Before contestant Dan Spilo wasremovedfromSurvivor: Island of the Idols,producers debated what to do about the 48-year-old talent agent, multiple sources tell PEOPLE.
No action was taken while Kim was in the game. During the subsequent tribal council, Spilo apologized, saying, “I work in an industry in which the #MeToo movement was formed and allowed — thank God — to blossom and become powerful and strong. My personal feeling is if anyone ever felt for a second uncomfortable about anything I’ve ever done, I’m horrified about that and I’m terribly sorry.”
Kellee Kim and Dan Spilo.Robert Voets/CBS (2)
Dan Spilo
PEOPLE has spoken to multiple people involved with the show’s production, all of whom say that producers were concerned about how to handle the situation. “This went way beyond the game aspect of the show,” one production source says. “No one has ever been kicked off the show, ever, since 2000. It was unprecedented to even consider removing him.”
The debate involved producers of the show as well as executives at CBS, a second source tells PEOPLE. “When a situation arises, everyone wants to do the right thing,” the second insider explains. “But there was a difference of opinion of what should be done.”
Producers pulled each contestant aside to discuss the issue — but some players now say that the warnings were so unspecific that no one understood the severity of the issue.
“It was just a very vague blanket statement telling me if I ever felt unsafe, I should let production know,” contestant Aaron Meredith toldParade. “There was never any indication that something was going on or that someone had issues.”
Ultimately, Spilo was permitted to stay — on a very short leash. He continued to play the game and was never seriously in danger of being voted out. He seemed destined to make the final three until his surprise ejection on day 36.
Survivor: Island of the Idols.Robert Voets/CBS
At the end of Wednesday’s episode, the screen faded to black with the following text: “Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player.”
Sources tell PEOPLE 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.
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.
But the show’s production team wasn’t convinced that the contact was merely incidental. After consulting with the show’s legal team, producers removed him from the show.
“If it had been his first strike, I don’t think he would have been removed from the game,” the first production source tells PEOPLE. “But the feeling was, ‘it’s time to pull the plug.’ In many ways, this was just the final straw.”
Dan Spilo.Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment
Sources tell PEOPLE that Spilo vehemently disagreed with the decision to boot him from the game.
Neither CBS nor Spilo are providing additional comment at this time.
source: people.com
