While the Australian version of the show will be dealing with its first expulsion from the competition on Monday the original US show is facing a very serious problem of its own.

TMZ is reporting that contestants on the show have walked off in the middle of taping an episode to protest the producer’s decision to have some previously eliminated contestants return to the competition.

We’re told most of the current contestants were pissed — feeling it was unfair that prior losers would get a second bite at the apple … so they banded together and decided to protest by walking off the show in the middle of shooting an episode.

(Source: TMZ )

Of course here in Australia they’ve been using that twist every season, to the point where it’s barely even considered a twist. The question is when, rather than if. The first season of the show almost resulted in legal action being taken by Adro due to the very late return of a contestant. Later seasons have reintroduced contestants at various times but never once the “Final Four” stage is reached.

It’s not clear how many contestants were still in the running, nor how many might be returning in the US version of the show. But this is a huge dilemma for the producers who may now have to reorganise the show’s schedule around the eliminated contestants not coming back or the potential for the remaining contestants to all be ejected from the show.

Depending on how this turns out for them we may even see a rethink by the Australian team for the next season down here. Next year’s contestants will have heard about this before going into Camp and might decide they’re not real keen on the idea, either.

[Update]

TMZ‘s now saying two of the mutineering contestants have been dumped from the show and producers are considering using the mutiny in the show itself.

Still no official comment from anyone involved, including NBC.