Survivor makes Dan Spilo the first-ever ejected contestant after he allegedly touched a crew member

People

Wednesday's Survivor: Island of the Idols episode ended with a title card saying, "Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player." The Hollywood talent manager made headlines a month ago when he was given an official warning for inappropriately touching contestant Kellee Kim. In an interview posted after the show, host Jeff Probst declined to reveal to EW why Spilo was booted. "I’ve endeavored to be as forthcoming as possible with you regarding everything that has happened this season. In this situation, out of respect for privacy and confidentiality, I can’t say anymore," Probst said. People magazine, meanwhile, reports that it has learned what allegedly happened. "People has spoken to multiple people involved with the show’s production, who confirmed that the incident in question — which involved a member of the show’s production team — happened after an immunity challenge as Spilo and other contestants were getting into a boat to transport them back to the camp," reports People. "At one point, Spilo allegedly touched the female crew member’s leg. According to multiple sources, he insisted that the contact was inadvertent and accidental as he lost his balance while trying to get into the boat. At least one of the remaining contestants witnessed the incident. But the show’s production team wasn’t convinced that the contact was merely incidental. After consulting with the show’s legal team, producers eventually decided to remove him from the show." Shortly after the episode aired, Kellee Kim released a lengthy statement on Twitter saying that "Dan Spilo was kicked off the show for, once again, inappropriate touching." She added: "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. CBS and Survivor were on notice of Dan’s behavior from the very first days of the game. And, as Survivor fans know, shortly after I spoke up on camera, I was voted off the show. 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. While I wish many things had gone differently, I’m glad that my decision to speak up made a difference. 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.”

ALSO:

• Survivor's usually live reunion show will be pre-taped four hours early: EW reports the change was made "due to the sensitive nature of the material this season" and over "securty concerns for the contestants and to make sure the players feel as comfortable and safe as possible while discussing what happened out on the island."
• Pre-taping the reunion will make it possible for CBS and/or producers to edit or delete content before airtime: That's according to Reality Blurred's Andy Dehnart, who criticized Jeff Probst and CBS for "continuing the strategy they’ve employed this season of laying low and essentially hiding," adding: "If 'contestants welfare' was 'at the forefront,' why did it take an incident with a non-contestant to result in actual action?"