I am – Hercules!!
Contestant Chima Simone was kicked out of the “Big Brother” house by producers this weekend for rules violations. Bloggers watching live feeds on the Internet report she threw her microphone into the backyard pool and refused to put on a new one. Her departure apparently occured very early Saturday morning. From CBS:

“Chima has been evicted by the producers from the Big Brother house for violating the rules. She will not be part of the show’s jury. Her eviction will be addressed on an upcoming broadcast of the show.”

SPOILERS AHEAD. Simone, a freelance journalist, had just endured two key setbacks. Her Head-of-Household nominations were overturned Thursday by fellow contestant Jeff Schroeder via a rare “Coup d’Etat” power granted him by viewers. On Friday she was nominated for eviction alongside house ally Natalie Martinez. Simone had earlier in the week threatened to disrupt the series’ Aug. 13 telecast if her nominees were removed that day (as they ultimately were). It is widely assumed her threats precipitated CBS' decision to pre-tape that evening’s telecast rather than, per tradition, air it live. There’s no word yet on whether the current HoH, neuroscientist Michele Noonan, has nominated or will nominate for eviction another houseguest, or whether sequestered ex-houseguest Jessie Godderz might rejoin the house as replacement. Next Thursday’s live edition was expected to be the series’ annual “double-eviction” episode, which traditionally tosses two contestants out of the house within the span of an hour. UPDATE: Schroeder's ally Jordan Lloyd became the new HoH in a surprise competition held Saturday, so I'm guessing plans for a Thursday double-eviction have been scrapped, and Godderz will not be returned to the competition. END SPOILERS. Simone is not the first “Big Brother” houseguest to be ejected by producers. New Jersey bartender Justin Sebik was expelled from “Big Brother 2” when, on July 11, 2001, he held a knife to the throat of fellow houseguest Krista Stegall and asked, “Would you get mad if I killed you?” (Sebik was also sharing kisses with Stegall at the time.) Later, after it was discovered that Sebik had been twice arrested for assault in 1996 and 1997, Stegall sued CBS for failing to conduct a thorough-enough background check. Thursday's edition of “Big Brother” was TV’s highest-rated broadcast that night. The Thursday rankings in adults 18-34: 2.6 Big Brother 11 1.9 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 1.9 The Mentalist 1.6 The Office 1.6 30 Rock (9:30) 1.5 House 1.5 Bones 1.5 CSI 1.4 30 Rock (8:00) 1.4 Law & Order 1.4 Grey’s Anatomy 1.2 Parks and Recreation 1.0 Private Practice 0.8 Supernatural A CBS press release on the matter:

"BIG BROTHER" CONTINUES TO GAIN MOMENTUM Thursday Eviction Edition of "Big Brother" Delivers Largest Audience on Any Night and Matches Highest Adult 18-49 Rating BIG BROTHER 11 continued to gain momentum as [Thursday] night's eviction broadcast posted its largest audience on any night and matched its highest adult 18-49 rating on any night, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for Thursday, Aug. 13. BIG BROTHER 11 THURSDAY was first in adults 25-54 (3.1/10), adults 18-49 (2.6/09), adults 18-34 (2.0/09), second in households (4.8/09) and viewers (7.61m), both behind ABC's "Millionaire". Compared to last week, BIG BROTHER 11 THURSDAY was up +17% in households (from 4.1/08), +15% in adults 25-54 (from 2.7/09), +13% in adults 18-49 (from 2.3/08), +18% in adults 18-34 (from 1.7/07) and added +1.17m viewers (from 6.44m, +18%). Note: Due to local pre-season football, CBS had preemptions/delays in several markets. Ratings and time period rankings are tentative and subject to change. For the night, CBS was first in households (5.1/09), viewers (7.71m), adults 25-54 (2.6/07) and adults 18-49 (2.0/06). BIG BROTHER 11 also continues to have its biggest season ever online, delivering 49.1 million page views, and streaming 6.9 million videos on CBS.com, TV.com, and across CBS Network as well as mobile platforms.

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