Keeping Spilo in play after multiple instances of harassment was irresponsible damaging to both his fellow contestants’ well-being and the integrity of the game as a whole. At this point, producers also spoke off-camera with the remaining contestants to let them know assistance would be made available to them if they ever felt unsafe or uncomfortable - though, it has been reported, without making any reference to Spilo’s behavior or its impact specifically.Īs a former Survivor contestant, women’s activist, and survivor of sexual harassment and stalking, let me be clear: inappropriate and unwanted touching (in this instance targeted specifically at young women) is sexual harassment, and should be referred to as such.
This eventually resulted in producers issuing him what the show described as an “official warning” at the season’s mid-point (in Survivor lingo, the tribal “merge”). In the first episode, one of Spilo’s then-tribemates, Kellee Kim, spoke candidly with him about his behavior, and asked him to stop.
From the season’s premiere episode, Spilo had been shown repeatedly touching female contestants the show also documented several conversations between these women about how the interactions left them feeling uncomfortable. With the show having earlier broken “the fourth wall” to include producers’ commentary and action behind-the-scenes, a title card at the conclusion of Wednesday’s episode read that Spilo was removed “after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player.” “I truly regret that anyone was made to feel uncomfortable by my behavior,” Spilo added. “I wish I could comment, believe me,” he continued.Īttempts made by TIME to reach Spilo for comment were unsuccessful, though following the initial publication of this piece, Spilo provided a statement to People magazine in which he said he was “deeply sorry” for his actions. 18 finale’s reunion show, which is typically broadcast live, would instead go “live-to-tape” and film four hours before air due to the “ sensitive nature of the material this season.Spilo has not spoken publicly in recent weeks, aside from telling a paparazzi videographer that he was “not allowed to comment, sadly.” Prior to Spilo’s removal, it was announced that the Dec. “What is most important to me now is how all of us - CBS, Survivor, other organizations, and all of us as individuals - decide to learn from this story and commit to take action.” “While I wish many things had gone differently, I’m glad that my decision to speak up made a difference,” she continued. Since then, I’ve accepted genuine, heartfelt apologies from fellow castaways, but I’ve continued to feel disappointed by how this pattern of behavior was allowed to occur for so long. And, as Survivor fans know, shortly after I spoke up on camera, I was voted off the show. “CBS and Survivor were on notice of Dan’s behavior from the very first days of the game.
“While Dan’s dismissal has validated the concerns that I raised from the beginning of this season, I wish that no one else had to be subjected to this type of behavior,” she said. Following Kim’s complaint, fellow Island of the Idols contestants Elizabeth Beisel and Missy Byrd embellished their own unease around Dan in order to take themselves out of the line of fire come tribal council, and later tendered apologies (which you can read here).įollowing Wednesday’s reveal, Kim put out a statement on Twitter. On-site producers were forced to intervene, and give Spilo a formal warning. 13 episode, castaway Kellee Kim made clear her discomfort with Spilo’s encroaching of her personal space and inappropriate touching. Rudy Boesch, Survivor Contestant and Retired Navy SEAL, Dead at 91ĭuring the show’s Nov. Survivor's Elizabeth and Missy Apologize: Sexual Harassment Has 'No Business' Being Used as a Tactic Shortly thereafter, People reported that the incident in question involved a member of the series’ production team and happened after an immunity challenge, when Spilo and his fellow contestants were getting into a boat to transport them back to the camp.