Survivor Removes Contestant Over Alleged Inappropriate Conduct

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For the first time in the history of the show, “Survivor” has removed someone due to alleged inappropriate behavior, though it came two full weeks in-game after contestant Kellee Kim first confronted fellow contestant Dan Spilo about his touching that made her uncomfortable.

That happened in the first episode.

In the latest episode, castaways learned he’d been removed from the game, but not the reasons why. Viewers, though, who were already invested in this story after the tumultuous and controversial way the initial allegations played out on-screen, were told that he “was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player.”

In response to the sensitivity and hyper-awareness of these very serious issues and allegations, the “Survivor” reunion show will not air live, but rather will tape four hours early, per Entertainment Weekly. Hopefully this will create a safer and less stressful environment for a genuine discussion that can be presented fairly to really allow the show and its cast to take on the story that’s completely derailed the season.

From the moment Kellee first came forward and spoke out about her alleged encounters with Dan, fans don’t think production took things far enough. Rather than remove Dan then, he was instead given an official warning in private, with the other contestants none the wiser.

They were all warned again about inappropriate physical contact, but no one was told that Dan was warned about his conduct, which was caught on camera. At least not from production.

Kellee did talk about it, which led to two fellow contestants weaponizing her allegations as strategy by embellishing or making up stories of their own in an attempt to trick her into thinking she could get Dan out of the game. Instead, she was the next person out, and the first person in the jury.

That meant, she got to sit there during the next tribal council as everything was discussed, but per “Survivor” rules, she did not speak. All of this sat very poorly with fans of the show, and even led to public apologies from the women involved in her ouster. Dan, in the meantime, apologized for ayone he’d made uncomfortable when the initial allegations surfaced and was allowed to stay in the game.

Until now.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jeff Probst said he couldn’t say any more about the “another incident” that ultimately led to Dan’s removal, but he did say that the experience of this season has informed how the game will handle situations moving forward. “While we still want to maintain the competitive aspect of the game, above all, we want to ensure that all players always feel safe and respected,” he said.

Kellee did have something to say, releasing a statement via Twitter after the episode expressing disappointment in how CBS and the show handled her allegations from the beginning.

“While Dan’s dismissal has validated the concerns that I raised from the beginning of the season, I wish that no one had been subjected to this type of behavior,” she wrote. “CBS and Survivor were on notice of Dan’s behavior from the very first days of the game.”

She said that she’s “continued to feel disappointed by how this patter was allowed to occur for so long,” but is hopeful that by speaking out the production — and everyone — can learn from her story and “commit to take action.”

The whole situation has not sat well with “Survivor’s” die-hard fans, who have been struggling with the show’s handling of these allegations throughout the season. After Dan’s removal, they finally unloaded all of that frustration, getting #Survivor trending deep into the night on Wednesday.

You can check out some of their thoughts and reactions below, and expect eagle-eyes and ears on that finale to see if “Survivor” handles their last word on this (for this season) any better in their eyes:

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