🚀 go-pugleaf

On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>
> By Matt Grobar
>
> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>
> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired for
> cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of the indie
> action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was dismissed as manager by
> the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after, multiple
> sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>
> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included bullying and
> yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came after an HR
> investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways with the manager at the
> same time. This all happened a week ago.
>
> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the Idols,
> when he became the first contestant on the show to be sent home, for
> alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after two female contestants
> said they were made uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy-feely manner. This
> played out before the cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch
> snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew lodged a similar
> complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>
> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer conceded to
> a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a different picture of
> events, noting that things quickly got awkward in the aftermath of the
> exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set of his own accord,
> recognizing what was best for the project. Emotions were high for Spilo,
> we’re told, as he’d recently been dealing with the health challenges of
> a family member in Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he
> was dismissed from Runner.
>
> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes to
> Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident, pointing to
> his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>
> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from director
> Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List script by Tommy White
> and Miles Hubley. The project still has a week or two left of shooting.
> In addition to Ritchson, and following Spilo’s dismissal, producers
> include Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel
> City Pictures and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren
> Gennawey is exec producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg
> for Nickel City.
>
> Source:
> https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-ritchson-exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>

I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have never
re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game due to
actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.  I also
recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes and he
often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never win.

In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to take
action against him (and only then because he abused a cast member) but
it is also amazing to me that the players that season were willing to
keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in the game
who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the "help"
they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any other
legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.

On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>
>> By Matt Grobar
>>
>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>
>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired for
>> cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of the indie
>> action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was dismissed as manager by
>> the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after, multiple
>> sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>
>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included bullying and
>> yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came after an HR
>> investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways with the manager at
>> the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>
>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the Idols,
>> when he became the first contestant on the show to be sent home, for
>> alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after two female contestants
>> said they were made uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy-feely manner. This
>> played out before the cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch
>> snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew lodged a similar
>> complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>>
>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer conceded
>> to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a different picture
>> of events, noting that things quickly got awkward in the aftermath of
>> the exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set of his own accord,
>> recognizing what was best for the project. Emotions were high for
>> Spilo, we’re told, as he’d recently been dealing with the health
>> challenges of a family member in Israel, which is where he set off for
>> as soon as he was dismissed from Runner.
>>
>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes to
>> Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident, pointing
>> to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>>
>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from director
>> Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List script by Tommy
>> White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a week or two left of
>> shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and following Spilo’s dismissal,
>> producers include Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano
>> of Nickel City Pictures and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard.
>> Lauren Gennawey is exec producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew
>> Goldberg for Nickel City.
>>
>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-ritchson-
>> exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>
>
> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have never
> re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game due to
> actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.  I also
> recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes and he
> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
> presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never win.
>
> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to take
> action against him (and only then because he abused a cast member) but
> it is also amazing to me that the players that season were willing to
> keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
> wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in the game
> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the "help"
> they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any other
> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.

 From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in confessionals
of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was never
mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the game, I'm
pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.

You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from the
game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the players
complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors caught
on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.

I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The show
did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they would have
done without being forced to.

--
Brian

On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>
>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>
>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>
>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired for
>>>> cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of the indie
>>>> action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was dismissed as manager
>>>> by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after,
>>>> multiple sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>>
>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included bullying
>>>> and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came after an HR
>>>> investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways with the manager at
>>>> the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>>>
>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the
>>>> Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to be sent
>>>> home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after two female
>>>> contestants said they were made uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy-
>>>> feely manner. This played out before the cameras, and Spilo survived
>>>> that. The torch snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew
>>>> lodged a similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>>>>
>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer
>>>> conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a
>>>> different picture of events, noting that things quickly got awkward
>>>> in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set
>>>> of his own accord, recognizing what was best for the project.
>>>> Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d recently been
>>>> dealing with the health challenges of a family member in Israel,
>>>> which is where he set off for as soon as he was dismissed from Runner.
>>>>
>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes to
>>>> Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident,
>>>> pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>>>>
>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from
>>>> director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List script
>>>> by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a week or two
>>>> left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and following Spilo’s
>>>> dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions,
>>>> Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures and Jeffrey Greenstein of A
>>>> Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec producing for Broken Road,
>>>> along with Matthew Goldberg for Nickel City.
>>>>
>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-ritchson-
>>>> exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>
>>>
>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have
>>> never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the
>>> game due to actions against a crew member which were never shown on
>>> camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout
>>> multiple episodes and he often got votes against him at TC but was
>>> never voted out because I presume players were taking him to the end
>>> as a goat who could never win.
>>>
>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to
>>> take action against him (and only then because he abused a cast
>>> member) but it is also amazing to me that the players that season
>>> were willing to keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he
>>> couldn't win.  I wonder if the show many any private settlements to
>>> players in the game who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact
>>> (similar to the "help" they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on
>>> All-Stars) or if any other legal actions occurred after that season
>>> involving Spilo's actions.
>>
>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff
>> member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed
>> from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>>
>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from
>> the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the
>> players complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate
>> behaviors caught on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>
>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The show
>> did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they would
>> have done without being forced to.
>>
>
> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would have been
> the last with the traditional live finale with all the players (minus
> Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how the Dan situation was
> explained and discussed at the finale?  I don't recall how much of the
> finale was spent on this, or if this was when the show announced it
> would be making changes as a result.

I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also, I'm
pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the finale live.
Probably to avoid any controversial comments about what happened.

IIRC, Dan was removed the game around Day 36 or so (second last
episode). I think CBS and the producers made their promises to make
changes right before the finale. Here's an article that outlines those
changes that's dated Dec. 17, 2019.

https://www.thewrap.com/survivor-season-39-new-rule-dan-spilo-removal-touching/

One of the new rules is that players are supposed to respect each
other's personal space. Recently, I watched a podcast where a New Era
player (can't recall who she was) said it sucks that they're not allowed
to cuddle at night to keep warm. If that's off limits, then why is
hugging allowed? Did the players that complained about Dan say the
incidents happened at night at camp?

--
Brian

On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>
>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>
>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>
>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired for
>>> cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of the indie
>>> action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was dismissed as manager
>>> by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after,
>>> multiple sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>
>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included bullying and
>>> yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came after an HR
>>> investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways with the manager at
>>> the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>>
>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the
>>> Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to be sent
>>> home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after two female
>>> contestants said they were made uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy-feely
>>> manner. This played out before the cameras, and Spilo survived that.
>>> The torch snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew lodged a
>>> similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>>>
>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer conceded
>>> to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a different
>>> picture of events, noting that things quickly got awkward in the
>>> aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set of his
>>> own accord, recognizing what was best for the project. Emotions were
>>> high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d recently been dealing with the
>>> health challenges of a family member in Israel, which is where he set
>>> off for as soon as he was dismissed from Runner.
>>>
>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes to
>>> Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident, pointing
>>> to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>>>
>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from director
>>> Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List script by Tommy
>>> White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a week or two left of
>>> shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and following Spilo’s dismissal,
>>> producers include Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano
>>> of Nickel City Pictures and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard.
>>> Lauren Gennawey is exec producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew
>>> Goldberg for Nickel City.
>>>
>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-ritchson-
>>> exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>
>>
>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have
>> never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game
>> due to actions against a crew member which were never shown on
>> camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout
>> multiple episodes and he often got votes against him at TC but was
>> never voted out because I presume players were taking him to the end
>> as a goat who could never win.
>>
>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to
>> take action against him (and only then because he abused a cast
>> member) but it is also amazing to me that the players that season were
>> willing to keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't
>> win.  I wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in
>> the game who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to
>> the "help" they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or
>> if any other legal actions occurred after that season involving
>> Spilo's actions.
>
>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in confessionals
> of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was never
> mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the game, I'm
> pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>
> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from the
> game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the players
> complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors caught
> on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>
> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The show
> did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they would have
> done without being forced to.
>

S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would have been
the last with the traditional live finale with all the players (minus
Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how the Dan situation was
explained and discussed at the finale?  I don't recall how much of the
finale was spent on this, or if this was when the show announced it
would be making changes as a result.

On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>
>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>
>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>
>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired for
>>>>> cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of the
>>>>> indie action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was dismissed as
>>>>> manager by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly
>>>>> after, multiple sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>>>
>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included bullying
>>>>> and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came after an HR
>>>>> investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways with the manager at
>>>>> the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>>>>
>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the
>>>>> Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to be sent
>>>>> home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after two
>>>>> female contestants said they were made uncomfortable by Spilo’s
>>>>> touchy- feely manner. This played out before the cameras, and Spilo
>>>>> survived that. The torch snuffer came after a member of the show’s
>>>>> crew lodged a similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent
>>>>> home.
>>>>>
>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer
>>>>> conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a
>>>>> different picture of events, noting that things quickly got awkward
>>>>> in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set
>>>>> of his own accord, recognizing what was best for the project.
>>>>> Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d recently been
>>>>> dealing with the health challenges of a family member in Israel,
>>>>> which is where he set off for as soon as he was dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>
>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes to
>>>>> Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident,
>>>>> pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>>>>>
>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from
>>>>> director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List script
>>>>> by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a week or
>>>>> two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and following
>>>>> Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of Broken Road
>>>>> Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures and Jeffrey
>>>>> Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec producing
>>>>> for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg for Nickel City.
>>>>>
>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-ritchson-
>>>>> exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have
>>>> never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the
>>>> game due to actions against a crew member which were never shown on
>>>> camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout
>>>> multiple episodes and he often got votes against him at TC but was
>>>> never voted out because I presume players were taking him to the end
>>>> as a goat who could never win.
>>>>
>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to
>>>> take action against him (and only then because he abused a cast
>>>> member) but it is also amazing to me that the players that season
>>>> were willing to keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he
>>>> couldn't win.  I wonder if the show many any private settlements to
>>>> players in the game who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact
>>>> (similar to the "help" they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on
>>>> All-Stars) or if any other legal actions occurred after that season
>>>> involving Spilo's actions.
>>>
>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff
>>> member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed
>>> from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>>>
>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from
>>> the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the
>>> players complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate
>>> behaviors caught on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>
>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The show
>>> did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they would
>>> have done without being forced to.
>>>
>>
>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would have
>> been the last with the traditional live finale with all the players
>> (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how the Dan situation
>> was explained and discussed at the finale?  I don't recall how much of
>> the finale was spent on this, or if this was when the show announced
>> it would be making changes as a result.
>
> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also, I'm
> pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the finale live.
> Probably to avoid any controversial comments about what happened.
>
> IIRC, Dan was removed the game around Day 36 or so (second last
> episode). I think CBS and the producers made their promises to make
> changes right before the finale. Here's an article that outlines those
> changes that's dated Dec. 17, 2019.
>
> https://www.thewrap.com/survivor-season-39-new-rule-dan-spilo-removal-touching/
>
> One of the new rules is that players are supposed to respect each
> other's personal space. Recently, I watched a podcast where a New Era
> player (can't recall who she was) said it sucks that they're not allowed
> to cuddle at night to keep warm. If that's off limits, then why is
> hugging allowed? Did the players that complained about Dan say the
> incidents happened at night at camp?
>

I presume hugging is allowed if it is consensual, which would normally
be the case.  Maybe they are saying that cuddling at night isn't always
strictly consensual since it sometimes involves players who are asleep,
so they just ban it completely.  For some reason, I am reminded of that
infamous moment in season 5 when Ghandia accused Ted of "grinding" on
her at night.  Maybe they want to make sure something like that never
happens again.

