Contestant of Survivor: Island of the Idols, Missy Byrd apologized for last week's episode where she exaggerated sexual misconduct claims against another contestant Dan Spilo. She responded to her controversial gameplay by writing in a tweet that she feels "truly sorry" for her actions.
Last week on Survivor, 48-year-old talent manager Dan was the center of controversy after contestant Kellee Kim revealed that she's been feeling uncomfortable with the Hollywood talent agent after unwanted touching, even after reportedly telling him to stop. She opened up to other contestants on the show that she could feel she could trust, Elizabeth Beisel and Missy, and told them everything. The two other women then claimed that they too had discomfort regarding Dan's wandering hands too and said that he also didn't heed warnings to stop. The two women played off of Kellee's unwanted touching in order to get people to vote towards Dan at tribal council. However, after going crying to other women on the tribe to get sympathy and exaggerating their reactions, they were able to get the self-appointed "mom" of the tribe, Janet Carbin, to vote for him in order to protect the other women at camp. It was later revealed after tribal council - after they blindsided the actual victim, Kellee - they revealed that they had never actually felt unsafe with Dan and that they played up the drama in order to get the votes where they needed them to move forward in the game.
The internet, rightfully so, went wild after the episode, claiming that both Missy and Elizabeth were in the wrong for embellishing their claims as a game strategy. The internet was not only furious with the producers for not stepping in sooner, but the fact that the actual victim was the one sent packing and not Dan, Elizabeth, or Missy. After the episode aired, Missy went to Twitter and in a lengthy tweet, she apologized to fans and other contestants about her manipulative behavior. She begins the post by thanking Kellee and Janet for "being so courageous and leading by example." Missy tried to justify her actions by writing that "she became so caught up in the game" that she didn't realize how serious the situation was and acknowledged the fact that she didn't handle the situation with "the care that it deserved." See Missy's full apology Tweet below:
Missy continued to state her case by writing, "Due to the nature of Survivor, I was viewing the game through a small lens and with a limited scope." She revealed that she didn't "have all of the information on the subject" as the fans did viewing the show at home. Missy said that regardless of that, she believes she "made a game move that was unjust." She then apologized directly to Kellee and Janet, then to all women who watched the show and were hurt by her actions. She concluded her apology by saying that this was a "life-changing learning moment" for her and that she feels that "sexual assault is never to be taken lightly" and apologized to any women who have been victimized. She wrote that she's been doing a lot of reflecting since being on Survivor and that she fully accepts "the consequences of my lapse in judgment." Missy concluded the statement with, "Again, I am truly sorry."
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 and fans were left furious at Missy and Elizabeth for discrediting Kellee by exaggerating their claims. Though it's an obvious choice to apologize to her fellow contestants and fans, it still doesn't take back the fact that Dan's reputation may be on the line now, beyond the microcosm of Survivor and into the real world, just because of her and Elizabeth's insensitive and controversial gameplay.
Survivor: Island of the Idols airs Wednesdays at 8 pm EST on CBS.
Source: Missy Byrd