Hostilities Pit Producers Against ‘Big Brother’ House

A bizarre dynamic has developed on the “reality” series “Big Brother,” which has finally found a villain for its most devoted audience to jeer: the producers and CBS network.

Internet chat has grown increasingly hostile toward the network and production company Endemol Entertainment, with many postings referring to the program as a “train wreck.”

In essence, the six remaining contestants sequestered in Studio City have united against the producers, on Wednesday rejecting an offer on live TV that would have paid one of them $50,000 to leave the “Big Brother” house, where their every move is filmed. The producers were hoping to introduce a new young woman named Beth to create additional tension on the program, but the stunt appeared to awkwardly backfire.

While the “Big Brother” winner is destined to earn $500,000, only the second- and third-place finishers will receive any cash, earning $100,000 and $50,000, respectively.

Those hooked on “Big Brother” seem increasingly irate about the manner in which “the game” is being played, beginning with a campaign by the wife of one “house guest,” George, to banish another, Brittany, because she was considered his main competition for the grand prize. A radio station in George’s hometown of Rockford, Ill., sponsored phone calls to oust Brittany, spurring her fans to launch a Web site called www.banishgeorge.com.

On Thursday, one online fan cited the “naked, unadulterated fear, nay panic, you could smell from the CBS/Endemol [jerks] who pulled the crackpot ‘Beth’ gambit” in Wednesday’s episode.

The show is experiencing security breaches. One plane flew over the house sporting the cryptic banner: “ ‘Big Brother’ is worse than you think. Get out now.’ ”

Some fans complain the producers appear to be amending the rules as they go along, seeking to manipulate the action in a desperate attempt to boost ratings. The provision “No outside contact”--which appears nightly in the opening credits--has been broken on several occasions, with producers allowing interaction between family and former occupants.

John Kalish, a show producer, suggested Internet fans are not representative of the average viewer.

“People who follow the show on the Internet are a much different audience than the television audience. They hang on every word,” he said, adding that the producers “make no apologies for wanting to turn up the heat.”

Despite--or perhaps because of--all the acrimony, “Big Brother’s” ratings have stayed reasonably high by summer standards, albeit dwindling since the similarly themed “Survivor” finished its run. More than 11 million people viewed Wednesday’s live episode, while fewer people watch the show (which plays six times a week) on other nights. On Thursday, CBS announced plans to expand the Sept. 30 finale to two hours, from 8 to 10 p.m.

The producers and network, meanwhile, are being sued by the estate of George Orwell, author of the novel “1984,” which introduced the concept of “Big Brother” as a malevolent force in a futuristic society.

Marvin Rosenblum, who acquired the movie and TV rights from Orwell’s widowfor $700,000 in 1983, maintains he was developing a dramatic series based on the novel before CBS appropriated the name.

“These rights are pretty much made worthless by what CBS has done,” said Rosenblum’s attorney, William Coulson. The network and producers have declined comment on the suit.