Big Brother in Australia is no more.

The once popular reality television series has been canned after a disappointing eighth season, which saw the nightly number of viewers slip by 1.8 million.

The decision to cancel the show was made by Ten programmers last last week, something that was heartily backed by the network’s board of directors. Endemol Southern Star, the producers behind Big Brother, were informed shortly after the decision was made official, but opted to keep the axing secret over the weekend while former Baywatch star Anderson – who was reportedly paid over half a million dollars for her few hours of footage – was injected into the mix.

Ten’s chief programmer David Mott said in a statement last night: “This decision has been going back and forth for sometime and we have been having a very close look at it.

“But it has still been a tough call, and while the numbers are still working it is now time for us to move forward.”

Rove McManus first announced the axing on his Network Ten variety show Rove, commenting that “not even Pamela Anderson” could “resuscitate” the floundering reality series.

[Source]