Dan Spilo, the Hollywood talent manager who was ejected from “Survivor: Island of the Idols” last week following accusations of inappropriate touching, has broken his silence on his unceremonious exit.
“I am deeply sorry for how my actions affected Kellee [Kim] during the taping of this season of Survivor,” he wrote in a statement to People. “After apologizing at the tribal council when I first learned that Kellee still felt uncomfortable, I want to make sure I do so again, clearly and unambiguously.”
“I truly regret that anyone was made to feel uncomfortable by my behavior,” he continued. “In my life, I have always tried to treat others with decency, integrity and kindness. I can only hope that my actions in the future can help me to make amends and show me to be the kind of father, husband, colleague and friend that I always aim to be.”
Spilo is the first “Survivor” contestant ever to be ejected from the show before being eliminated. A title card at the end of Wednesday’s “Survivor” episode read: “Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player.”
Representatives for CBS did not have additional comment at the time, but according to People, the off-camera incident occurred between Spilo and a member of the show’s production team while contestants were getting into a boat after an immunity challenge.
According to People’s sources, Spilo is accused of touching a female crew member’s leg, though he says that the contact was accidental in an attempt to gain balance as he boarded the boat. Following the incident, producers made the decision to eject him from the show.
The boat incident was not the first time Spilo had received complaints about his behavior, which included accusations of inappropriate touching from other contestants during this season. On day 22 of the competition, 14 days before he was ejected, he was given an official warning from the show to stop, according to EW.