[Tom4784]

US 'Big Brother' star feared for her life
Saturday, August 25 2007, 10:19 BST (05:19 ET)

By Daniel Kilkelly

Warning: This article contains language and/or sexual references that younger readers are advised to avoid.

A contestant who was evicted from CBS's Big Brother 8 on Thursday night has admitted that she feared for her life during her time in the house.

Jen Johnson, a 23-year-old nanny from California, was subjected to sexual harassment and threats of violence from fellow houseguest Dick Donato, 44, throughout her stint on the show. Despite the severity of Dick's comments, no action was seen to be taken against him by the producers, who punished Jen herself with a penalty vote earlier this week when she broke food rules.

The feud between Johnson and Donato became one of the biggest storylines of the season, though many of Dick's threats were only broadcast on the live feed rather than the show itself. However, the situation in the house was condemned by the California chapter of the National Organisation for Women, which encouraged its members to join a letter-writing campaign against CBS.

In a statement about the matter, the organisation explained: "Dick has repeatedly verbally attacked 23-year-old Jen, calling her crude names, telling her he'd like to sodomize her until she bleeds to death and that if he was wasn't in the house (and at risk of being expelled) he would like to kill her... Contact CBS and tell them allowing this kind of abusive behaviour for the sake of entertainment is irresponsible and unforgivable."

Jen was evicted from the house after 55 days in the most recent episode. In her eviction interview, she brushed off questions from host Julie Chen about whether game strategy could explain Dick's behaviour, insisting that it was "inappropriate" for any reason. Now Johnson has criticised producers for not removing Dick from the house.

"I do think Dick crossed the line several times with physical [acts] and with his words," Jen told EW.com.

"I never asked anyone to do anything about it - I just stated my own concerns about it, that I was actually fearing for my life and that I was hoping that my family wasn't going to hurt him when he got out," she continued.

Johnson now joins a jury of evicted houseguests who will decide the winner on September 18. Dick remains a contestant on the show.

In an interview with online blog The Slug, Jen added: "I obviously know that my vote will not be going to Dick, no matter who's against him, just based on the fact that he should've been kicked off the show for his violent intimidation."


That's quite sickening, that Dick should be kicked out because that's just beyond all human decency.