Big Brother hits ratings peak

The anticipated Big Brother 2 episode featuring the expulsion of a contestant drew the show's highest ratings of the summer Thursday.

Although CBS executives chose not to show 26-year-old Justin Sebik put a knife to a fellow contestant's throat, the one-hour episode averaged 9.2 million viewers, a 6.2 rating/12 share in households and a 3.7/13 in adults 18-49, according to fast-national Nielsen Media Research figures. Big Brother 2 won its 8-9 p.m. ET/PT time period in households, viewers, adults 25-54 (4.0/13) and tied NBC for first in adults 18-49.

Compared to its premiere episode a week earlier, Big Brother 2 was up 7% in households, 6% in both adults 18-34 (3.6/13) and adults 18-49 and it grew by nearly one million viewers. - Joe Schlosser