Season 15 of CBS’ long-running reality show Big Brother has been met with a great deal controversy due to racist, homophobic, and insensitive comments made by numerous houseguests, primarily Aaryn Gries, GinaMarie Zimmerman, Spencer Clawson, and Amanda Zuckerman. However, despite the controversy, the season’s ratings continue to grow. According to ratings estimates from Neilsen, Thursday’s live eviction episode averaged a 2.5 rating in adults 18-49, with 7 million viewers overall, making it a season high.
As previously reported, contestants GinaMarie Zimmerman and Aaryn Gries both lost their jobs outside of the house due to their racially insensitive comments.
TMZ also reports that Spencer Clawson, whose list of offensive comments includes calling gay houseguest Andy Herren “Kermit the F**” and making distasteful jokes about child pornography, is on unpaid leave from his employer Union Pacific. In a statement on their website, Union Pacific said, “[We] do not condone [Mr. Clawson’s] comments. Union Pacific is acting in accordance with Collective Bargaining Agreement terms regarding Mr. Clawson.”
Les Moonves, the president of CBS, spoke about the controversy at the Television Critics Association last week. Moonves, whose wife, Julie Chen, is the host of the program, said, “Big Brother was established as a social experiment… Clearly that’s what’s happening this year. I find some of the behavior absolutely appalling personally. I think it, unfortunately, is reflective of how certain people feel in America… Obviously, you don’t want wallflowers on reality shows. You take people who are interesting. Sometimes, does that lead to controversy? Absolutely.”
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