Survivor Cancels Live Finale as Dan Spilo Gets Booted for Inappropriate Touching Again

Survivor 39 contestant Dan Spilo has been booted off of the Island of the Idols for improper touching again, according to reports. Plus, CBS will not show a live finale due to Dan’s behavior. Survivor will have a pre-taped finale and reunion show and Dan Spilo will be excluded, according to reports.

Now, some of the other cast members might back out as well from the Survivor 39 finale.

Survivor 39 Update: Dan Spilo Banned From Finale

49-year-old California talent manager Dan Spilo has been the face behind the controversy on Island of the Idols. Kellee Kim accused him of “inappropriate touching” after she asked Dan to stop, and he continued.  According to People, Dan’s behavior escalated and caused his expulsion from Survivor.  During Wednesday’s episode, fans were informed that Dan was removed from the island after an off-screen incident.

Reportedly, Dan inappropriately touched a female producer’s leg when boarding a boat after an immunity challenge. While Dan says that the contact was incidental, the Survivor producers weren’t taking any chances. The producers expelled Dan from the game and dis-invited from the finale.

Survivor: Dan Spilo

Reunion Pre-Recorded For The First Time Ever

For 38 of its now 39 seasons, Survivor has always had a live reunion and finale. Typically, the event is a time for reminiscing and looking back, but not this time. Instead, the finale will be taped and feature a more serious tone.

This decision is so the contestants can have a safe place to discuss the controversial events of the game. There will still be a live audience. But, now there will be more security so that they might be more comfortable diving into the sensitive topic. It seems like they’re trying to make up for brushing off the behavior when Kellee first came to them.

Survivor: Some Players Might Not Show

Aside from Dan Spilo, there’s also some talk that a few Island of the Idol cast members might not show up at the reunion. The recent events have made them second guess their decision to attend. Obviously, the first person that comes to mind is Kellee Kim, the original victim of Dan’s touching. No one would blame her if she didn’t want to re-live the experience and discuss it. After the episode aired, Kellee tweeted that it “validated” her concerns earlier on in Island of the Idols. 

The Survivor season finale airs Wednesday, December 18 on CBS.

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