The Most Terrifying ‘Big Brother’ Moment Ever

Big Brother is known for featuring its fair share of dramatic moments. But, one of the most dramatic, and serious, moments occurred over two decades ago back in Season 2. During the season, which aired in 2001, Justin Sebik, a bartender from Bayonne, New Jersey, became the first houseguest to be expelled from the show. Justin repeatedly broke rules while in the house. Although, his biggest infraction came when he held a knife to another contestant’s neck, which soon prompted Big Brother to expel him. 

During Season 2, host Julie Chen Moonves explained that the producers expelled Justin after he threatened the other houseguests with “violence and physical intimidation.” The show then aired a segment of some of these infractions, footage of which can be found here (CW: The show does air and discuss matters relating to domestic violence in detail). Justin could be seen describing acts of violence to his fellow houseguests. At one point, he nearly got into a physical altercation with fellow houseguest, Kent Blackwelder. Big Brother also aired several of the houseguests sharing their concerns about Justin in the Diary Room, as they explained that they feared for their own or others’ safety.

They also aired a chat that Justin had in the Diary Room, during which he noted that he understands that physical violence is unacceptable in the Big Brother house and that he would not engage in any such behavior. He then apologized for “maybe getting close to crossing the line.” Even though the houseguests continued to voice their concerns about the possible “threat” that Justin posed, he was not removed from the game until the aforementioned incident with a knife.

Justin and a fellow houseguest, Krista Stegall, began to kiss. At one point during their interaction, Justin grabbed a broom and pretended to swing it at Krista. He asked her, “Would you get mad if I cracked you over the head with this?” Justin then asked, “Would you get mad if I killed you?” The scene cut away to Chen Moonves explaining that Justin continued to ask Krista this as he held a large kitchen knife. She said that he placed the knife to her throat when they kissed. The host said that he took the knife away, but Krista encouraged him to place it to her throat. They then stopped and he put the knife back in the drawer.

“After a lengthy conversation with the show’s psychologist, producers were left with no choice but to expel Justin to protect the safety of the other houseguests,” Chen Moonves explained. Justin is one of only four people who have ever been expelled from Big Brother. The other expelled houseguests include Scott Weintraub in Season 4, Chima Simone in Season 11, and Willie Hantz in Season 14.