Ian O’Malley gets banished; Julie Chen trying to be credible. Idiot co-host Ian O’Malley is done with his Big Brother co-hosting duties, and Julie Chen is struggling with the show’s writers to maintain her journalistic integrity. The New York Times reports (story requires free registration) that lines like “Wow. That was intense.” were actually scripted …

Matt is now the national spokesperson for Life Teen. Talking to the Gainesville, Ga., Times, Matt–who’s now traveling for the Catholic youth organization–says his experience on The Real World New Orleans was “much more than what appears on TV,” and says he still keeps in touch with all of his roommates.

Time suggests that the alliance’s existence made rumors necessary. James Poniewozik–who was convinced by the Gervase-is-the-winner “evidence,” too–argues that the alliance’s picking people off one by one “could be as dangerous as having people knowing the winner,” so a diversion was created.

supposed spoilers were part of “a game of cat and mouse,” producer says. Producer Mark Burnett doesn’t quite admit to fabricating evidence that “revealed” the winner, but says “it’s all good fun.”

Jordan rips CBS on The Early Show. The most recently banished houseguest told Bryant Gumble that the producers “definitely made a character out of me,” and said that “whoever is going to win is the person who CBS wants to win”–George.

Dirk: “It’s been a big blessing from the Lord.” In an interview with Christianity.com, Dirk talks about voting people off, his “respect” for Rudy, and his continued contact with Sue and Rich.

James Garner: “I’d have killed them all.” The actor says he couldn’t have handled being on Survivor, but his “Space Cowboys” co-star, Clint Eastwood, says “I could survive all right.”