'Big Brother' Bunkmate's Secret

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/25/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Talk about reality TV getting too real: One of the 10 unknowns on CBS's "Big Brother" accidentally shot and killed a man in a hunting accident in Illinois a dozen years ago, "Entertainment Tonight" revealed yesterday. George, 41, slipped off an icy log and set off his rifle, his wife told the TV show. The bullet went right into his hunting buddy and killed him. The "Big Brother" bunkmate had told the show's producers about the tragedy, which he hoped to keep from his fellow cast members, his wife said. A CBS spokesman admits "the network was aware of the incident from the producers' background check" of George and the others, but stressed, "It was clearly an accident, and no charges were filed."