BIG Brother television show is the brain child of Dutch Production House of John de Mol Produkties, a part of Endemol. The first Big Brother Broadcast was in the Netherlands in 1999 and due to its huge success, it spread like wild fire worldwide and even intellectuals have succumb to its allure.

It is only natural for a group of people living together in isolation for three months to develop feelings for each other which may render them incapable of controlling their sexual urges which results in them having sex on national TV and Big Brother has milked it all the way.

Most Big Brother series starts off with little or no sexual undertones, a basic House with essential amenities such as furniture, running water and limited ration of food and luxury items are forbidden which added a survivalist element to the show but as years go on, the House gets bigger, more luxurious with sophisticated amenities such as VIP lounge, sauna, loft, Jacuzzi and excessive alcohol. The survivalist element is replaced with full blown pornographic titillation and it was only a matter of time before allegations of sexual improprieties surfaced. Brazilian Big Brother House shocked viewers in the early hours of Sunday as they watched live footage of contestant Daniel Echaniz 31, apparently forcing himself on his fellow contestant, 23 year old student, Monique Amin who had passed out after a big boozy party. Night cameras filmed Daniel, a male model, getting into the bed where Monique was sleeping before appearing to have sex with her under the covers. Throughout the incident Monique appeared unconscious. The next morning Monique was asked about the incident in the diary room, and appeared to know little of what had happened.  After it aired, police opened a rape investigation, officers arrived at the set of the reality TV show and collected evidence including bed sheets. Monique was interviewed for three hours before she was taken away for rape examination.  Although Monique denies she was raped and has not pressed charges," the investigation is still opened. Police spokeswoman, Edileide Macedo said. "We continue to investigate the case because it is a public matter."

Following the start of the investigation, Daniel was eliminated from the show though not for the alleged rape but for inappropriate behaviour. According to the show’s host Pedro Bial, : "Big Brother has examined Daniel's behaviour without jumping the gun and with the utmost care. We have analysed the images which show an infraction of the programme’s rules. The programme's directors believe that the contestant's behaviour on the night of the party was seriously inadequate." In an interview with the Brazilian media, Big Brother's director, José Bonifácio Brasil de Oliveira, denied there had been a rape but admitted Daniel had "overstepped the mark".

Sexual assault is a sticky topic in Brazil and this incident has ignite questions about what exactly constitutes sexual assault.Two opposing Twitter feeds have been created, one applauding Echaniz's removal and the other one advocating his return to the show. A host of local celebrities have joined in on the Twitter debate, with several voicing suspicions that Amin was not really unconscious. Others even blamed her for the incident for drinking too much.

Daniel’s elimination has also brought up issues of racism since he is a dark-skinned male model  of mixed race, while Amin is white. A report in the  O Globo newspaper cites Daniel’s  mother, Maria Aparecida Echaniz, contending  that "Daniel is the victim of racism. "There have already been (such incidents on the show) and they didn't have such consequences," she went on to add,  “while participants have been kicked off Big Brother productions in other countries for sexually questionable behavior, this is the first disqualification on the Brazilian show.”

She might not be far from the truth because, though Big Brother Brazil is Produced by Rede Globo channel, but its maker is Endemol which is also part of Big Brother Africa who did nothing when 2007 contestant, Tanzania Richard Bezuidenhout was judged by some viewers to have sexually assaulted fellow housemate, Ofunneka Molokwu after a boozy party just like the Brazil’s incident. However, Bezuidenhout was not eliminated he went on to win the show.

Endemol UK has also been criticised for incidents of sexism and racism in its Big Brother shows, most notably the 2007 Celebrity Big Brother series featuring the late Jade Goody and Shilpa Shetty.

If Daniel Echaniz actually raped Monique and is charged, then Endemol which is known for encouraging outrageous behaviour among its contestants should be fined for creating a sexually charged atmosphere, depriving contestants of their sound mind by enabling them get drunk which results in careless sexual activities which in turn increases the show’s rating but at the detriment of the contestants.