms Shelpa retorted that Ms Goody needed elocution lessons.
The row is front-page news for the third day running in Indian newspapers. Television channels have slotted it ahead of news of India-China border talks and investigations into a gruesome serial killing near New Delhi.
But newspapers have exercised caution in condemning the treatment meted out to Shetty on the show, saying the Indian government was getting sidetracked from important issues during Brown’s visit.
“There is absolutely no reason for the Indian government to get involved or for the British government to be required to respond,” the Times of India said in an editorial.
“Big Brother” is not available to Indian viewers who have their own, chaster, version, and most Indians were unaware of the show until the media-driven frenzy over Shetty’s treatment.
“We are reading it in the papers and it’s on TV as well. What is happening is not good,” said Ravinder Sahu, a guard at a residential building in Mumbai.
In the end, Jade got evicted. Goody, 25, was voted out of the house amid a storm of allegations of racist bullying against Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty.
The public were barred from Friday night's Celebrity Big Brother eviction.
Goody emerged as the biggest star of the series going on to become Britain's most high-profile reality TV personality and amassing an £8 million fortune.
Celebrity Big Brother has lost numerous sponsorships as a result of the allegations. Protests were expected in India throughout the weekend.
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Sparky Collins, www.gambling911.com
Originally published January 19, 2007 4:12 pm ET Revised 6:09 pm ET
