Last Thursday's episode of the CBS reality show, in which contestants fend for themselves in the Australian wild, included a pig's killing by a knife-wielding player. The slaughter, which was preceded by a viewer advisory, included shots of player Michael Skupin of White Lake, Mich., holding a bloody knife and footage of the dead pig. The stabbing was not shown.
Contestants decide which team members are popular or valuable enough to stay in the game.
PETA suggested that a tame pig might have been deliberately placed in harm's way to stage the killing and asked CBS to preserve all unedited videotape relating to the episode. CBS denied the incident was staged and defended the broadcast. CBS said the show has given exposure to the point of view of vegetarians and animal rights supporters through contestant Kimmi Kappenberg of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., who has opposed meat-eating by other players. The contents of these pages may not be reproduced without permission. All pages are maintained by the Newspeak Association.