TV ratings: ‘Big Brother’ soars Thursday as Aaryn Gries evicted

Aaryn Gries, who made racial and anti-gay slurs against fellow houseguests, was evicted from the “Big Brother” house Thursday night and was grilled by host Julie Chen.

According to early numbers from Nielsen, which are likely to change because of NFL pre-season preemptions that affected much of the country, the live eviction episode on CBS drew 8.36 million viewers and garnered a rating of 2.6 in the key 18-49 demographic.

If the numbers hold, “Big Brother” was the most watched and highest rated telecast of the night among the big networks.

PHOTOS: Cable versus broadcast ratings

“Big Brother’s” 18-49 rating increased 24% from last week, according to the early stats, which are likely to be adjusted downward later.

On NBC, “Hollywood Game Night” brought in 4.7 million viewers and generated a key demo rating of 1.5, up 25% from last week.

ABC’s two-hour season finale of “Motive” drew 6.38 million viewers and got a 1.4 rating, up 40% week-to-week. “Rookie Blue” increased 36% to a 1.5.

Fox was in all repeats.

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