BTW, the article said that Dan was ejected from the game because he
touched a female crew member's leg which he said was inadvertent because
he was trying to balance himself while boarding a boat.  I certainly
don't want to minimize the effect of Dan's actions, but doesn't that
seem just a bit innocuous?

On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed
>>>>>> As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>>
>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>
>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired
>>>>>> for cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of the
>>>>>> indie action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was dismissed as
>>>>>> manager by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly
>>>>>> after, multiple sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included bullying
>>>>>> and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came after an HR
>>>>>> investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways with the manager
>>>>>> at the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the
>>>>>> Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to be sent
>>>>>> home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after two
>>>>>> female contestants said they were made uncomfortable by Spilo’s
>>>>>> touchy- feely manner. This played out before the cameras, and
>>>>>> Spilo survived that. The torch snuffer came after a member of the
>>>>>> show’s crew lodged a similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated
>>>>>> and sent home.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer
>>>>>> conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a
>>>>>> different picture of events, noting that things quickly got
>>>>>> awkward in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing to
>>>>>> leave set of his own accord, recognizing what was best for the
>>>>>> project. Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d
>>>>>> recently been dealing with the health challenges of a family
>>>>>> member in Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he was
>>>>>> dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes
>>>>>> to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident,
>>>>>> pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from
>>>>>> director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List script
>>>>>> by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a week or
>>>>>> two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and following
>>>>>> Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of Broken Road
>>>>>> Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures and Jeffrey
>>>>>> Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec producing
>>>>>> for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg for Nickel City.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have
>>>>> never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the
>>>>> game due to actions against a crew member which were never shown on
>>>>> camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout
>>>>> multiple episodes and he often got votes against him at TC but was
>>>>> never voted out because I presume players were taking him to the
>>>>> end as a goat who could never win.
>>>>>
>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to
>>>>> take action against him (and only then because he abused a cast
>>>>> member) but it is also amazing to me that the players that season
>>>>> were willing to keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he
>>>>> couldn't win.  I wonder if the show many any private settlements to
>>>>> players in the game who had been abused (like Kellee) after the
>>>>> fact (similar to the "help" they gave Sue after the incident with
>>>>> Rich on All-Stars) or if any other legal actions occurred after
>>>>> that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>
>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff
>>>> member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally
>>>> removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did not specifically
>>>> say why.
>>>>
>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from
>>>> the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the
>>>> players complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate
>>>> behaviors caught on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>>
>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The
>>>> show did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they
>>>> would have done without being forced to.
>>>>
>>>
>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would have
>>> been the last with the traditional live finale with all the players
>>> (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how the Dan situation
>>> was explained and discussed at the finale?  I don't recall how much
>>> of the finale was spent on this, or if this was when the show
>>> announced it would be making changes as a result.
>>
>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also, I'm
>> pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the finale live.
>> Probably to avoid any controversial comments about what happened.
>>
>> IIRC, Dan was removed the game around Day 36 or so (second last
>> episode). I think CBS and the producers made their promises to make
>> changes right before the finale. Here's an article that outlines those
>> changes that's dated Dec. 17, 2019.
>>
>> https://www.thewrap.com/survivor-season-39-new-rule-dan-spilo-removal-
>> touching/
>>
>> One of the new rules is that players are supposed to respect each
>> other's personal space. Recently, I watched a podcast where a New Era
>> player (can't recall who she was) said it sucks that they're not
>> allowed to cuddle at night to keep warm. If that's off limits, then
>> why is hugging allowed? Did the players that complained about Dan say
>> the incidents happened at night at camp?
>>
>
> I presume hugging is allowed if it is consensual, which would normally
> be the case.  Maybe they are saying that cuddling at night isn't always
> strictly consensual since it sometimes involves players who are asleep,
> so they just ban it completely.  For some reason, I am reminded of that
> infamous moment in season 5 when Ghandia accused Ted of "grinding" on
> her at night.  Maybe they want to make sure something like that never
> happens again.

I understand your points about cuddling, but consensual cuddling should
be allowed in cases where the people are essentially a couple. For
example, Austin and Dee. In this week's "On Fire" podcast, Rachel asked
Jeff if they've changed the game to take into account how fast people in
the game form emotional bonds. He said they haven't. He said he thinks
the players have always formed quick emotional connections. If that's
the case, then why take away a key way in which some players might bond?
Yes, I realize that the world was nuts at the time with people seeing
every move by some men as some form of rape.

> BTW, the article said that Dan was ejected from the game because he
> touched a female crew member's leg which he said was inadvertent because
> he was trying to balance himself while boarding a boat.  I certainly
> don't want to minimize the effect of Dan's actions, but doesn't that
> seem just a bit innocuous?

It does. I'm tempted to read a review of the last part of S39 to see if
it mentions Dan being sent off to do something on his own. But if he was
boarding a boat when the incident happened, that should have been caught
on film.

--
Brian

On 5/11/2025 1:57 PM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/11/2025 12:27 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>> On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed
>>>>>>>> As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired
>>>>>>>> for cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of
>>>>>>>> the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was
>>>>>>>> dismissed as manager by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent
>>>>>>>> home shortly after, multiple sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included
>>>>>>>> bullying and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came
>>>>>>>> after an HR investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways with
>>>>>>>> the manager at the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the
>>>>>>>> Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to be
>>>>>>>> sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after
>>>>>>>> two female contestants said they were made uncomfortable by
>>>>>>>> Spilo’s touchy- feely manner. This played out before the
>>>>>>>> cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch snuffer came after a
>>>>>>>> member of the show’s crew lodged a similar complaint and Spilo
>>>>>>>> was eliminated and sent home.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer
>>>>>>>> conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a
>>>>>>>> different picture of events, noting that things quickly got
>>>>>>>> awkward in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing to
>>>>>>>> leave set of his own accord, recognizing what was best for the
>>>>>>>> project. Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d
>>>>>>>> recently been dealing with the health challenges of a family
>>>>>>>> member in Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he
>>>>>>>> was dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes
>>>>>>>> to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident,
>>>>>>>> pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from
>>>>>>>> director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List
>>>>>>>> script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a
>>>>>>>> week or two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and
>>>>>>>> following Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of
>>>>>>>> Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures and
>>>>>>>> Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec
>>>>>>>> producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg for
>>>>>>>> Nickel City.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have
>>>>>>> never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the
>>>>>>> game due to actions against a crew member which were never shown
>>>>>>> on camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout
>>>>>>> multiple episodes and he often got votes against him at TC but
>>>>>>> was never voted out because I presume players were taking him to
>>>>>>> the end as a goat who could never win.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long
>>>>>>> to take action against him (and only then because he abused a
>>>>>>> cast member) but it is also amazing to me that the players that
>>>>>>> season were willing to keep an obvious abuser around because they
>>>>>>> knew he couldn't win.  I wonder if the show many any private
>>>>>>> settlements to players in the game who had been abused (like
>>>>>>> Kellee) after the fact (similar to the "help" they gave Sue after
>>>>>>> the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any other legal
>>>>>>> actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a
>>>>>> staff member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was
>>>>>> finally removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did not
>>>>>> specifically say why.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan
>>>>>> from the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care
>>>>>> about the players complaining about Dan. Were none of his
>>>>>> inappropriate behaviors caught on camera? That seems weird to me
>>>>>> that they weren't.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The
>>>>>> show did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they
>>>>>> would have done without being forced to.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would have
>>>>> been the last with the traditional live finale with all the players
>>>>> (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how the Dan
>>>>> situation was explained and discussed at the finale?  I don't
>>>>> recall how much of the finale was spent on this, or if this was
>>>>> when the show announced it would be making changes as a result.
>>>>
>>>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also, I'm
>>>> pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the finale live.
>>>> Probably to avoid any controversial comments about what happened.
>>>>
>
> I just re-watched the relevant part of the S39 reunion show and was
> surprised that they did a full seven and a half-minute segment on this,
> which was roughly a third of the reunion show's 22-minute run-time. Yes,
> by this point in the show's history, the actual reunion part of the
> final episode was only 22 minutes excluding commercial

I must have erased a lot more of that season from my mind than I had
thought. The reunion only being 22 minutes of airtime does not surprise
me at all. It's one of the reasons I much prefer the aftershow format.

> The segment consisted of Jeff apologizing for what happened and how the
> show dealt with it, committing to the show planning changes beginning
> with the next season to be filmed, and then interviewing Kellee to get
> her perspective about what happened.  Unfortunately, Kellee was very
> nervous and had difficulty at first in articulating her points, which
> caused Jeff to cut-in a few times to help her out.  But she did make the
> point that the worst part for her was no one taking her seriously in the
> game and the fact that Dan was allowed to remain in the game for several
> episodes after she was voted out.  She also made the point (which I had
> remembered) that other players used the situation strategically to keep
> Dan in the game since they knew he would never receive any votes if he
> went to the finale.

Do we know for sure that's why the other players kept Dan around? Jeff
Varner's arguably the most vile player ever, and he never made the jury
despite playing multiple times.

> Jeff emphasized many times that the show had screwed up in how they
> handled this and he apologized to Kellee personally more than once.
> There was no real reference to the specific things Dan was alleged to
> have done (other than "inappropriate touching") and no reference at all
> to the incident with the crew member that caused his removal from the
> game.  As far as I could tell, there was no other reference to the
> situation outside of this long segment.

Did Kellee or any of the other players know at the time (during the
game) about the crew member incident?

