JUSTIN'S TACTICS FAIL - BUH-BYE BIG BROTHER 2 PRODUCERS: NOT WHAT WE'D PLANNED.

Byline: - Davie Kronke

Defiantly unrepentant, Justin Sebik - the 26-year-old New Jersey bartender who called ``Dumb and Dumber'' his favorite movie - said he ``absolutely'' did not understand why producers of ``Big Brother 2'' removed him after he flashed a kitchen knife under a female houseguest's throat.

Sebik declared that the act - performed while he was kissing the houseguest, Krista, a single mother - was clearly a joke. ``If there's anyone who sees that as an act of violence or a threat, then you're an idiot.''

Host Julie Chen said Sebik was ejected for ``breaking the rules,'' a rather benign term given the footage subsequently shown. Sebik was shown throwing sundry tantrums, threatening to hit Kent, the mortgage broker, in a heated argument, and saying of an unspecified female houseguest, ``I'm gonna do her doggy-style and give her a kidney punch,'' demonstrating the punch with force. The knife incident was only described.

Sebik, who described his behavior as part of his strategy, which was to ``confuse'' the other houseguests, dismissed his actions against Kent: ``I wouldn't call that a threat. That was just intimidating someone.''

Houseguest Sheryl, evicted by vote Thursday, said others ``egged him on'' but added that Sebik's ejection ``had to happen.''

While some houseguests decried his actions, others were shown weeping over his departure.

Another controversial incident occurred the same night as Sebik's exercise with cutlery, which Thursday night's episode dealt with only obliquely and out of context. An incident in which Mike, the Los Angeles bar owner, showed his genitalia to Autumn, the house's other single mother, and requested oral sex was not mentioned. Autumn's upset response - smoking a cigarette, which thereby lost a challenge which denied the houseguests certain privileges - was, however, shown, along with another houseguest berating her for losing the challenge.

Since debuting July 5, ``Big Brother 2'' has had disappointing ratings. A source at CBS conceded that this wasn't exactly the way the network hoped to increase viewership. ``No, of course not,'' the source said. ``We never would incite this.''

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(1 -- 3) Justin's violence got him bumped; Krista felt sharp side of his knife; Sheryl's out, too.