The issue of trust itself presents a problem. The shows pit the contestants not only against nature but against each other as well. While they must work together to ensure that basic needs are met, they must also be wary of whether they will be voted off the island by the person helping them build the hut. This undercurrent of uncertainty is frightening-the contestants must go through this ordeal not knowing whom they can trust.

CBS CEO Leslie Moonves admits that a psychologist friend has encouraged him not to go through with these voyeur shows. While he has not pulled the shows from the summer lineup, he has ordered additional screenings of potential contestants. Applicants must endure a battery of psychological and physical endurance tests, but who can really predict what will happen under conditions that are, to say the least, adverse? The German TV execs acknowledged this, and set up a "safe room" in their "Big Brother" house, where the contestants can meet with a psychologist without the pressure of the cameras and microphones. But CBS's current plan doesn't involve a similar "safe room." CBS press representatives declined to comment on the shows.

Controversy over game shows is nothing new to the American public. The drama stretches back to the quiz show scandal of the 1950's involving "Twenty-One", which recently returned to the air on NBC. In more recent times, who can forget February sweeps' most talked about event: the marriage of Darva Conger and Rick Rockwell on Fox's "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" That annulment was just finalized two weeks ago after it was discovered that Rockwell had a restraining order filed against him by a former girlfriend. (Darva's response to the whole fiasco: "Oops.") The execs at Fox vow to avoid further exploitative programming (this from the network of "When Animals Attack" and "World's Wildest Police Chases"). The "Multi-Millionaire" event proves that even careful background checks can miss something, and in the high-stress situations of "Survivor" and "Big Brother," even a small oversight in the psychological or physical tests can explode into a serious issue.

Regardless of controversy, these shows are likely to score high ratings for CBS. Buzz about these shows has been building since they were first announced. The Dutch version of "Big Brother" netted a 53.6% market share for its finale, and its winner went on to national fame. The German version's website has logged over 90 million hits, despite (or perhaps because of) the conflict.

But is this popularity necessarily a good thing? How far will American television go? All around the world, even more shocking game shows exist. In England, game shows like "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush" involve people performing sometimes lewd and embarrassing acts for a surprisingly small amount of money. This is mild compared to some of the Japanese and Australian game shows. Are American TV executives so concerned about ratings that they are willing to put anything on television, regardless of its moral implications? From the latest two imports from Europe, that certainly seems to be the case.

This summer CBS will bring voyeurism to the masses, and from early indications, the public will love it. But be careful, because next sweeps period, the Eye may be watching you...