--
Brian

On 5/11/2025 12:27 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
> On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed
>>>>>>> As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired
>>>>>>> for cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of
>>>>>>> the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was
>>>>>>> dismissed as manager by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and sent
>>>>>>> home shortly after, multiple sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included bullying
>>>>>>> and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came after an HR
>>>>>>> investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways with the manager
>>>>>>> at the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the
>>>>>>> Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to be sent
>>>>>>> home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after two
>>>>>>> female contestants said they were made uncomfortable by Spilo’s
>>>>>>> touchy- feely manner. This played out before the cameras, and
>>>>>>> Spilo survived that. The torch snuffer came after a member of the
>>>>>>> show’s crew lodged a similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated
>>>>>>> and sent home.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer
>>>>>>> conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a
>>>>>>> different picture of events, noting that things quickly got
>>>>>>> awkward in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing to
>>>>>>> leave set of his own accord, recognizing what was best for the
>>>>>>> project. Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d
>>>>>>> recently been dealing with the health challenges of a family
>>>>>>> member in Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he was
>>>>>>> dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it comes
>>>>>>> to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated incident,
>>>>>>> pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from
>>>>>>> director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List
>>>>>>> script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a
>>>>>>> week or two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and
>>>>>>> following Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of
>>>>>>> Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures and
>>>>>>> Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec
>>>>>>> producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg for Nickel
>>>>>>> City.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have
>>>>>> never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the
>>>>>> game due to actions against a crew member which were never shown
>>>>>> on camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout
>>>>>> multiple episodes and he often got votes against him at TC but was
>>>>>> never voted out because I presume players were taking him to the
>>>>>> end as a goat who could never win.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to
>>>>>> take action against him (and only then because he abused a cast
>>>>>> member) but it is also amazing to me that the players that season
>>>>>> were willing to keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he
>>>>>> couldn't win.  I wonder if the show many any private settlements
>>>>>> to players in the game who had been abused (like Kellee) after the
>>>>>> fact (similar to the "help" they gave Sue after the incident with
>>>>>> Rich on All-Stars) or if any other legal actions occurred after
>>>>>> that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>
>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff
>>>>> member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally
>>>>> removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did not
>>>>> specifically say why.
>>>>>
>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from
>>>>> the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about
>>>>> the players complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate
>>>>> behaviors caught on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>>>
>>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The
>>>>> show did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they
>>>>> would have done without being forced to.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would have
>>>> been the last with the traditional live finale with all the players
>>>> (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how the Dan situation
>>>> was explained and discussed at the finale?  I don't recall how much
>>>> of the finale was spent on this, or if this was when the show
>>>> announced it would be making changes as a result.
>>>
>>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also, I'm
>>> pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the finale live.
>>> Probably to avoid any controversial comments about what happened.
>>>

I just re-watched the relevant part of the S39 reunion show and was
surprised that they did a full seven and a half-minute segment on this,
which was roughly a third of the reunion show's 22-minute run-time.
Yes, by this point in the show's history, the actual reunion part of the
final episode was only 22 minutes excluding commercial

The segment consisted of Jeff apologizing for what happened and how the
show dealt with it, committing to the show planning changes beginning
with the next season to be filmed, and then interviewing Kellee to get
her perspective about what happened.  Unfortunately, Kellee was very
nervous and had difficulty at first in articulating her points, which
caused Jeff to cut-in a few times to help her out.  But she did make the
point that the worst part for her was no one taking her seriously in the
game and the fact that Dan was allowed to remain in the game for several
episodes after she was voted out.  She also made the point (which I had
remembered) that other players used the situation strategically to keep
Dan in the game since they knew he would never receive any votes if he
went to the finale.

Jeff emphasized many times that the show had screwed up in how they
handled this and he apologized to Kellee personally more than once.
There was no real reference to the specific things Dan was alleged to
have done (other than "inappropriate touching") and no reference at all
to the incident with the crew member that caused his removal from the
game.  As far as I could tell, there was no other reference to the
situation outside of this long segment.

>>> IIRC, Dan was removed the game around Day 36 or so (second last
>>> episode). I think CBS and the producers made their promises to make
>>> changes right before the finale. Here's an article that outlines
>>> those changes that's dated Dec. 17, 2019.
>>>
>>> https://www.thewrap.com/survivor-season-39-new-rule-dan-spilo-removal- touching/
>>>
>>> One of the new rules is that players are supposed to respect each
>>> other's personal space. Recently, I watched a podcast where a New Era
>>> player (can't recall who she was) said it sucks that they're not
>>> allowed to cuddle at night to keep warm. If that's off limits, then
>>> why is hugging allowed? Did the players that complained about Dan say
>>> the incidents happened at night at camp?
>>>
>>
>> I presume hugging is allowed if it is consensual, which would normally
>> be the case.  Maybe they are saying that cuddling at night isn't
>> always strictly consensual since it sometimes involves players who are
>> asleep, so they just ban it completely.  For some reason, I am
>> reminded of that infamous moment in season 5 when Ghandia accused Ted
>> of "grinding" on her at night.  Maybe they want to make sure something
>> like that never happens again.
>
> I understand your points about cuddling, but consensual cuddling should
> be allowed in cases where the people are essentially a couple. For
> example, Austin and Dee. In this week's "On Fire" podcast, Rachel asked
> Jeff if they've changed the game to take into account how fast people in
> the game form emotional bonds. He said they haven't. He said he thinks
> the players have always formed quick emotional connections. If that's
> the case, then why take away a key way in which some players might bond?
> Yes, I realize that the world was nuts at the time with people seeing
> every move by some men as some form of rape.
>
>> BTW, the article said that Dan was ejected from the game because he
>> touched a female crew member's leg which he said was inadvertent
>> because he was trying to balance himself while boarding a boat.  I
>> certainly don't want to minimize the effect of Dan's actions, but
>> doesn't that seem just a bit innocuous?
>
> It does. I'm tempted to read a review of the last part of S39 to see if
> it mentions Dan being sent off to do something on his own. But if he was
> boarding a boat when the incident happened, that should have been caught
> on film.
>

On 5/11/2025 4:27 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
> On 5/11/2025 1:57 PM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/11/2025 12:27 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>> On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ &
>>>>>>>>> Dismissed As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On
>>>>>>>>> Australian Set
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was fired
>>>>>>>>> for cause after at least one incident on the Australian set of
>>>>>>>>> the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently was
>>>>>>>>> dismissed as manager by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson, and
>>>>>>>>> sent home shortly after, multiple sources have confirmed to
>>>>>>>>> Deadline.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included
>>>>>>>>> bullying and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came
>>>>>>>>> after an HR investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways
>>>>>>>>> with the manager at the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of the
>>>>>>>>> Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to be
>>>>>>>>> sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came after
>>>>>>>>> two female contestants said they were made uncomfortable by
>>>>>>>>> Spilo’s touchy- feely manner. This played out before the
>>>>>>>>> cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch snuffer came after
>>>>>>>>> a member of the show’s crew lodged a similar complaint and
>>>>>>>>> Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer
>>>>>>>>> conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a
>>>>>>>>> different picture of events, noting that things quickly got
>>>>>>>>> awkward in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing
>>>>>>>>> to leave set of his own accord, recognizing what was best for
>>>>>>>>> the project. Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d
>>>>>>>>> recently been dealing with the health challenges of a family
>>>>>>>>> member in Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he
>>>>>>>>> was dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it
>>>>>>>>> comes to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated
>>>>>>>>> incident, pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from
>>>>>>>>> director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List
>>>>>>>>> script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has a
>>>>>>>>> week or two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and
>>>>>>>>> following Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of
>>>>>>>>> Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures
>>>>>>>>> and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is
>>>>>>>>> exec producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg for
>>>>>>>>> Nickel City.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and
>>>>>>>> have never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed
>>>>>>>> from the game due to actions against a crew member which were
>>>>>>>> never shown on camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was
>>>>>>>> discussed throughout multiple episodes and he often got votes
>>>>>>>> against him at TC but was never voted out because I presume
>>>>>>>> players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never win.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long
>>>>>>>> to take action against him (and only then because he abused a
>>>>>>>> cast member) but it is also amazing to me that the players that
>>>>>>>> season were willing to keep an obvious abuser around because
>>>>>>>> they knew he couldn't win.  I wonder if the show many any
>>>>>>>> private settlements to players in the game who had been abused
>>>>>>>> (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the "help" they gave
>>>>>>>> Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any other
>>>>>>>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a
>>>>>>> staff member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was
>>>>>>> finally removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did not
>>>>>>> specifically say why.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan
>>>>>>> from the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care
>>>>>>> about the players complaining about Dan. Were none of his
>>>>>>> inappropriate behaviors caught on camera? That seems weird to me
>>>>>>> that they weren't.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The
>>>>>>> show did make some big changes right after that which I doubt
>>>>>>> they would have done without being forced to.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would
>>>>>> have been the last with the traditional live finale with all the
>>>>>> players (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how the Dan
>>>>>> situation was explained and discussed at the finale?  I don't
>>>>>> recall how much of the finale was spent on this, or if this was
>>>>>> when the show announced it would be making changes as a result.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also, I'm
>>>>> pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the finale live.
>>>>> Probably to avoid any controversial comments about what happened.
>>>>>
>>
>> I just re-watched the relevant part of the S39 reunion show and was
>> surprised that they did a full seven and a half-minute segment on
>> this, which was roughly a third of the reunion show's 22-minute
>> run-time. Yes, by this point in the show's history, the actual reunion
>> part of the final episode was only 22 minutes excluding commercial
>
> I must have erased a lot more of that season from my mind than I had
> thought. The reunion only being 22 minutes of airtime does not surprise
> me at all. It's one of the reasons I much prefer the aftershow format.
>
>> The segment consisted of Jeff apologizing for what happened and how
>> the show dealt with it, committing to the show planning changes
>> beginning with the next season to be filmed, and then interviewing
>> Kellee to get her perspective about what happened.  Unfortunately,
>> Kellee was very nervous and had difficulty at first in articulating
>> her points, which caused Jeff to cut-in a few times to help her out.
>> But she did make the point that the worst part for her was no one
>> taking her seriously in the game and the fact that Dan was allowed to
>> remain in the game for several episodes after she was voted out.  She
>> also made the point (which I had remembered) that other players used
>> the situation strategically to keep Dan in the game since they knew he
>> would never receive any votes if he went to the finale.
>
> Do we know for sure that's why the other players kept Dan around? Jeff
> Varner's arguably the most vile player ever, and he never made the jury
> despite playing multiple times.
>

Yes, other players mentioned that they wanted to keep Dan in the game
for strategic reasons because they knew he couldn't win.

