Police entered the studio where the wildly popular reality show ‘Big Brother Brazil’ is filmed and removed Monique Amin, a 23-year-old student who they believe was raped live on television after passing out following a drink-fueled party.
According to sources, after consuming a considerable amount of alcohol, Amin stumbled to her bed where she undressed and passed out.
Night vision cameras show male model Daniel Echaniz, 31, climb into bed with her on Saturday and appear to have sex with her as she lay unconscious underneath a leopard print sheet.
On Sunday morning, she appeared in the ‘diary room’ – a cubicle where housemates make confessions to an omniscient Big Brother – and appeared to have no recollection of what had happened in the communal bedroom the night before.
Detectives interviewed her for 3 hours before taking her to a local hospital for a rape examination. A police spokeswoman in Brazil confirmed that an investigation had been opened into the allegations.
Contestant Daniel Echaniz has not been arrested or charged with a crime yet, but was removed from the program by producers for “gravely inadequate” behavior.
Big Brother Brazil producers issued this statement to viewers:
“Big Brother examined his behavior without jumping to conclusions and with the utmost care. The images showed a breach of the rules of the program.”
Contestant Monique Amin was returned to the show following the hospital visit.
The current season of ‘Big Brother Brazil’ began just last week. It averages around 8 million viewers per episode and attracted 154 million votes for last year’s final – around 50 million more votes than were cast in Brazil’s 2010 presidential election.
‘Big Brother Brazil’ has often been criticized for ‘baiting’ its contestants with alcohol and thrusting them into situations seemingly designed to cause conflict.
