Alcohol is already forbidden at live tapings of Britain's Got Talent, but the hostile reception that interim judge Carmen Electra received on the show last week has left producers mulling over a possible ban on booing too. Booze was outlawed at recordings to avoid drunks in the audience heckling, but it seems sober fans were all-too-happy to direct their vitriol towards the former Baywatch star.
According to the UK's Daily Mirror, Electra is proving a hugely unpopular replacement for Amanda Holden, who is returning to the show from maternity leave shortly. Carmen, 39, was jeered and had to endure chants of "Who are ya?" when she joined Cowell and fellow judges Alesha Dixon and David Walliams on the judging panel. Production staff were forced to intervene when the riotous crowd at one audition began chanting "Bring back Amanda". One audience member said, "There was a lot of really loud, angry noise directed at Carmen.It was getting difficult for the microphones to pick up what was going on between the judges and the acts. Carmen was clearly getting anxious about it, too". Electra's harsh critique of female dance troupe Tootsie Rollers made the situation worse, and she was met with a barrage of jeers after telling the women they "couldn't dance well".
A show source has confirmed, "BGT is a family show, so they don't want too much swearing from the crowd or drunken audience members".