I don't know that Jeff was the most vile player ever.  He had one really
bad moment, which was when he outed Zeke as a trans person at a TC, and
he was voted out shortly thereafter without an actual vote but rather a
sort of unanimous agreement by the other players.  If I'm remembering
right, Zeke had actually outed himself years earlier in a college
publication, but this fact was apparently not known to the other players
other than Jeff.  Prior to this moment, I don't recall Jeff being
intensely disliked or hated by the other players.  I'd argue Russell and
his nephew were much more disliked.  Maybe Richard Hatch as well.



>> Jeff emphasized many times that the show had screwed up in how they
>> handled this and he apologized to Kellee personally more than once.
>> There was no real reference to the specific things Dan was alleged to
>> have done (other than "inappropriate touching") and no reference at
>> all to the incident with the crew member that caused his removal from
>> the game.  As far as I could tell, there was no other reference to the
>> situation outside of this long segment.
>
> Did Kellee or any of the other players know at the time (during the
> game) about the crew member incident?
>

I don't think so.  When Jeff came over to inform everyone that Dan was
out of the game, he did not reference the crew member incident.  I think
that came out after the episode aired through reporting by EW or someone
rather than a formal show announcement.

On Sat, 10 May 2025 12:12:36 -0600, Brian Smith
<dcg_brian@hotmail.com> wrote:

>On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>
>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>

>>
>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have never
>> re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game due to
>> actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.  I also
>> recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes and he
>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
>> presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never win.
>>
>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to take
>> action against him (and only then because he abused a cast member) but
>> it is also amazing to me that the players that season were willing to
>> keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
>> wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in the game
>> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the "help"
>> they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any other
>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>
> From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in confessionals
>of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was never
>mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the game, I'm
>pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>
>You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from the
>game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the players
>complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors caught
>on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.

My assumption would be that the actions were caught but not shown as
it didn't go along with the story they wanted to tell. As for the show
not evicting the guy when he misbehaved (or whatever he did) with
other cast mates, my assumption would be the producers wanted to let
the cast decide. They could vote him out at any time and so they had
the power. Where has with a member of staff the only people with the
power were the producers.

>I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The show
>did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they would have
>done without being forced to.

Certainly possible but unlikely they would ever admit to it.

On 5/11/2025 9:52 PM, shawn wrote:
> On Sat, 10 May 2025 12:12:36 -0600, Brian Smith
> <dcg_brian@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>
>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>
>
>>>
>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have never
>>> re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game due to
>>> actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.  I also
>>> recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes and he
>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
>>> presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never win.
>>>
>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to take
>>> action against him (and only then because he abused a cast member) but
>>> it is also amazing to me that the players that season were willing to
>>> keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
>>> wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in the game
>>> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the "help"
>>> they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any other
>>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>
>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in confessionals
>> of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was never
>> mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the game, I'm
>> pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>>
>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from the
>> game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the players
>> complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors caught
>> on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>
> My assumption would be that the actions were caught but not shown as
> it didn't go along with the story they wanted to tell. As for the show
> not evicting the guy when he misbehaved (or whatever he did) with
> other cast mates, my assumption would be the producers wanted to let
> the cast decide. They could vote him out at any time and so they had
> the power. Where has with a member of staff the only people with the
> power were the producers.
>

An example which Kellee talked about to other players where he was
fondling her hair and then following her is shown at the start of this clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXo_w0DYCnI


>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The show
>> did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they would have
>> done without being forced to.
>
> Certainly possible but unlikely they would ever admit to it.

On 5/11/2025 8:32 PM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/11/2025 9:52 PM, shawn wrote:
>> On Sat, 10 May 2025 12:12:36 -0600, Brian Smith
>> <dcg_brian@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>
>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>
>>
>>>>
>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have never
>>>> re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game due to
>>>> actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.  I also
>>>> recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes and he
>>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
>>>> presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never
>>>> win.
>>>>
>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to take
>>>> action against him (and only then because he abused a cast member) but
>>>> it is also amazing to me that the players that season were willing to
>>>> keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
>>>> wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in the game
>>>> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the "help"
>>>> they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any
>>>> other
>>>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>
>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in confessionals
>>> of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was never
>>> mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the game, I'm
>>> pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>>>
>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from the
>>> game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the players
>>> complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors caught
>>> on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>
>> My assumption would be that the actions were caught but not shown as
>> it didn't go along with the story they wanted to tell. As for the show
>> not evicting the guy when he misbehaved (or whatever he did) with
>> other cast mates, my assumption would be the producers wanted to let
>> the cast decide. They could vote him out at any time and so they had
>> the power. Where has with a member of staff the only people with the
>> power were the producers.
>>
>
> An example which Kellee talked about to other players where he was
> fondling her hair and then following her is shown at the start of this
> clip.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXo_w0DYCnI

Dan was a victim of the Me-Too hysteria of the time. If the same thing
happened now, nothing would be said.

--
Brian

On 5/11/2025 9:52 PM, shawn wrote:
> On Sat, 10 May 2025 12:12:36 -0600, Brian Smith
> <dcg_brian@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>
>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>
>
>>>
>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have never
>>> re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game due to
>>> actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.  I also
>>> recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes and he
>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
>>> presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never win.
>>>
>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to take
>>> action against him (and only then because he abused a cast member) but
>>> it is also amazing to me that the players that season were willing to
>>> keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
>>> wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in the game
>>> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the "help"
>>> they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any other
>>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>
>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in confessionals
>> of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was never
>> mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the game, I'm
>> pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>>
>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from the
>> game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the players
>> complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors caught
>> on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>
> My assumption would be that the actions were caught but not shown as
> it didn't go along with the story they wanted to tell. As for the show
> not evicting the guy when he misbehaved (or whatever he did) with
> other cast mates, my assumption would be the producers wanted to let
> the cast decide. They could vote him out at any time and so they had
> the power. Where has with a member of staff the only people with the
> power were the producers.
>

Also, watch this and you'll see where she told another player about Dan
putting his hands on her hair.  Go to about the 45 sec mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v¼xrcWOLqeM


>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The show
>> did make some big changes right after that which I doubt they would have
>> done without being forced to.
>
> Certainly possible but unlikely they would ever admit to it.

On 5/11/2025 5:22 PM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/11/2025 4:27 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>> On 5/11/2025 1:57 PM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/11/2025 12:27 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>> On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ &
>>>>>>>>>> Dismissed As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On
>>>>>>>>>> Australian Set
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was
>>>>>>>>>> fired for cause after at least one incident on the Australian
>>>>>>>>>> set of the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently
>>>>>>>>>> was dismissed as manager by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson,
>>>>>>>>>> and sent home shortly after, multiple sources have confirmed
>>>>>>>>>> to Deadline.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included
>>>>>>>>>> bullying and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came
>>>>>>>>>> after an HR investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways
>>>>>>>>>> with the manager at the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of
>>>>>>>>>> the Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to
>>>>>>>>>> be sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came
>>>>>>>>>> after two female contestants said they were made uncomfortable
>>>>>>>>>> by Spilo’s touchy- feely manner. This played out before the
>>>>>>>>>> cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch snuffer came after
>>>>>>>>>> a member of the show’s crew lodged a similar complaint and
>>>>>>>>>> Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer
>>>>>>>>>> conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a
>>>>>>>>>> different picture of events, noting that things quickly got
>>>>>>>>>> awkward in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing
>>>>>>>>>> to leave set of his own accord, recognizing what was best for
>>>>>>>>>> the project. Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d
>>>>>>>>>> recently been dealing with the health challenges of a family
>>>>>>>>>> member in Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he
>>>>>>>>>> was dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it
>>>>>>>>>> comes to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated
>>>>>>>>>> incident, pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one example.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from
>>>>>>>>>> director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List
>>>>>>>>>> script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has
>>>>>>>>>> a week or two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and
>>>>>>>>>> following Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of
>>>>>>>>>> Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures
>>>>>>>>>> and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey
>>>>>>>>>> is exec producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg
>>>>>>>>>> for Nickel City.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and
>>>>>>>>> have never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed
>>>>>>>>> from the game due to actions against a crew member which were
>>>>>>>>> never shown on camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was
>>>>>>>>> discussed throughout multiple episodes and he often got votes
>>>>>>>>> against him at TC but was never voted out because I presume
>>>>>>>>> players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never win.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long
>>>>>>>>> to take action against him (and only then because he abused a
>>>>>>>>> cast member) but it is also amazing to me that the players that
>>>>>>>>> season were willing to keep an obvious abuser around because
>>>>>>>>> they knew he couldn't win.  I wonder if the show many any
>>>>>>>>> private settlements to players in the game who had been abused
>>>>>>>>> (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the "help" they gave
>>>>>>>>> Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any other
>>>>>>>>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's
>>>>>>>>> actions.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a
>>>>>>>> staff member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was
>>>>>>>> finally removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did not
>>>>>>>> specifically say why.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan
>>>>>>>> from the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care
>>>>>>>> about the players complaining about Dan. Were none of his
>>>>>>>> inappropriate behaviors caught on camera? That seems weird to me
>>>>>>>> that they weren't.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached. The
>>>>>>>> show did make some big changes right after that which I doubt
>>>>>>>> they would have done without being forced to.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would
>>>>>>> have been the last with the traditional live finale with all the
>>>>>>> players (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how the
>>>>>>> Dan situation was explained and discussed at the finale?  I don't
>>>>>>> recall how much of the finale was spent on this, or if this was
>>>>>>> when the show announced it would be making changes as a result.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also, I'm
>>>>>> pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the finale live.
>>>>>> Probably to avoid any controversial comments about what happened.
>>>>>>
>>>
>>> I just re-watched the relevant part of the S39 reunion show and was
>>> surprised that they did a full seven and a half-minute segment on
>>> this, which was roughly a third of the reunion show's 22-minute run-
>>> time. Yes, by this point in the show's history, the actual reunion
>>> part of the final episode was only 22 minutes excluding commercial
>>
>> I must have erased a lot more of that season from my mind than I had
>> thought. The reunion only being 22 minutes of airtime does not
>> surprise me at all. It's one of the reasons I much prefer the
>> aftershow format.
>>
>>> The segment consisted of Jeff apologizing for what happened and how
>>> the show dealt with it, committing to the show planning changes
>>> beginning with the next season to be filmed, and then interviewing
>>> Kellee to get her perspective about what happened.  Unfortunately,
>>> Kellee was very nervous and had difficulty at first in articulating
>>> her points, which caused Jeff to cut-in a few times to help her out.
>>> But she did make the point that the worst part for her was no one
>>> taking her seriously in the game and the fact that Dan was allowed to
>>> remain in the game for several episodes after she was voted out.  She
>>> also made the point (which I had remembered) that other players used
>>> the situation strategically to keep Dan in the game since they knew
>>> he would never receive any votes if he went to the finale.
>>
>> Do we know for sure that's why the other players kept Dan around? Jeff
>> Varner's arguably the most vile player ever, and he never made the
>> jury despite playing multiple times.
>>
>
> Yes, other players mentioned that they wanted to keep Dan in the game
> for strategic reasons because they knew he couldn't win.
>
> I don't know that Jeff was the most vile player ever.  He had one really
> bad moment, which was when he outed Zeke as a trans person at a TC, and
> he was voted out shortly thereafter without an actual vote but rather a
> sort of unanimous agreement by the other players.  If I'm remembering
> right, Zeke had actually outed himself years earlier in a college
> publication, but this fact was apparently not known to the other players
> other than Jeff.  Prior to this moment, I don't recall Jeff being
> intensely disliked or hated by the other players.  I'd argue Russell and
> his nephew were much more disliked.  Maybe Richard Hatch as well.

