Amy
23-01-2005, 05:10 PM
Blazin' Squad rapper Kenzie is the bookmakers' clear favourite to win Sunday's Celebrity Big Brother.
The 19-year-old is competing against actress Brigitte Nielsen and Happy Mondays dancer Bez for a £50,000 charity prize in the Channel 4 final.
Ladbrokes have given Kenzie odds of 2/9 to win, with Bez second at 3/1.
On Saturday bookmaker William Hill stopped taking bets on the reality show, claiming "sensitive information" about the series had been leaked.
Suspicion aroused
William Hill made the move after four people tried to place bets on Friday's surprise double eviction.
Shortly afterwards model Caprice and actor Jeremy Edwards left the show.
"This is highly unlikely to have been an inspired guess," William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said.
Mr Adams believed someone had gained access to figures which revealed how viewers were voting, and was using them to predict which celebrity would be evicted next.
"We think somebody somewhere has got them and has been trying very hard to take us to the cleaners," he said. The bets were not taken.
Mr Adams did not believe anyone from Channel 4 or Big Brother producer Endemol had tried to place the queried bets.
Big Brother's spokeswoman said: "Only a handful of senior production executives are privy to any sensitive information regarding eviction voting and there are strict procedures in place to keep this information strictly confidential."
Bets taken
The show's independent adjudicator - the Electoral Reform Services - was also satisfied, she added.
Other bookmakers have continued to accept bets on the Celebrity Big Brother final.
"We felt no need whatsoever to close the book," Ladbrokes spokesman Warren Lush said. "We've seen absolutely no suspicious betting patterns."
Bookmakers Sky Bet, Blue Square and Paddy Power all tip Kenzie to win at 1/7, with Bez second favourite at 9/2 and Nielsen third.
The third series of Celebrity Big Brother began on 6 January, with DJ Lisa I'Anson, racing pundit John McCririck, author Germaine Greer and astrologer Jackie Stallone also taking part.
Greer quit the show after five days, accusing programme-makers of "bullying" contestants and forcing them to live in conditions similar to "fascist prisons".
The series attracted 5.3 million viewers on its launch night, dipping to 4.4 million on Friday and three million viewers on Saturday.
Ex-Take That star Mark Owen won the previous Celebrity Big Brother in 2003, its climax watched by more than six million viewers.
Article BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4199773.stm)
The 19-year-old is competing against actress Brigitte Nielsen and Happy Mondays dancer Bez for a £50,000 charity prize in the Channel 4 final.
Ladbrokes have given Kenzie odds of 2/9 to win, with Bez second at 3/1.
On Saturday bookmaker William Hill stopped taking bets on the reality show, claiming "sensitive information" about the series had been leaked.
Suspicion aroused
William Hill made the move after four people tried to place bets on Friday's surprise double eviction.
Shortly afterwards model Caprice and actor Jeremy Edwards left the show.
"This is highly unlikely to have been an inspired guess," William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said.
Mr Adams believed someone had gained access to figures which revealed how viewers were voting, and was using them to predict which celebrity would be evicted next.
"We think somebody somewhere has got them and has been trying very hard to take us to the cleaners," he said. The bets were not taken.
Mr Adams did not believe anyone from Channel 4 or Big Brother producer Endemol had tried to place the queried bets.
Big Brother's spokeswoman said: "Only a handful of senior production executives are privy to any sensitive information regarding eviction voting and there are strict procedures in place to keep this information strictly confidential."
Bets taken
The show's independent adjudicator - the Electoral Reform Services - was also satisfied, she added.
Other bookmakers have continued to accept bets on the Celebrity Big Brother final.
"We felt no need whatsoever to close the book," Ladbrokes spokesman Warren Lush said. "We've seen absolutely no suspicious betting patterns."
Bookmakers Sky Bet, Blue Square and Paddy Power all tip Kenzie to win at 1/7, with Bez second favourite at 9/2 and Nielsen third.
The third series of Celebrity Big Brother began on 6 January, with DJ Lisa I'Anson, racing pundit John McCririck, author Germaine Greer and astrologer Jackie Stallone also taking part.
Greer quit the show after five days, accusing programme-makers of "bullying" contestants and forcing them to live in conditions similar to "fascist prisons".
The series attracted 5.3 million viewers on its launch night, dipping to 4.4 million on Friday and three million viewers on Saturday.
Ex-Take That star Mark Owen won the previous Celebrity Big Brother in 2003, its climax watched by more than six million viewers.
Article BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4199773.stm)