Kellee Kim was the first contestant on Survivor: Island of the Idols who raised concerns about inappropriate touching from fellow contestant Dan Spilo. Kim was eventually voted out of the game while Spilo remained until he was ultimately kicked off of the show for a separate off-camera incident.
At the finale of the show, Kim sat down with Survivor host Jeff Probst to discuss the entire situation. Probst began by apologizing, before giving Kim time to tell her side of the story and express where she believes the production team went wrong.
“Before we begin, I want to say to you, you were right,” Probst said, as transcribed by FOX News. “You were right to speak up. You were right to step forward … and to speak your truth. And I want to acknowledge and apologize for your pain. You didn’t ask for it, and you didn’t deserve it.”
Kim then took the floor and said that while she doesn’t want the sexual misconduct to stain the entire season or become the defining memory, she hopes that the show will learn from their mistakes.
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“I think one of the things that has been the hardest was the fact that Dan remained in the game even after I spoke up,” Kim said while speaking to Probst. “And the reason why is not necessarily the injustice, it’s because I felt that I spoke up, and I was not being supported or believed.
“I hope that this season of Survivor isn’t just defined by inappropriate behavior or sexual harassment. I hope that it’s defined by change. I feel like I can be really proud that I spoke up and I asked for these changes. I have to fundamentally believe at the end of the day that individuals and institutions are capable of change,” she continued. “I fundamentally believe that we can do better.”
It was a raw, honest discussion about a topic that deserves the attention, so kudos to Kellee, Probst, and the Survivor team for confronting it head-on and admitting their mistakes.