According to this list, Varner is the most hated Survivor. After this
incident, it's possible Dan will move from #2 to #1. I would also expect
Bhanu to make the list.

https://screenrant.com/the-most-hated-survivor-villains-ranked/

--
Brian

On 5/12/2025 12:48 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
> On 5/11/2025 5:22 PM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/11/2025 4:27 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>> On 5/11/2025 1:57 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>> On 5/11/2025 12:27 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>> On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ &
>>>>>>>>>>> Dismissed As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On
>>>>>>>>>>> Australian Set
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was
>>>>>>>>>>> fired for cause after at least one incident on the Australian
>>>>>>>>>>> set of the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo subsequently
>>>>>>>>>>> was dismissed as manager by the film’s star, Alan Ritchson,
>>>>>>>>>>> and sent home shortly after, multiple sources have confirmed
>>>>>>>>>>> to Deadline.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included
>>>>>>>>>>> bullying and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came
>>>>>>>>>>> after an HR investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways
>>>>>>>>>>> with the manager at the same time. This all happened a week ago.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of
>>>>>>>>>>> the Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show to
>>>>>>>>>>> be sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This came
>>>>>>>>>>> after two female contestants said they were made
>>>>>>>>>>> uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy- feely manner. This played
>>>>>>>>>>> out before the cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch
>>>>>>>>>>> snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew lodged a
>>>>>>>>>>> similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer
>>>>>>>>>>> conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted a
>>>>>>>>>>> different picture of events, noting that things quickly got
>>>>>>>>>>> awkward in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo choosing
>>>>>>>>>>> to leave set of his own accord, recognizing what was best for
>>>>>>>>>>> the project. Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as
>>>>>>>>>>> he’d recently been dealing with the health challenges of a
>>>>>>>>>>> family member in Israel, which is where he set off for as
>>>>>>>>>>> soon as he was dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it
>>>>>>>>>>> comes to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated
>>>>>>>>>>> incident, pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one
>>>>>>>>>>> example.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from
>>>>>>>>>>> director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List
>>>>>>>>>>> script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still has
>>>>>>>>>>> a week or two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson, and
>>>>>>>>>>> following Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd Garner of
>>>>>>>>>>> Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures
>>>>>>>>>>> and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey
>>>>>>>>>>> is exec producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew
>>>>>>>>>>> Goldberg for Nickel City.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and
>>>>>>>>>> have never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed
>>>>>>>>>> from the game due to actions against a crew member which were
>>>>>>>>>> never shown on camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was
>>>>>>>>>> discussed throughout multiple episodes and he often got votes
>>>>>>>>>> against him at TC but was never voted out because I presume
>>>>>>>>>> players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never win.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so
>>>>>>>>>> long to take action against him (and only then because he
>>>>>>>>>> abused a cast member) but it is also amazing to me that the
>>>>>>>>>> players that season were willing to keep an obvious abuser
>>>>>>>>>> around because they knew he couldn't win.  I wonder if the
>>>>>>>>>> show many any private settlements to players in the game who
>>>>>>>>>> had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the
>>>>>>>>>> "help" they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on
>>>>>>>>>> All-Stars) or if any other legal actions occurred after that
>>>>>>>>>> season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a
>>>>>>>>> staff member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was
>>>>>>>>> finally removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did not
>>>>>>>>> specifically say why.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan
>>>>>>>>> from the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care
>>>>>>>>> about the players complaining about Dan. Were none of his
>>>>>>>>> inappropriate behaviors caught on camera? That seems weird to
>>>>>>>>> me that they weren't.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached.
>>>>>>>>> The show did make some big changes right after that which I
>>>>>>>>> doubt they would have done without being forced to.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would
>>>>>>>> have been the last with the traditional live finale with all the
>>>>>>>> players (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how the
>>>>>>>> Dan situation was explained and discussed at the finale?  I
>>>>>>>> don't recall how much of the finale was spent on this, or if
>>>>>>>> this was when the show announced it would be making changes as a
>>>>>>>> result.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also,
>>>>>>> I'm pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the finale
>>>>>>> live. Probably to avoid any controversial comments about what
>>>>>>> happened.
>>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I just re-watched the relevant part of the S39 reunion show and was
>>>> surprised that they did a full seven and a half-minute segment on
>>>> this, which was roughly a third of the reunion show's 22-minute run-
>>>> time. Yes, by this point in the show's history, the actual reunion
>>>> part of the final episode was only 22 minutes excluding commercial
>>>
>>> I must have erased a lot more of that season from my mind than I had
>>> thought. The reunion only being 22 minutes of airtime does not
>>> surprise me at all. It's one of the reasons I much prefer the
>>> aftershow format.
>>>
>>>> The segment consisted of Jeff apologizing for what happened and how
>>>> the show dealt with it, committing to the show planning changes
>>>> beginning with the next season to be filmed, and then interviewing
>>>> Kellee to get her perspective about what happened.  Unfortunately,
>>>> Kellee was very nervous and had difficulty at first in articulating
>>>> her points, which caused Jeff to cut-in a few times to help her out.
>>>> But she did make the point that the worst part for her was no one
>>>> taking her seriously in the game and the fact that Dan was allowed
>>>> to remain in the game for several episodes after she was voted out.
>>>> She also made the point (which I had remembered) that other players
>>>> used the situation strategically to keep Dan in the game since they
>>>> knew he would never receive any votes if he went to the finale.
>>>
>>> Do we know for sure that's why the other players kept Dan around?
>>> Jeff Varner's arguably the most vile player ever, and he never made
>>> the jury despite playing multiple times.
>>>
>>
>> Yes, other players mentioned that they wanted to keep Dan in the game
>> for strategic reasons because they knew he couldn't win.
>>
>> I don't know that Jeff was the most vile player ever.  He had one
>> really bad moment, which was when he outed Zeke as a trans person at a
>> TC, and he was voted out shortly thereafter without an actual vote but
>> rather a sort of unanimous agreement by the other players.  If I'm
>> remembering right, Zeke had actually outed himself years earlier in a
>> college publication, but this fact was apparently not known to the
>> other players other than Jeff.  Prior to this moment, I don't recall
>> Jeff being intensely disliked or hated by the other players.  I'd
>> argue Russell and his nephew were much more disliked.  Maybe Richard
>> Hatch as well.
>
> According to this list, Varner is the most hated Survivor. After this
> incident, it's possible Dan will move from #2 to #1. I would also expect
> Bhanu to make the list.
>
> https://screenrant.com/the-most-hated-survivor-villains-ranked/
>

That's really just the opinion of the author of this article.  There is
no indication he or she took any kind of poll or survey to compile the
list.  I don't know how widespread that view is.

I've said before that anyone with a secret like Zeke's should not go on
a show like Survivor and presume the secret won't come out.  I also
believe there's a decent chance Zeke was planning to reveal the secret
himself if he made it to Final 3.  He had already revealed it years
earlier in a college publication.

For me, there are a number of names on that list I would put well ahead
of Jeff (e.g., the notorious puppy-killer and porn star Brian Heidik).
I also note with some amusement that the author chose not to put Boston
Rob on the list, even though many people would probably list him first
as the most hated Survivor player of all time.

It's all in the eye of the beholder.

On 5/12/2025 12:39 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
> On 5/11/2025 8:32 PM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/11/2025 9:52 PM, shawn wrote:
>>> On Sat, 10 May 2025 12:12:36 -0600, Brian Smith
>>> <dcg_brian@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>>>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>>
>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>
>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have
>>>>> never
>>>>> re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game
>>>>> due to
>>>>> actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.  I
>>>>> also
>>>>> recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes
>>>>> and he
>>>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
>>>>> presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could
>>>>> never win.
>>>>>
>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to
>>>>> take
>>>>> action against him (and only then because he abused a cast member) but
>>>>> it is also amazing to me that the players that season were willing to
>>>>> keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
>>>>> wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in the game
>>>>> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the
>>>>> "help"
>>>>> they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any
>>>>> other
>>>>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>
>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>> confessionals
>>>> of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was never
>>>> mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the game, I'm
>>>> pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>>>>
>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from the
>>>> game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the
>>>> players
>>>> complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors caught
>>>> on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>
>>> My assumption would be that the actions were caught but not shown as
>>> it didn't go along with the story they wanted to tell. As for the show
>>> not evicting the guy when he misbehaved (or whatever he did) with
>>> other cast mates, my assumption would be the producers wanted to let
>>> the cast decide. They could vote him out at any time and so they had
>>> the power. Where has with a member of staff the only people with the
>>> power were the producers.
>>>
>>
>> An example which Kellee talked about to other players where he was
>> fondling her hair and then following her is shown at the start of this
>> clip.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXo_w0DYCnI
>
> Dan was a victim of the Me-Too hysteria of the time. If the same thing
> happened now, nothing would be said.
>

That's a bit unfair to Kellee, who clearly told him to stop.  One of the
things she accused him of was following her around and violating her
personal space (which we kind of see in that clip where he follows her
to the shore) and it reminds me of how Rome was doing the same to Sol.
I said at the time that Sol should have made a formal complaint to
producers about it, and I wonder if he ever did that.

