Season 25 of Big Brother has already started with a major controversy!
As fans know, unlike other reality series, 24-hour live feeds are capturing every single second of what goes on in the house during the competition show. The round-the-clock coverage has gotten plenty of contestants in trouble with the fans each season for what they have said or done on camera. And season 25 is no different. During a live stream for the show on early Wednesday, contestant Luke Valentine was caught dropping the N-word while in the middle of a conversation with several of his fellow housemates. He blurted out at the time:
“I’m in the f**king cheese room, n****.”
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Suddenly realizing what he said, Luke covered his mouth and laughed while his two co-stars looked at him horrified. He then attempted to correct himself by saying “dude” before continuing:
“Anyways, we were in the f**king cheese room.”
When one contestant can be heard saying off camera “Yo, you’re off the f**king ledge,” he apologized twice. You can see the moment (below):
https://twitter.com/ViralMaterialz/status/1689308211902590977
Seriously, WTF.
This situation immediately had fans infuriated over the blatant racism caught on camera. But considering the show’s history of not removing contestants despite their problematic language and actions on the show, many didn’t expect CBS to dish out a single repercussion for Luke. However, the network seems to have finally listened and learned from their past mistakes. Because for the first time in Big Brother’s 25-season history, a spokesperson for the company and the producers told TheWrap that he has been booted from the show! The person said in a statement:
“Luke violated the ‘Big Brother’ code of conduct and there is zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur. He has been removed from the house. His departure will be addressed in Thursday night’s show.”
We’re glad they actually took action and quickly removed him from the house, instead of ignoring what happened. With his departure from the show, this means the remaining contestants include Cirie Fields, Jared Fields, Blue Kim, America Lopez, Bowie Jane, Cameron Hardin, Hisam Goueli, Cory Wurtenberger, Izzy Gleicher, Felicia Cannon, Kirsten Elwin, Jag Bains, Mecole Hayes, Matt Klotz, Reilly Smedley, and Red Utley.
It’s unclear how Luke’s exit will impact the first eviction of the season. Will the bottom four house guests be safe on Thursday? Viewers will have to wait to see what happens. But the show returns with a new episode on Wednesday night to cover the first veto competition of the season.
Reactions to the controversy? Let us know in the comments below.
To learn more about civil rights issues, check out https://www.splcenter.org/.
[Image via Big Brother/Instagram]