‘Survivor’: The Real Reason Dan Spilo Was ‘Removed’ From the Game

As fans of Survivor, you are probably used to watching people get sent home from the show. That’s how the game works. Everyone can’t make it to the end. But there is usually a method to the madness of departures. Players are voted out of the game. They don’t just disappear.

But that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday night’s episode of Survivor: Island of the Idols when contestant Dan Spilo was just “removed” from the game. His removal immediately had people wondering what was up and the episode didn’t offer any concrete reason for his exit. But here’s what really happened.

What did ‘Survivor’ say happened?

Survivor did give an explanation for Spilo’s exit, though it was quite ominous.

Host Jeff Probst told the contestants that “a decision has been made and Dan will not be returning to the game. He will not be coming back to camp. He’s gone. “

“Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player,” the screen read.

What really happened to Dan Spilo?

Since the episode aired, People was able to confirm an incident that happened that could have led to Spiro’s removal.

After an immunity challenge, the contestants were brought back to the camp in a boat. During that boat ride, Spilo allegedly touched a female crew member’s leg. He claimed that the touch was accidental and he had just been trying to regain his balance on the moving boat.

The production team was not satisfied with his excuse and ultimately decided to remove him from the situation.

This isn’t Spilo’s first time being accused of misconduct

Unfortunately, this was not the first time that a female member of the show had complained about Spilo. Weeks prior to this incident, contestant Kellee Kim claimed that Spilo had inappropriately touched her and encroached on her personal space even though she asked him to stop.

Splilo apologized for the incident.

“I work in an industry in which the #MeToo movement was formed and allowed — thank God — to blossom and become powerful and strong,” Spilo, who is a Hollywood agent, said. “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.”

After the episode aired, CBS released a statement regarding the incident, saying: “During the filming of this episode, producers spoke off-camera to all the contestants still in the game, both as a group and individually, to hear any concerns and advise about appropriate boundaries. A formal warning was also given to the male castaway in question.”

“On Survivor, producers provide the castaways a wide berth to play the game. At the same time, all castaways are monitored and supervised at all times. They have full access to producers and doctors, and the production will intervene in situations where warranted.”

Kim took to Twitter to comment on the situation.

“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 said in a Twitter statement.

“CBS and Survivor were on notice of Dan’s behavior from the very first days of the game,” she continued. “And, as Survivor fans know, shortly after I spoke up on camera, I was voted off the show. Since then, I’ve accepted genuine, heartfelt apologies from fellow castaways, but I’ve continued to feel disappointed by how this pattern was allowed to occur for so long.”