On 5/12/2025 8:34 AM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/12/2025 12:39 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>> On 5/11/2025 8:32 PM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/11/2025 9:52 PM, shawn wrote:
>>>> On Sat, 10 May 2025 12:12:36 -0600, Brian Smith
>>>> <dcg_brian@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>>>>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have
>>>>>> never
>>>>>> re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game
>>>>>> due to
>>>>>> actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.  I
>>>>>> also
>>>>>> recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes
>>>>>> and he
>>>>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
>>>>>> presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could
>>>>>> never win.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long to
>>>>>> take
>>>>>> action against him (and only then because he abused a cast member)
>>>>>> but
>>>>>> it is also amazing to me that the players that season were willing to
>>>>>> keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
>>>>>> wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in the
>>>>>> game
>>>>>> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the
>>>>>> "help"
>>>>>> they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if any
>>>>>> other
>>>>>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>
>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>> confessionals
>>>>> of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was never
>>>>> mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the game,
>>>>> I'm
>>>>> pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>>>>>
>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan from
>>>>> the
>>>>> game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the
>>>>> players
>>>>> complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors caught
>>>>> on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>>
>>>> My assumption would be that the actions were caught but not shown as
>>>> it didn't go along with the story they wanted to tell. As for the show
>>>> not evicting the guy when he misbehaved (or whatever he did) with
>>>> other cast mates, my assumption would be the producers wanted to let
>>>> the cast decide. They could vote him out at any time and so they had
>>>> the power. Where has with a member of staff the only people with the
>>>> power were the producers.
>>>>
>>>
>>> An example which Kellee talked about to other players where he was
>>> fondling her hair and then following her is shown at the start of
>>> this clip.
>>>
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXo_w0DYCnI
>>
>> Dan was a victim of the Me-Too hysteria of the time. If the same thing
>> happened now, nothing would be said.
>>
>
> That's a bit unfair to Kellee, who clearly told him to stop.  One of the
> things she accused him of was following her around and violating her
> personal space (which we kind of see in that clip where he follows her
> to the shore) and it reminds me of how Rome was doing the same to Sol. I
> said at the time that Sol should have made a formal complaint to
> producers about it, and I wonder if he ever did that.

Was Dan following her around on purpose? There's no context in that
regard in the clip.The Rome/Sol stuff is a great example of how the show
doesn't enforce it's own rules or does so selectively.

After I watched that clip, YouTube of course start recommending other
related clips from that season. One of them was two of the women
(Elizabeth & ?) admitting they were exaggerating about Dan. I'd love to
know if Kellee ended up the biggest money winner that season.

--
Brian

On 5/12/2025 8:27 AM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/12/2025 12:48 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>> On 5/11/2025 5:22 PM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/11/2025 4:27 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>> On 5/11/2025 1:57 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>> On 5/11/2025 12:27 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ &
>>>>>>>>>>>> Dismissed As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents
>>>>>>>>>>>> On Australian Set
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was
>>>>>>>>>>>> fired for cause after at least one incident on the
>>>>>>>>>>>> Australian set of the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo
>>>>>>>>>>>> subsequently was dismissed as manager by the film’s star,
>>>>>>>>>>>> Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after, multiple sources
>>>>>>>>>>>> have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included
>>>>>>>>>>>> bullying and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film came
>>>>>>>>>>>> after an HR investigation, and the Reacher star parted ways
>>>>>>>>>>>> with the manager at the same time. This all happened a week
>>>>>>>>>>>> ago.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of
>>>>>>>>>>>> the Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show
>>>>>>>>>>>> to be sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This
>>>>>>>>>>>> came after two female contestants said they were made
>>>>>>>>>>>> uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy- feely manner. This played
>>>>>>>>>>>> out before the cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch
>>>>>>>>>>>> snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew lodged a
>>>>>>>>>>>> similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the producer
>>>>>>>>>>>> conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still, they painted
>>>>>>>>>>>> a different picture of events, noting that things quickly
>>>>>>>>>>>> got awkward in the aftermath of the exchange, with Spilo
>>>>>>>>>>>> choosing to leave set of his own accord, recognizing what
>>>>>>>>>>>> was best for the project. Emotions were high for Spilo,
>>>>>>>>>>>> we’re told, as he’d recently been dealing with the health
>>>>>>>>>>>> challenges of a family member in Israel, which is where he
>>>>>>>>>>>> set off for as soon as he was dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it
>>>>>>>>>>>> comes to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated
>>>>>>>>>>>> incident, pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one
>>>>>>>>>>>> example.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie from
>>>>>>>>>>>> director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black List
>>>>>>>>>>>> script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project still
>>>>>>>>>>>> has a week or two left of shooting. In addition to Ritchson,
>>>>>>>>>>>> and following Spilo’s dismissal, producers include Todd
>>>>>>>>>>>> Garner of Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano of Nickel
>>>>>>>>>>>> City Pictures and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard.
>>>>>>>>>>>> Lauren Gennawey is exec producing for Broken Road, along
>>>>>>>>>>>> with Matthew Goldberg for Nickel City.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>>>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and
>>>>>>>>>>> have never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed
>>>>>>>>>>> from the game due to actions against a crew member which were
>>>>>>>>>>> never shown on camera.  I also recall Dan's behavior was
>>>>>>>>>>> discussed throughout multiple episodes and he often got votes
>>>>>>>>>>> against him at TC but was never voted out because I presume
>>>>>>>>>>> players were taking him to the end as a goat who could never
>>>>>>>>>>> win.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so
>>>>>>>>>>> long to take action against him (and only then because he
>>>>>>>>>>> abused a cast member) but it is also amazing to me that the
>>>>>>>>>>> players that season were willing to keep an obvious abuser
>>>>>>>>>>> around because they knew he couldn't win.  I wonder if the
>>>>>>>>>>> show many any private settlements to players in the game who
>>>>>>>>>>> had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the
>>>>>>>>>>> "help" they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-
>>>>>>>>>>> Stars) or if any other legal actions occurred after that
>>>>>>>>>>> season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>>>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a
>>>>>>>>>> staff member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was
>>>>>>>>>> finally removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did
>>>>>>>>>> not specifically say why.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan
>>>>>>>>>> from the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't
>>>>>>>>>> care about the players complaining about Dan. Were none of his
>>>>>>>>>> inappropriate behaviors caught on camera? That seems weird to
>>>>>>>>>> me that they weren't.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached.
>>>>>>>>>> The show did make some big changes right after that which I
>>>>>>>>>> doubt they would have done without being forced to.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would
>>>>>>>>> have been the last with the traditional live finale with all
>>>>>>>>> the players (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how
>>>>>>>>> the Dan situation was explained and discussed at the finale?  I
>>>>>>>>> don't recall how much of the finale was spent on this, or if
>>>>>>>>> this was when the show announced it would be making changes as
>>>>>>>>> a result.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also,
>>>>>>>> I'm pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the finale
>>>>>>>> live. Probably to avoid any controversial comments about what
>>>>>>>> happened.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I just re-watched the relevant part of the S39 reunion show and was
>>>>> surprised that they did a full seven and a half-minute segment on
>>>>> this, which was roughly a third of the reunion show's 22-minute
>>>>> run- time. Yes, by this point in the show's history, the actual
>>>>> reunion part of the final episode was only 22 minutes excluding
>>>>> commercial
>>>>
>>>> I must have erased a lot more of that season from my mind than I had
>>>> thought. The reunion only being 22 minutes of airtime does not
>>>> surprise me at all. It's one of the reasons I much prefer the
>>>> aftershow format.
>>>>
>>>>> The segment consisted of Jeff apologizing for what happened and how
>>>>> the show dealt with it, committing to the show planning changes
>>>>> beginning with the next season to be filmed, and then interviewing
>>>>> Kellee to get her perspective about what happened.  Unfortunately,
>>>>> Kellee was very nervous and had difficulty at first in articulating
>>>>> her points, which caused Jeff to cut-in a few times to help her
>>>>> out. But she did make the point that the worst part for her was no
>>>>> one taking her seriously in the game and the fact that Dan was
>>>>> allowed to remain in the game for several episodes after she was
>>>>> voted out. She also made the point (which I had remembered) that
>>>>> other players used the situation strategically to keep Dan in the
>>>>> game since they knew he would never receive any votes if he went to
>>>>> the finale.
>>>>
>>>> Do we know for sure that's why the other players kept Dan around?
>>>> Jeff Varner's arguably the most vile player ever, and he never made
>>>> the jury despite playing multiple times.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Yes, other players mentioned that they wanted to keep Dan in the game
>>> for strategic reasons because they knew he couldn't win.
>>>
>>> I don't know that Jeff was the most vile player ever.  He had one
>>> really bad moment, which was when he outed Zeke as a trans person at
>>> a TC, and he was voted out shortly thereafter without an actual vote
>>> but rather a sort of unanimous agreement by the other players.  If
>>> I'm remembering right, Zeke had actually outed himself years earlier
>>> in a college publication, but this fact was apparently not known to
>>> the other players other than Jeff.  Prior to this moment, I don't
>>> recall Jeff being intensely disliked or hated by the other players.
>>> I'd argue Russell and his nephew were much more disliked.  Maybe
>>> Richard Hatch as well.
>>
>> According to this list, Varner is the most hated Survivor. After this
>> incident, it's possible Dan will move from #2 to #1. I would also
>> expect Bhanu to make the list.
>>
>> https://screenrant.com/the-most-hated-survivor-villains-ranked/
>>
>
> That's really just the opinion of the author of this article.  There is
> no indication he or she took any kind of poll or survey to compile the
> list.  I don't know how widespread that view is.

Varner's pretty hated online. I believe Eliza is the head hater.

> I've said before that anyone with a secret like Zeke's should not go on
> a show like Survivor and presume the secret won't come out.  I also
> believe there's a decent chance Zeke was planning to reveal the secret
> himself if he made it to Final 3.  He had already revealed it years
> earlier in a college publication.

Zeke's mistake was not taking down his post before going on the show. If
he had done that, Varner never would have said a word.

> For me, there are a number of names on that list I would put well ahead
> of Jeff (e.g., the notorious puppy-killer and porn star Brian Heidik). I
> also note with some amusement that the author chose not to put Boston
> Rob on the list, even though many people would probably list him first
> as the most hated Survivor player of all time.
>
> It's all in the eye of the beholder.

You probably need two lists. One for game-related incidents and one for
real life stuff. Some people seem to hate certain players for very
strange reasons. I'd like to see a poll done focusing on just New Era
players.

