DAN SPILLO CODE
DAN SPILLO TV

Next week’s finale and reunion will serve as an opportunity for Survivor to step up, though, and make this season’s transgressions a teachable moment for the show’s still-sizeable audience. The onus should not be on contestants to “take matters into their own hands” in such problematic circumstances, even under the guise of retaining an authentic “social experiment.”

DAN SPILLO CODE

Additionally, production should reinforce this code of conduct, and their expectations of contestants, during pre-game preparations - a few days on location pre-filming, during which contestants undergo interviews with the press, a medical check-up and swim test, amongst other things. To give just one example: Survivor aired audio of an (off-camera) producer consoling Kim after she broke down over Spilo’s behavior, so why not include audio of the ensuing conversations?Īlongside reconsidering the show’s response and duty of care during filming, it’s clear more must be done during pre-production to set clear expectations of contestants’ conduct.Īll Survivor contestants sign a 100+ page contract prior to their participation on the show Survivor and CBS must, moving forward, incorporate clear language that calls out sexual harassment and inappropriate or unwanted touching of any kind as grounds for immediate removal from the game.

DAN SPILLO TV

Whatever messaging production provided the cast during filming - as well as the warning given to Spilo specifically - was either not clear enough, or was otherwise ignored ambiguities surrounding this response to Spilo’s behavior and eventual ejection have played out on TV in a manner likewise lacking in the transparency required from a network arguing it did its best. The pattern of inappropriate behavior justified his removal much earlier than the point at which production did step in. Keeping Spilo in play after multiple instances of harassment was irresponsible damaging to both his fellow contestants’ well-being and the integrity of the game as a whole. At this point, producers also spoke off-camera with the remaining contestants to let them know assistance would be made available to them if they ever felt unsafe or uncomfortable - though, it has been reported, without making any reference to Spilo’s behavior or its impact specifically.Īs a former Survivor contestant, women’s activist, and survivor of sexual harassment and stalking, let me be clear: inappropriate and unwanted touching (in this instance targeted specifically at young women) is sexual harassment, and should be referred to as such. This eventually resulted in producers issuing him what the show described as an “official warning” at the season’s mid-point (in Survivor lingo, the tribal “merge”). In the first episode, one of Spilo’s then-tribemates, Kellee Kim, spoke candidly with him about his behavior, and asked him to stop.

From the season’s premiere episode, Spilo had been shown repeatedly touching female contestants the show also documented several conversations between these women about how the interactions left them feeling uncomfortable. With the show having earlier broken “the fourth wall” to include producers’ commentary and action behind-the-scenes, a title card at the conclusion of Wednesday’s episode read that Spilo was removed “after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player.” “I truly regret that anyone was made to feel uncomfortable by my behavior,” Spilo added. “I wish I could comment, believe me,” he continued.Īttempts made by TIME to reach Spilo for comment were unsuccessful, though following the initial publication of this piece, Spilo provided a statement to People magazine in which he said he was “deeply sorry” for his actions. Spilo has not spoken publicly in recent weeks, aside from telling a paparazzi videographer that he was “not allowed to comment, sadly.”

Dan spillo