Big Brother was forced to step in during an explosive housemate clash that viewers at home found 'hard to watch'. The ITV gameshow has been transformed into the House of Nothing for its third week, with Big Brother explaining exactly what the next seven days will look like.
He told housemates: "As you may have noticed, everything has been taken away from the Big Brother house including your voices. Housemates, soon you’ll have the opportunity to win back your voices. But until that time you must remain silent."
Argument erupts after voices are won back
The contestants later won back their voices, but this only led to yet another argument in the house. It began when Pauline and Johanne had what they believed to be a private conversation about their experiences with racism and microaggressions, both in and outside the show.
Pauline spoke of her own experiences, explaining that she notices when supermarket staff are less friendly towards her compared to white customers. Johanne then admitted that she felt like her recent argument with Rochelle was "micro aggressive".
Johanne confronts Rochelle
The pair clashed earlier this season after Johanne decided to reheat chicken that Rochelle prepared for the group because it was "undercooked". Johanne confided in Pauline that she thinks Rochelle wouldn't have kicked off if any other housemate pointed out that the chicken wasn't fully cooked.
She said: "My situation with Rochelle felt like a microaggression because I feel like if anybody else was over there heating up their food, say, Rhianna, would [Rochelle] have reacted like that? And that's how you can really decipher a microaggression a lot of times - is just put anybody there that looks like that person, would their behaviour still be the same."
Rochelle heard her name pop up in the conversation and rushed to relay it to Rhianna, Lynx and Omar. She told them: "Would you say, since we've been in here, that Rhianna and I, especially, have been racist in any way, shape, or form?".
Big Brother calls Johanne to Diary Room
Rhianna was left in tears after hearing that Johanne and Pauline allegedly called her racist. But Yasmin was quick to point out that Rochelle's story didn't sound plausible, and went to clarify the truth with her other housemates.
However, tensions reached breaking point when Johanne discovered what Rochelle had told the rest of the group. The American housemate decided to confront her directly, denying that she ever "said anything" about Rhianna.
As the pair went back-and-forth, Rochelle fumed: "F*** off! F*** off!". Johanne hit back with: "You're trashy, you're trashy. Bye!" Big Brother was forced to put an end to the fight as he was heard over the speakers saying: "This is Big Brother, would Johanne come to the Diary Room?"
Viewers react to heated scenes
Viewers at home were left uncomfortable by the heated scenes, with one posting online: "This episode was a hard watch," while a second added: "This is so painful to watch."
Tonight's episode also included Charlotte's final moments before she decided to quit the ITV show. The 18-year-old quadruple amputee explained her decision to Big Brother, saying: "I do think I want to leave. I want to leave tonight. This is the decision I’ve made. And I’m a very stubborn person. But yeah, that’s it for me. I’m done. Over and out."
Big Brother accepted the housemate's wishes and said: "Very well, Charlotte. You will leave the Big Brother house. You can go back to the House and say your goodbyes." Big Brother is available to stream on ITVX.
