In an effort to prevent a repeat of last week's melee that broke out in the house used for the taping of the British version of Big Brother, producers Endemol and the TV network Channel 4 have removed a contestant named Emma, who was involved in the brawl, maintaining that although she was no "no more to blame for the events of Wednesday night than anyone else" moving her out "was the best course of action to ensure the welfare and safety of all the housemates." The incident triggered angry protests from a variety of sources. David Wilson, a professor of criminology who worked as an adviser to the program, quit, saying that he could no longer be associated with a program that "provoked interpersonal violence for entertainment." Charles Kennedy, leader of the Liberal Democrat party, issued a statement saying: "Reality TV has become more and more extreme. The Big Brother producers dubbed this series 'Big Brother gets evil' and designed the format to create tension and trouble, which they presumably thought would make acceptable viewing. Nobody wants to clamp down on ideas or stop TV being inventive; but this is becoming an increasingly ugly spectacle."

Police called in to Big Brother

For a look at the footage of the incident check out Bigbrotherbinaries.net

The warring parties had to be held apart. Police have launched an investigation into a drunken row between contestants in the Big Brother house. Officers from Hertfordshire Police were called to the house in the early hours of Thursday after calls from viewers. Live coverage of the Channel 4's reality show was cut in the early hours after violence broke out in the house. Digital channel E4, which screens the show throughout the night, suspended coverage between 2am and 3am while the situation was defused. The local police have made enquiries about events in the house last night following a handful of calls from members of the public. Producers eventually sent in security guards to divide the warring parties.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Police said in a statement: "Following an number of calls from members of the public regarding an alleged incident in the Big Brother house last night Hertfordshire Constabulary can confirm it will be obtaining a video tape of the incident later today. "Our officers are currently in liaison with members of the Big Brother production team to see whether further action needs to be taken." A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: "The local police have made enquiries about events in the house last night following a handful of calls from members of the public. At present they have given us no indication of any issues arising from last night's broadcast." Emma was temporarily removed from the house. The row erupted after Emma Greenwood, 20, and Michelle Bass, 23, returned from a bedsit where they had been able to spy on others for the past five days.

Hurled abuse
They came back to the house during a fancy dress party, with the fight breaking out a few hours later. Emma and another housemate, 23-year-old student Victor Ebuwa, had to be separated after they made threats towards each other and he poured white wine over her. Meanwhile fellow housemate Jason Cowen, 30, threw furniture and hurled abuse at other contestants. Emma has clashed with Victor in recent weeks, and was furious when he later branded her racist and stupid. As the live feed was cut viewers saw only a pre-recorded loop of images from the house during the hour.

Welfare
A Channel 4 spokesman said: "The welfare and safety of the housemates is always our overriding concern, and with that in mind, the production team decided to intervene last night at a point where they felt the confrontation between the housemates had reached an unacceptable level. "Our on site security team diffused the confrontation and the housemates were calmed down and sent to bed." She added: "The Big Brother production team has been talking to all housemates individually over the course of today with a view to sorting out tensions in the house and are closely monitoring them. "They will be encouraging the housemates to work through their issues as a group. If they do not feel this is feasible they will consider an alternative course of action to guarantee the welfare of the housemates." Kitten has already been evicted for bad behaviour The current series of Big Brother has already caused controversy, with housemate Kitten Pinder being evicted after just one week, having received three formal warnings from producers over her behaviour. The tension in the house has seen ratings soar, with Wednesday night's main Channel 4 show attracting 6.3 million, not far off the 6.7 million who tuned in to see the launch night of the fifth series two weeks ago.

VH1 to resume "Surreal Life" w/Charo, Flava Flav, a New Kid, etc.
“The Surreal Life” Premieres Its Third Season On VH1 Sunday September 5

Let the games begin! “The Surreal Life” has started production on its third season and has welcomed an all-new cast, including Charo (“cuchi-cuchi!”), Dave Coulier (Full House), Flava Flav (Public Enemy), Jordan Knight (New Kids On The Block), Brigitte Nielsen (Red Sonja) and Ryan Starr (American Idol). The cast was introduced to one another and their new home earlier today. This group of pop culture originals will play house in a Hollywood mansion and have their lives videotaped 24/7. Known for its unique personality pairings and its hilarious situations, “The Surreal Life” promises to deliver yet another season of talked-about television. The first season of “The Surreal Life” featured such incredible pairings as Gabrielle Carteris, M.C. Hammer, Vince Neil, Corey Feldman, Emmanuel Lewis, Jeri Manthey and Brande Roderick; while the second season featured Traci Bingham, Ron Jeremy, Tammy Faye Baker, Trishelle Cannatella, Erik Estrada and Vanilla Ice.

Six Pop Culture Originals:

Charo - A pure pop culture original. A master of the flamenco guitar, she made the most “Love Boat” appearances ever - and nobody understood one word she said! Dave Coulier - You Ought To Know he was Alanis Morissette’s inspiration for that smash hit! Uncle Joey from Full House is bringing all the voices in his head with him. Flava Flav - The “OG” hip-hop pioneer of Public Enemy. He’s back and he’s still got the clock! Jordan Knight - The original boy band-er. Once a “New Kid” he is taking a shot at the “Surreal Life” before his first national solo tour. Brigitte Nielsen - The original female action star! At over six feet tall, Red Sonja looks great when she kicks butt with or without her clothes. Ryan Starr - From the original American Idol. She’s 22 and still the hottest woman to ever sing for Simon. What a Surreal collection! “Surreal Life is executive produced by Mark Cronin, Jill Modabber and Jeff Olde for VH1.

Spike TV's Joe Schmo 2 debuts tonight
Tonight (Tuesday) at 10 p.m. ET, Spike TV debuts a second season of its spoof reality TV show. Joe Schmo 2 tackles relationship reality TV shows as it fools two people into thinking that they're on a real reality TV show, not a fake show populated entirely by actors. Jane Schmo, aka Ingrid Wiese, who holds a master's in international relations from Syracuse, tells the Seattle P-I that being tricked "was a little embarrassing, but it's been a great experience so far." She wasn't even angry: "I feel like I'm really lucky to have been on this show, as opposed to a lot of the other shows that are out there, because I don't think this show was making fun of the people who were on the show, but the genre itself."