Mexico offended by stunt on Australian Big Brother
Last Updated: Friday, June 22, 2007 | 11:07 AM ET
CBC Arts
The Big Brother TV show is in trouble again, this time in Australia.
Mexico has complained to Australia's media regulator about a show last Friday in which contestants threw balloons filled with goo at the Mexican flag.
Contrite producers have sent a letter to the Mexican Embassy in Canberra apologizing for the incident and promising it will never happen again.
"Big Brother intended no offence to any person, country or institution and has apologized for any offence caused," said a statement from Endemol Southern Star, producers of Big Brother, released Thursday.
Big Brother is a reality TV show, created by Netherlands-based Endemol, which puts a disparate group of people in a house and sets them up in competitive situations.
The show that aired June 15 was a Mexican Night challenge, in which contestants dressed in mariachi outfits played musical chairs and ate chili con carne — the official state dish of Texas.
One of the contests involved a team trying to protect the Mexican flag, while another team attacked it with slime-filled balloons.
Mexico's Foreign Ministry wrote to the Australian Communications and Media Authority complaining the episode was offensive and desecrated the nation's flag.
"[We] demand they take adequate measures to avoid this type of incident in the future," Mexican authorities said in a statement.
In their letter to the Mexican Embassy, Big Brother producers pledged "something like this would never happen again."
"Friday Night Live is themed each week and June 19's Mexican Night was designed as a tribute to Mexico and its vibrant cultural heritage," they said.
The Australian regulator said it is considering whether to take action against the show.
Last year, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Big Brother should be taken off the air after an incident involving an alleged sexual assault.
Britain's version of the hit TV show also offended viewers and sparked an outcry in India after an Indian contestant, Shilpa Shetty, was subject to racial taunts.
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