--
Brian

On 5/12/2025 1:58 PM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/12/2025 3:44 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>> On 5/12/2025 8:27 AM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/12/2025 12:48 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>> On 5/11/2025 5:22 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>> On 5/11/2025 4:27 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/11/2025 1:57 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/11/2025 12:27 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ &
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dismissed As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Australian Set
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> fired for cause after at least one incident on the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Australian set of the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> subsequently was dismissed as manager by the film’s star,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after, multiple
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> bullying and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> came after an HR investigation, and the Reacher star
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> parted ways with the manager at the same time. This all
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> happened a week ago.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of the Idols, when he became the first contestant on the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> show to be sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This came after two female contestants said they were made
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy- feely manner. This played
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> out before the cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew lodged a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> producer conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> they painted a different picture of events, noting that
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> things quickly got awkward in the aftermath of the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set of his own
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> accord, recognizing what was best for the project.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d recently
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> been dealing with the health challenges of a family member
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> in Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he was
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> comes to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> isolated incident, pointing to his exit from Survivor as
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> just one example.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> from director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Black List script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> project still has a week or two left of shooting. In
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> addition to Ritchson, and following Spilo’s dismissal,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> producers include Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures and Jeffrey Greenstein
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec producing
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg for Nickel City.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind
>>>>>>>>>>>>> and have never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was
>>>>>>>>>>>>> removed from the game due to actions against a crew member
>>>>>>>>>>>>> which were never shown on camera.  I also recall Dan's
>>>>>>>>>>>>> behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes and he
>>>>>>>>>>>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out
>>>>>>>>>>>>> because I presume players were taking him to the end as a
>>>>>>>>>>>>> goat who could never win.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so
>>>>>>>>>>>>> long to take action against him (and only then because he
>>>>>>>>>>>>> abused a cast member) but it is also amazing to me that the
>>>>>>>>>>>>> players that season were willing to keep an obvious abuser
>>>>>>>>>>>>> around because they knew he couldn't win.  I wonder if the
>>>>>>>>>>>>> show many any private settlements to players in the game
>>>>>>>>>>>>> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar
>>>>>>>>>>>>> to the "help" they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on
>>>>>>>>>>>>> All- Stars) or if any other legal actions occurred after
>>>>>>>>>>>>> that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>>>>>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to
>>>>>>>>>>>> a staff member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan
>>>>>>>>>>>> was finally removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show
>>>>>>>>>>>> did not specifically say why.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove
>>>>>>>>>>>> Dan from the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they
>>>>>>>>>>>> didn't care about the players complaining about Dan. Were
>>>>>>>>>>>> none of his inappropriate behaviors caught on camera? That
>>>>>>>>>>>> seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached.
>>>>>>>>>>>> The show did make some big changes right after that which I
>>>>>>>>>>>> doubt they would have done without being forced to.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it
>>>>>>>>>>> would have been the last with the traditional live finale
>>>>>>>>>>> with all the players (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone
>>>>>>>>>>> recall how the Dan situation was explained and discussed at
>>>>>>>>>>> the finale? I don't recall how much of the finale was spent
>>>>>>>>>>> on this, or if this was when the show announced it would be
>>>>>>>>>>> making changes as a result.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also,
>>>>>>>>>> I'm pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the
>>>>>>>>>> finale live. Probably to avoid any controversial comments
>>>>>>>>>> about what happened.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I just re-watched the relevant part of the S39 reunion show and
>>>>>>> was surprised that they did a full seven and a half-minute
>>>>>>> segment on this, which was roughly a third of the reunion show's
>>>>>>> 22-minute run- time. Yes, by this point in the show's history,
>>>>>>> the actual reunion part of the final episode was only 22 minutes
>>>>>>> excluding commercial
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I must have erased a lot more of that season from my mind than I
>>>>>> had thought. The reunion only being 22 minutes of airtime does not
>>>>>> surprise me at all. It's one of the reasons I much prefer the
>>>>>> aftershow format.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The segment consisted of Jeff apologizing for what happened and
>>>>>>> how the show dealt with it, committing to the show planning
>>>>>>> changes beginning with the next season to be filmed, and then
>>>>>>> interviewing Kellee to get her perspective about what happened.
>>>>>>> Unfortunately, Kellee was very nervous and had difficulty at
>>>>>>> first in articulating her points, which caused Jeff to cut-in a
>>>>>>> few times to help her out. But she did make the point that the
>>>>>>> worst part for her was no one taking her seriously in the game
>>>>>>> and the fact that Dan was allowed to remain in the game for
>>>>>>> several episodes after she was voted out. She also made the point
>>>>>>> (which I had remembered) that other players used the situation
>>>>>>> strategically to keep Dan in the game since they knew he would
>>>>>>> never receive any votes if he went to the finale.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Do we know for sure that's why the other players kept Dan around?
>>>>>> Jeff Varner's arguably the most vile player ever, and he never
>>>>>> made the jury despite playing multiple times.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes, other players mentioned that they wanted to keep Dan in the
>>>>> game for strategic reasons because they knew he couldn't win.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't know that Jeff was the most vile player ever.  He had one
>>>>> really bad moment, which was when he outed Zeke as a trans person
>>>>> at a TC, and he was voted out shortly thereafter without an actual
>>>>> vote but rather a sort of unanimous agreement by the other
>>>>> players.  If I'm remembering right, Zeke had actually outed himself
>>>>> years earlier in a college publication, but this fact was
>>>>> apparently not known to the other players other than Jeff.  Prior
>>>>> to this moment, I don't recall Jeff being intensely disliked or
>>>>> hated by the other players. I'd argue Russell and his nephew were
>>>>> much more disliked.  Maybe Richard Hatch as well.
>>>>
>>>> According to this list, Varner is the most hated Survivor. After
>>>> this incident, it's possible Dan will move from #2 to #1. I would
>>>> also expect Bhanu to make the list.
>>>>
>>>> https://screenrant.com/the-most-hated-survivor-villains-ranked/
>>>>
>>>
>>> That's really just the opinion of the author of this article.  There
>>> is no indication he or she took any kind of poll or survey to compile
>>> the list.  I don't know how widespread that view is.
>>
>> Varner's pretty hated online. I believe Eliza is the head hater.
>>
>>> I've said before that anyone with a secret like Zeke's should not go
>>> on a show like Survivor and presume the secret won't come out.  I
>>> also believe there's a decent chance Zeke was planning to reveal the
>>> secret himself if he made it to Final 3.  He had already revealed it
>>> years earlier in a college publication.
>>
>> Zeke's mistake was not taking down his post before going on the show.
>> If he had done that, Varner never would have said a word.
>>
>>> For me, there are a number of names on that list I would put well
>>> ahead of Jeff (e.g., the notorious puppy-killer and porn star Brian
>>> Heidik). I also note with some amusement that the author chose not to
>>> put Boston Rob on the list, even though many people would probably
>>> list him first as the most hated Survivor player of all time.
>>>
>>> It's all in the eye of the beholder.
>>
>> You probably need two lists. One for game-related incidents and one
>> for real life stuff. Some people seem to hate certain players for very
>> strange reasons. I'd like to see a poll done focusing on just New Era
>> players.
>>
>
> Mike Skupin is definitely someone a lot of people now hate because of
> incidents that occurred outside the game.

And for good reason.

> A New Era most-hated list would be interesting.  You've mentioned Bhanu,
> but for a lot of viewers, he probably comes across as more pathetic than
> really someone worth hating.   You've also mentioned Carson before, but
> that's another person like Skupin who would be on there for out-of-game
> activities that I suspect many fans wouldn't even know about.
>
> I think I would personally put Rome high up on the New Era list because
> I really detested the way he played.

Rome would be on my list as well. Karla and Drea would also be on my
list. Gabler would be on a lot of people's lists, but not mine.

--
Brian

On 5/12/2025 2:08 PM, Rick wrote:
> On 5/12/2025 3:30 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>> On 5/12/2025 8:34 AM, Rick wrote:
>>> On 5/12/2025 12:39 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>> On 5/11/2025 8:32 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>> On 5/11/2025 9:52 PM, shawn wrote:
>>>>>> On Sat, 10 May 2025 12:12:36 -0600, Brian Smith
>>>>>> <dcg_brian@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ &
>>>>>>>>> Dismissed As
>>>>>>>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and
>>>>>>>> have never
>>>>>>>> re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game
>>>>>>>> due to
>>>>>>>> actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.
>>>>>>>> I also
>>>>>>>> recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes
>>>>>>>> and he
>>>>>>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
>>>>>>>> presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could
>>>>>>>> never win.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long
>>>>>>>> to take
>>>>>>>> action against him (and only then because he abused a cast
>>>>>>>> member) but
>>>>>>>> it is also amazing to me that the players that season were
>>>>>>>> willing to
>>>>>>>> keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
>>>>>>>> wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in
>>>>>>>> the game
>>>>>>>> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the
>>>>>>>> "help"
>>>>>>>> they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if
>>>>>>>> any other
>>>>>>>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>>> confessionals
>>>>>>> of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was
>>>>>>> never
>>>>>>> mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the
>>>>>>> game, I'm
>>>>>>> pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan
>>>>>>> from the
>>>>>>> game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the
>>>>>>> players
>>>>>>> complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors
>>>>>>> caught
>>>>>>> on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My assumption would be that the actions were caught but not shown as
>>>>>> it didn't go along with the story they wanted to tell. As for the
>>>>>> show
>>>>>> not evicting the guy when he misbehaved (or whatever he did) with
>>>>>> other cast mates, my assumption would be the producers wanted to let
>>>>>> the cast decide. They could vote him out at any time and so they had
>>>>>> the power. Where has with a member of staff the only people with the
>>>>>> power were the producers.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> An example which Kellee talked about to other players where he was
>>>>> fondling her hair and then following her is shown at the start of
>>>>> this clip.
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXo_w0DYCnI
>>>>
>>>> Dan was a victim of the Me-Too hysteria of the time. If the same
>>>> thing happened now, nothing would be said.
>>>>
>>>
>>> That's a bit unfair to Kellee, who clearly told him to stop.  One of
>>> the things she accused him of was following her around and violating
>>> her personal space (which we kind of see in that clip where he
>>> follows her to the shore) and it reminds me of how Rome was doing the
>>> same to Sol. I said at the time that Sol should have made a formal
>>> complaint to producers about it, and I wonder if he ever did that.
>>
>> Was Dan following her around on purpose? There's no context in that
>> regard in the clip.The Rome/Sol stuff is a great example of how the
>> show doesn't enforce it's own rules or does so selectively.
>>
>> After I watched that clip, YouTube of course start recommending other
>> related clips from that season. One of them was two of the women
>> (Elizabeth & ?) admitting they were exaggerating about Dan. I'd love
>> to know if Kellee ended up the biggest money winner that season.
>>
>
> I think it is definitely possible if not likely that the show made some
> kind of cash settlement to Kellee to keep her from suing.  I tried to
> see what she is doing nowadays and can find nothing of significance.

