Survivor Contestants Old & New Say Dan Spilo’s Removal was Necessary

Both old and new contestants of Survivor weigh in on the Dan Spilo unwanted touching incident. Here are all of the former contestants who thought that Spilo’s removal from season 39 Survivor: Island of the Idols was necessary.

The controversy on season 39 has been the most intense than it has ever been in Survivor history. First, there was first the racially insensitive comments made to African-American player Jamal Shipman, then there was the “me too” situation that resulted in some of the most dramatic moments ever seen on Survivor. This season, competitor Kellee Kim addressed her concerns about fellow contestant, 48-year-old talent manager Dan Spilo, for being too handsy after repeatedly telling him to stop. The unwanted touching continued (and was even caught on camera) and at the end of the same episode where she spoke out, Kellee was blindsided and eliminated – while Dan was able to continue on. However, after Dan was caught inappropriately touching a female producer’s thigh while in a transport boat on day 36, he was removed from the competition. Dan was the first-ever Survivor player to be removed from the game in the history of the series.

The former Survivor contestants weighed in (via Us Weekly) on the removal of Dan. Three-time Survivor Ciera Eastin said, “I am proud of CBS and Survivor for ejecting Dan from the game, especially considering it is so late in the season.” She continued by saying that ejecting Dan in the latter part of the game must have been a difficult decision but ultimately, she’s “proud of CBS for putting their players and their producers first.” Eastin even excused the fact that the finale of season 39 was taped for the first time in the game’s history, she said, “There has to be some reason they want to be able to control the conversation.” Next, Survivor legend, Benjamin “Coach” Wade sounded off on the removal of Dan, he said, “CBS, Survivor, and all production and crew have proven that they have what it takes to be the ultimate survivor, in terms of ratings and longevity.” He continued, “If they are doing it, we can be assured that it’s for a damn good reason.”

Janet Carbin, the “mom” of the game during season 39, spoke about the situation that almost made her quit the game. She said, “[I am] asking at this time to accept, forgive, and move on to enjoy the show moving forward. There is so much more to see and enjoy what goes on. We need to remember we are all humans and this is a TV, but we all have lives outside of the game.” Aaron Meredith, who placed 11th this season – posted to social media about the situation, writing, “At no time in my life or in the game of Survivor have I ever condoned inappropriate behavior, or support those who do.”

The contestants, who have played the game and have a huge adoration for keeping the integrity of the game intact, saw the importance of taking sexual misconduct seriously. The people who have been in the Survivor camp, who understand camp-life best, know that there are still boundaries in place even though the game is so outside the realm of reality. It was definitely a learning experience for everyone involved and CBS has done its job by creating new rules to ensure that the future seasons’ contestants won’t have to deal with the same victimization and frustrations.

Source: Us

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