Aussie’s BIG BROTHER Shocker!!
May 25, 2007 by Kath Skerry
A contestant on the Australian version of BIG BROTHER is in for quite a shock when she finally leaves the house she has been sequestered in for the past month. Emma Cornell, 24, has no idea that her father died of cancer last week. At the request of her family, Emma is not being told of her father’s passing as her family fears she will want to leave the Big Brother house and eliminate herself from the competition. Yes, leaving the Big Brother house, even for one day to attend her father’s funeral would mean her immediate ousting from the show. God forbid!
The decision to not tell Emma of this tragic news was not the call of Big Brother producers, but rather by her family. Cornell’s boyfriend Tim Stanton said that “Her Dad didn’t want her to be upset, or to feel like she had to leave the house to come to his funeral. He didn’t want to ruin the experience for her. She might be upset when she comes out and finds out what has happened, but I think she’ll understand.”
You think she might be upset? Really? I mean I guess her family knows her best, but this one came as quite a shock to me? Is this taking reality television a bit too far? And as one naysayer pointed out…how will the show handle the reveal? Will it be live on air for ratings? Probably.
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Damn. I can’t believe her family would rob her of the chance to say goodbye like that. I find it hard to believe that anyone would think the “experience” of a reality TV show is worth that.
Oh my God…that’s not cool. Wow…
That is horrible. I’m sorry, that is really low of the family.
That makes what Johnny Fairplay did in Survivor a few years ago look like child’s play.
The fact that Emma’s father died was deliberatly kept from the Australian media as well as the big brother producers.
According to news reports here in Australia, her brother and boyfriend said that her father’s literal dying wish was for Emma not to be told until after she left the house and that the media and Big Brother should not be told at all.
The fact that he died was “leaked” after the funeral had already taken place so it was totally family’s choice that Emma not attend the funeral as even if BB had told her as soon as they found out, it would have been too late to attend.
(see link below)
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21782745-5012853,00.html
Reports also say her father was very sick before Emma went in the house and the possibility of her father dying while she was in there had already been discussed with her.
It is a tough decision for the BB producers to make, who’s rights and wishes are more important, Emma’s father and family, or the opinion that Emma should be told now.
Only time will show when Emma is eventually told.
[…] Here’s an excerpt from an article on Give Me My Remote that shows what I mean: Emma Cornell, 24, has no idea that her father died of cancer last week. At the request of her family, Emma is not being told of her father’s passing as her family fears she will want to leave the Big Brother house and eliminate herself from the competition. Yes, leaving the Big Brother house, even for one day to attend her father’s funeral would mean her immediate ousting from the show. God forbid! […]
I can honestly tell you that this is basically all that has been talked about here in Oz recently. A lot of people think it’s unfair to the Host, Gretel, because she’s in the tough position of when Emma gets evicted (or wins, who knows) will Gretel have to go on with the happy eviction show? Or will they ‘rob’ Emma of a proper eviction celebration? I think i remember last year they evicted someone to an empty audience but i can’t remember why.
They also worry that Emma might walk out to a crowd and have someone yell it or something stupid.
It’s been talked about in every form of media here, but i’m really surprised it’s made it over in the US. Most people believe she should be told, but her family are adament that she not be, and i guess it’s their choice. And by this time, it’s already too late i guess, i mean the funeral was last Monday, so it’s not like she can go to it and say goodbye, so i’m not sure what good telling her now would do. And she knew it was a risk going in, and they weren’t particulary close. I would want to be told and i believe she should be, but it may just be best at this point to let her have her fun.
I think it’ll really mess her up though. They should have had her mum or siblings tell her in the diary room when it happened. I mean people leave the house to get injuries treated. And we evicted the wrong person once and she went back in, so i don’t see why she couldn’t have attended the funeral if she wanted.
You have GOT to be kidding me. What if this were her child and is not articulate enough to having a dying wish: “…don’t tell Mom…”? This is beyond ridiculous and sad. They weren’t “that close”. What the hell? If the FAMILY “knows best” and wants that 500 quid or whatever it’s called in Australia makes this decision, what exactly do they hope to gain? If she wins, I pray to God that she doesn’t share one penny with anyone other than charity, and perhaps a decent funeral. God, this is sickening.
In America, on Survivor, a few seasons ago a young woman quit because she “felt” her cancer-stricken mother needed her. Her mom died 10 days after she got home, but she was there to say goodbye. She, too, knew her mom was sick; she wasn’t a huge favorite, nor favored to win $1,000,000. But no one really knows, if these shows aren’t rigged. It matters not, the producers let her go.
Whoever said they let people out for doctor’s appointments, etc. had it right. We don’t get the Aussie version here as far as I know, but I can’t believe anyone in America who watches this, or any other reality show, would believe the producers did the right thing in this case. This is twisted. All I can say is, this must be good for the ratings, because I cannot think of one other single motive for this kind of thing to happen.
Jennie Christian
Casper, WY, USA
In Australia we have dollars. Not quids. Get it right.
Hey……
that was ages ago and i dont care about it any more!!!!!!!!!!!
soooo booooo to u bitches!!!!!!