Burning bags was a complete uproar in the media after the episode aired. Here's what the game was about: In the first episode, the last game they played involved everyone's bags (including clothing and personal belongings from home) being suspended by crane over a large bonfire pit. The only way to save them was to select four people who felt they knew the entire group the most. Keep in mind, this was only day 3 or 4 of the game. The four players had to get at least 2-3 questions right in order to save their bags. If not, the bags were released into the firepit. Low and behold, no one got any question correct, and the group watched helplessly as their bags were dropped into the large fire.
The reason why it was taken so badly in the media was because one contestant, Ali, told the confessional that she had her bible in the bags. The Christian community called for a cancellation of the show because of the fact a bible was burned. However, if you caught the second episode, viewers found out it was all a fluke and the bags that were burned were just decoys. In other words, the bible was not burned.
After the fourth episode aired in the spring, ABC decided to put it on hiatus and air the rest of the season (with repeats of the first 4 episodes again) during the summer. That was the last non-celebrity season to be filmed.