On the latest episode of CBS's Survivor: Island of the Idols, contestant Dan Spilo was hit by a major scandal. Dan was accused of "inappropriate touching" by Kellee Kim. Then, later on, two other women came forward with allegations also against him, though it was revealed that the two of the contestants later admitted that they exaggerated the accusations in order to get Dan voted off in order to better their numbers game.
Dan entered the competition with the love of the game and knows how lucky he is to be on the show. At 48-year-old, the talent manager was the oldest contestant on the original Vokai tribe. In his line of work as a Hollywood agent, Dan is introduced to many different people in a professional setting (as a rep for The Act’s Joey King and Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki). Dan described himself as hardworking, articulate, and charming father-of-two, but most of the attention he's gotten on this season has been for the accusations against him.
On the latest episode of the CBS reality show (via People), Kellee continued to express concern over Dan for being too touchy as she felt he violated her personal space. She explained that the unwanted touching continued even after making multiple requests for him to stop. That's when a tearful Kellee and two other female contestants, Missy Byrd and Elizabeth Beisel, met up and discussed their discomfort regarding Dan - who they alleged also touched them inappropriately without heeding warnings to stop. Missy told Kellee, "It's inappropriate touching. I'm not an object."
However, when an upset Kellee left, that's when Missy and Elizabeth admitted that they exaggerated their reactions to Dan’s inappropriate touching. They admitted to embellishing their accusations in order to make him a target and get him voted off the island. Meanwhile, a now-empowered Kellee came to producers with her concerns. In a rare occurrence, Survivor production intervened and spoke with the cast, even issuing an official warning to Dan. That's when a title card appeared on-screen to inform audiences of the situation. It read:
"The following morning the producers met with all the players, both as a group and individually. They were cautioned about personal boundaries and reminded that producers are available to them at all times. Based on the outcome of those discussions, the game continued. In addition, producers met privately with Dan, at which time he was issued a warning for his behavior. Producers continue to monitor the situation."
According to producers, there have been incidences of Dan making women uncomfortable with being overly touchy that was caught on camera and there is no denying that it happened and that it did, in fact, make the women feel uncomfortable. However, with conflicting perspectives due to not all of the players having the same information to make the right decision based on fact - it became breeding ground for rumors to be spread around. In a wild turn of events, the victim of the unwanted touching, Kellee, was the one sent packing at the end of the night, not Dan. The "#MeToo" episode left audiences divided and many fans felt that Survivor dropped the ball when it came to protecting victims of sexual misconduct after they have come forward.
Survivor: Island of the Idols airs Wednesdays at 8 pm EST on CBS.
Source: People