Votes cast

Colin Breed, 60% Lembit Opik, 23% Nick Harvey, 12% Ronnie Fearn, 3% Jackie Ballard, 1% Donald Gorrie, 1% Sandra Gidley, 0%

And you can tell it's theirs - apart from the fact that seven of the party's MPs are the contestants - because the voting is done via the single transferable vote, obviously.

The competition was started more in jest than anything else by the conference news sheet, the Bournemouth Gazette, on Monday morning. Seven MPs were selected: Colin Breed, Lembit Opik, Nick Harvey, Jackie Ballard, Ronnie Fearn, Donald Gorrie and Sandra Gidley.

And by tea-time the first MP - Colin Breed - had been evicted from the Lib Dem house.

The Liberal Democrat version is harsher than its TV counterpart as up to two evictions a day are expected.

The organisers put Mr Breed's early demise - after he received 60% of the first preference votes - down to his stance over Section 28.

Mr Breed was on holiday and has not been able to comment on the poll which is expected to find a winner by the time the conference closes on Thursday lunchtime.

But there is a snag. Unable to boast the sophisticated internet voting of its TV rival the Bournemouth Gazette has been printing forms for its voters to hand in, only it looks as if they forgot to include one in Monday's final edition.