Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'Survivor' Players Apologize After Manipulating Harassment Claims To Further Their Games

'Survivor' Players Apologize After Manipulating Harassment Claims To Further Their Games
CBS

Accusations of sexual harassment are serious things, and not tools for manipulating a game, but two Survivor contestants ignored that to make the game go their way.

Elizabeth Beisel and Missy Byrd voiced concerns over touching by another contestant, Dan Spilo, which now appear to have been either greatly exaggerated or completely made up to manipulate other players.


When fellow contestant Kellee Kim decided to disclose her discomfort with Spilo's constant touching to Byrd, Byrd sympathized, also disclosing discomfort with Spilo's touch.

Kim told Byrd:

"I had to be like, 'I don't like touching people. Please don't touch me.' And he still touches me."

Byrd shared her own discomfort with Spilo's casual touching both at night and at a celebratory meal the contestants had when the two groups of players merged into one, adding:

"It's just inappropriate touching, I am not an object."

Kim discussed her discomfort with Spilo, and inappropriate touching in general, in an interview, tearfully saying:

"It's super upsetting because it's like you can't do anything about it. There are always consequences for standing up. This happens in real life, in work settings, in school. You can't say anything because it's going to affect your upward trajectory. It's going to affect how people look at you."

Her statement likely resonates with anyone who has dealt with sexual harassment in the workplace.

It was just after Kim's tear-streaked disclosure that a producer could be heard commenting from off-camera—an extremely rare thing in a show that tries to give the illusion that the contestants are the only ones in whichever secluded place the show is located.

The producer told Kim:

"If there are issues, to the point where things need to happen, come to me and I will make sure that stops because I don't want anyone feeling uncomfortable."

It was then that the audience was made aware of the conversations producers had with the contestants, both as a group and individually, discussing the importance of boundaries and personal space.

Dan Spilo was issued a formal warning about his behavior and the game moved on. This wasn't the last time Dan's behavior would be discussed, however.

Missy Byrd used her discomfort with Dan as a manipulation tactic to get other players to vote him out, likely exaggerating her discomfort to do so. She asked her ally Elizabeth Beisel to convince another player, Janet Carbin, to vote for Dan as well.

Beisel talked about the decision in an in-show interview, saying:

"The merge is about numbers, so right now my job is to do whatever it takes to get on the right side of the numbers ... if I could play up that card as much as possible, I'll do it."

When it came time for the vote, Kim, who had asked her allies to vote for Byrd who she saw as the bigger threat in the game, was the one sent home.

Many fans of the show were left feeling extremely uncomfortable with the episode's outcome.


Host Jeff Probst was visibly upset by the turn of events during the 2-part episode's continuation. He made space for those involved to discuss their reasoning and speak what was on their minds.

Instead of speaking up during this time, Byrd and Beisel remained silent. Other players expressed concerns about the way the vote had gone, and Carbin considered dropping out and going home because important discussions were being ignored in favor of the game.

Both Beisel and Byrd have since apologized over social media.

Beisel addressed the severity of sexual harassment allegations and the inappropriateness of using them as strategies in the game.

"Sexual harassment and sexual assault are extremely serious, life altering topics that I do not take lightly. They have no business being used as tactics to further one's own agenda, whether it be in real life or in the game of Survivor. I am beyond disappointed in my behavior and will use this as a life-changing, teaching moment."

Byrd addressed her apology to Kim and Carbin directly.

"I got so caught up in game play that I did not realize a very serious situation, nor did I handle it with the care that it deserved."

Byrd and Beisel's apologies are certainly warranted, but they don't erase the hurt they caused fellow contestants by crossing this particular line. Sexual harassment allegations are not a bargaining chip in a strategy game.

More from Trending

unidentified female Trump supporter at MAGA rally
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images

MAGA Mom Goes Viral After Revealing Her Son Refuses To Talk To Her Because She Voted For Trump

While people grapple with how to handle family members and friends who voted against their basic human rights, the people in question are dealing with the fallout from their choices.

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump and the Republican Party's embrace of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 made clear the rights of women; ethnic, racial and religious minorities; the disabled; immigrants; and the LGBTQ+ community were at risk.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mike Lee
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

GOP Senator Faces MAGA Backlash Over Plan To Sell Millions Of Acres Of Public Land

Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee is facing harsh criticism—including from Team MAGA—over his proposal to sell off millions of acres of public land in the American West owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to supposedly create more affordable housing.

Lee claimed in his proposal that there is an "extensive process for interested parties like States and local governments to nominate land for disposal to meet housing and community needs," noting that it specifically exempts national parks, monuments, and federally designated wilderness areas from potential land sales.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Ripped For Complaining That Americans Get 'Too Many' Federal Holidays Off Work

While it was ultimately former President Joe Biden who established Juneteenth as a federal holiday, President Donald Trump—who once campaigned on that promise—took to Truth Social on Juneteenth to whine about the number of "non-working holidays" Americans get, claiming that it costs businesses "billions of dollars."

Juneteenth is derived from June 19, 1865, when Union troops led by General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and declared that all enslaved African Americans in the state were free.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman sitting up in bed as a man sleeps next to her.
Florida State University Researchers Find Predictors for Infidelity in New Study
(Wodicka/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

The Biggest 'They're Definitely Cheating On Me!' Signs People Ignored

When our partner commits suspicious behavior, it's easy for us to jump to conclusions.

Most of the time, the conclusions we jump to are 100% wrong and are just our imaginations playing tricks with us.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @cassdamm's TikTok video
@cassdamm/TikTok

Woman Shares Why She Refuses To Tell Her Late Dad's Mistress Of 30 Years That He Died

While it doesn't always happen, sometimes we get to see karma at work—and sometimes, the revenge is sweet.

TikToker @cassdamm, who previously went viral for sharing the unhinged, five-page letter her 15-year-old son's principal sent, complaining about him "wandering the halls" and "being truant" for buying a drink on his way back to class, is openly celebrating the death of her father, but it's not for the reason you'd think.

Keep ReadingShow less