Reality TV got real … too real for Survivor contestant Kellee Kim.
When Kim accused another player of inappropriate touching, the successful Survivor series stumbled badly
Wednesday night, Kim received an on-air apology from executive producer and host Jeff Probst.
“You were right,” Probst told Kim. “You were right to speak up. You were right to step forward, despite a lot of risk and to speak your truth.”
“I want to acknowledge and apologize for your pain. You didn’t ask for it and you didn’t deserve it,” said Probst.
During the show’s season finale, Survivor: Reunion Special, Kim was given an opportunity to voice her feelings concerning how CBS and the show’s producers handled the inappropriate touching that she brought to their attention.
Earlier in the season, Kim spoke out about being repeatedly touched by fellow contestant, Dan Spilo, despite her repeated requests to stop.
Producers on location spoke with Spilo and told him to stop touching Kim and all the other women on the show. He, however, was allowed to stay on the show and compete, much to Kim’s disbelief.
Kim told Probst Wednesday evening, “I think one of the things that has been the hardest thing was the fact that Dan remained in the game even after I spoke up.” Tearing up, Kim explained, “When someone goes through something like this or anything remotely like it, to not be supported and not be believed is really the hardest thing.”
Ironically, during that episode when Kim voiced her objections to producers, Kim was eliminated from the competition. Two weeks later, Spilo was kicked off the show after more allegations of inappropriate behavior were reported by one of the show female crew.
Probst told Kim that he and the network learned from the incident. The incident eventually brought change to the show and established new policies and procedures in how the show will handle similar incidents that might occur in the future.
“I think the most important thing, when I think about this situation and what happened, is that I hope that this season of Survivor isn’t just defined by inappropriate touching sexual harassment,” said Kim. “I hope that it’s defined by change, you know?”
For more on Survivor visit the show’s page at CBS.com.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff or submitting a story.
