You think reality TV is rough in the US?
In Israel, the next season of “Big Brother” — a hugely popular series in the Jewish state — may not air because the show’s producers coerced contestants into taking anti-psychotic drugs.
Authorities in Israel yesterday said they will await the results of an investigation before deciding on the fate of the show’s fifth season, which was expected to air in the fall.
Because the series is so popular, it was a huge scandal last spring when the Season 2 runner-up, Sa’ar Scheinfein, revealed he’d been given drugs by the show’s resident doctor, and was encouraged to start a romantic relationship with another contestant.
Scheinfein later sued the doctor, psychiatrist Ilan Rabinovitz, as well as the production company behind the show. The ballooning scandal eventually became the focus of a heated hearing in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, where Scheinfein and contestants representing every season testified before legislators.
Rabinovitz corroborated their claims of coercion by “Big Brother” producers, who allegedly agreed to cast certain contestants only if they committed to taking medication during and even before filming.