I found something in an article from last year on what the S39 cast is
doing now.

Kellee Kim, the former Vice President of Life Science & Healthcare at
Lincoln Property Company, has taken a transformative path toward
activism. According to the LA Times, Kellee has aligned herself with
Time’s Up, working closely with prominent attorney Debra Katz through
its Legal Defense Fund. Engaging in public speaking engagements and
fundraising activities, Kellee aims to contribute to Time’s Up by
providing crucial resources and support to others. Despite her
high-profile career, Kellee opts to keep her personal life private,
maintaining a minimal presence on social media.

https://thecinemaholic.com/survivor-39/

Now I wish I could recall more about S39. Did the others now Dan was a
film producer?

> I do think her complaints were valid, and I think other players were
> clearly uncomfortable with Dan.  I haven't rewatched any episodes from
> that season, but I do recall Dan did seem to be a bit of a sleazeball.
> The fact that the show took things as seriously as they did, including
> kicking Dan off the show and having Jeff apologize publicly, etc., and
> making all those supposed changes, makes me think there was definitely
> something there.  But I also think they have been wildly inconsistent in
> their enforcement, as shown by their apparent ignoring of the Sol
> situation.

It's true that the show talked to the women making the complaints and
officially warned Dan, but it's pretty clear that Dan would have been
able to finish the game if it wasn't for the crew member filing a
complaint. Has the show ever booted a player because of "bad" behavior?

--
Brian

On 5/12/2025 3:44 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
> On 5/12/2025 8:27 AM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/12/2025 12:48 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>> On 5/11/2025 5:22 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>> On 5/11/2025 4:27 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>> On 5/11/2025 1:57 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/11/2025 12:27 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ &
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dismissed As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Australian Set
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was
>>>>>>>>>>>>> fired for cause after at least one incident on the
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Australian set of the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo
>>>>>>>>>>>>> subsequently was dismissed as manager by the film’s star,
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after, multiple
>>>>>>>>>>>>> sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included
>>>>>>>>>>>>> bullying and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film
>>>>>>>>>>>>> came after an HR investigation, and the Reacher star parted
>>>>>>>>>>>>> ways with the manager at the same time. This all happened a
>>>>>>>>>>>>> week ago.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island of
>>>>>>>>>>>>> the Idols, when he became the first contestant on the show
>>>>>>>>>>>>> to be sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior. This
>>>>>>>>>>>>> came after two female contestants said they were made
>>>>>>>>>>>>> uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy- feely manner. This played
>>>>>>>>>>>>> out before the cameras, and Spilo survived that. The torch
>>>>>>>>>>>>> snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew lodged a
>>>>>>>>>>>>> similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and sent home.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the
>>>>>>>>>>>>> producer conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still,
>>>>>>>>>>>>> they painted a different picture of events, noting that
>>>>>>>>>>>>> things quickly got awkward in the aftermath of the
>>>>>>>>>>>>> exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set of his own
>>>>>>>>>>>>> accord, recognizing what was best for the project. Emotions
>>>>>>>>>>>>> were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d recently been
>>>>>>>>>>>>> dealing with the health challenges of a family member in
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Israel, which is where he set off for as soon as he was
>>>>>>>>>>>>> dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when it
>>>>>>>>>>>>> comes to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an isolated
>>>>>>>>>>>>> incident, pointing to his exit from Survivor as just one
>>>>>>>>>>>>> example.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie
>>>>>>>>>>>>> from director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023 Black
>>>>>>>>>>>>> List script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The project
>>>>>>>>>>>>> still has a week or two left of shooting. In addition to
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ritchson, and following Spilo’s dismissal, producers
>>>>>>>>>>>>> include Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions, Mark Fasano
>>>>>>>>>>>>> of Nickel City Pictures and Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec producing for Broken
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Road, along with Matthew Goldberg for Nickel City.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Source: https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>>>>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and
>>>>>>>>>>>> have never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was
>>>>>>>>>>>> removed from the game due to actions against a crew member
>>>>>>>>>>>> which were never shown on camera.  I also recall Dan's
>>>>>>>>>>>> behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes and he
>>>>>>>>>>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out
>>>>>>>>>>>> because I presume players were taking him to the end as a
>>>>>>>>>>>> goat who could never win.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so
>>>>>>>>>>>> long to take action against him (and only then because he
>>>>>>>>>>>> abused a cast member) but it is also amazing to me that the
>>>>>>>>>>>> players that season were willing to keep an obvious abuser
>>>>>>>>>>>> around because they knew he couldn't win.  I wonder if the
>>>>>>>>>>>> show many any private settlements to players in the game who
>>>>>>>>>>>> had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the
>>>>>>>>>>>> "help" they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-
>>>>>>>>>>>> Stars) or if any other legal actions occurred after that
>>>>>>>>>>>> season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>>>>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a
>>>>>>>>>>> staff member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan was
>>>>>>>>>>> finally removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show did
>>>>>>>>>>> not specifically say why.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove
>>>>>>>>>>> Dan from the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they
>>>>>>>>>>> didn't care about the players complaining about Dan. Were
>>>>>>>>>>> none of his inappropriate behaviors caught on camera? That
>>>>>>>>>>> seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were reached.
>>>>>>>>>>> The show did make some big changes right after that which I
>>>>>>>>>>> doubt they would have done without being forced to.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it would
>>>>>>>>>> have been the last with the traditional live finale with all
>>>>>>>>>> the players (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone recall how
>>>>>>>>>> the Dan situation was explained and discussed at the finale?
>>>>>>>>>> I don't recall how much of the finale was spent on this, or if
>>>>>>>>>> this was when the show announced it would be making changes as
>>>>>>>>>> a result.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale. Also,
>>>>>>>>> I'm pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air the
>>>>>>>>> finale live. Probably to avoid any controversial comments about
>>>>>>>>> what happened.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I just re-watched the relevant part of the S39 reunion show and
>>>>>> was surprised that they did a full seven and a half-minute segment
>>>>>> on this, which was roughly a third of the reunion show's 22-minute
>>>>>> run- time. Yes, by this point in the show's history, the actual
>>>>>> reunion part of the final episode was only 22 minutes excluding
>>>>>> commercial
>>>>>
>>>>> I must have erased a lot more of that season from my mind than I
>>>>> had thought. The reunion only being 22 minutes of airtime does not
>>>>> surprise me at all. It's one of the reasons I much prefer the
>>>>> aftershow format.
>>>>>
>>>>>> The segment consisted of Jeff apologizing for what happened and
>>>>>> how the show dealt with it, committing to the show planning
>>>>>> changes beginning with the next season to be filmed, and then
>>>>>> interviewing Kellee to get her perspective about what happened.
>>>>>> Unfortunately, Kellee was very nervous and had difficulty at first
>>>>>> in articulating her points, which caused Jeff to cut-in a few
>>>>>> times to help her out. But she did make the point that the worst
>>>>>> part for her was no one taking her seriously in the game and the
>>>>>> fact that Dan was allowed to remain in the game for several
>>>>>> episodes after she was voted out. She also made the point (which I
>>>>>> had remembered) that other players used the situation
>>>>>> strategically to keep Dan in the game since they knew he would
>>>>>> never receive any votes if he went to the finale.
>>>>>
>>>>> Do we know for sure that's why the other players kept Dan around?
>>>>> Jeff Varner's arguably the most vile player ever, and he never made
>>>>> the jury despite playing multiple times.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Yes, other players mentioned that they wanted to keep Dan in the
>>>> game for strategic reasons because they knew he couldn't win.
>>>>
>>>> I don't know that Jeff was the most vile player ever.  He had one
>>>> really bad moment, which was when he outed Zeke as a trans person at
>>>> a TC, and he was voted out shortly thereafter without an actual vote
>>>> but rather a sort of unanimous agreement by the other players.  If
>>>> I'm remembering right, Zeke had actually outed himself years earlier
>>>> in a college publication, but this fact was apparently not known to
>>>> the other players other than Jeff.  Prior to this moment, I don't
>>>> recall Jeff being intensely disliked or hated by the other players.
>>>> I'd argue Russell and his nephew were much more disliked.  Maybe
>>>> Richard Hatch as well.
>>>
>>> According to this list, Varner is the most hated Survivor. After this
>>> incident, it's possible Dan will move from #2 to #1. I would also
>>> expect Bhanu to make the list.
>>>
>>> https://screenrant.com/the-most-hated-survivor-villains-ranked/
>>>
>>
>> That's really just the opinion of the author of this article.  There
>> is no indication he or she took any kind of poll or survey to compile
>> the list.  I don't know how widespread that view is.
>
> Varner's pretty hated online. I believe Eliza is the head hater.
>
>> I've said before that anyone with a secret like Zeke's should not go
>> on a show like Survivor and presume the secret won't come out.  I also
>> believe there's a decent chance Zeke was planning to reveal the secret
>> himself if he made it to Final 3.  He had already revealed it years
>> earlier in a college publication.
>
> Zeke's mistake was not taking down his post before going on the show. If
> he had done that, Varner never would have said a word.
>
>> For me, there are a number of names on that list I would put well
>> ahead of Jeff (e.g., the notorious puppy-killer and porn star Brian
>> Heidik). I also note with some amusement that the author chose not to
>> put Boston Rob on the list, even though many people would probably
>> list him first as the most hated Survivor player of all time.
>>
>> It's all in the eye of the beholder.
>
> You probably need two lists. One for game-related incidents and one for
> real life stuff. Some people seem to hate certain players for very
> strange reasons. I'd like to see a poll done focusing on just New Era
> players.
>

Mike Skupin is definitely someone a lot of people now hate because of
incidents that occurred outside the game.

A New Era most-hated list would be interesting.  You've mentioned Bhanu,
but for a lot of viewers, he probably comes across as more pathetic than
really someone worth hating.   You've also mentioned Carson before, but
that's another person like Skupin who would be on there for out-of-game
activities that I suspect many fans wouldn't even know about.

I think I would personally put Rome high up on the New Era list because
I really detested the way he played.

On 5/12/2025 3:30 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
> On 5/12/2025 8:34 AM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/12/2025 12:39 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>> On 5/11/2025 8:32 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>> On 5/11/2025 9:52 PM, shawn wrote:
>>>>> On Sat, 10 May 2025 12:12:36 -0600, Brian Smith
>>>>> <dcg_brian@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ & Dismissed As
>>>>>>>> Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind and have
>>>>>>> never
>>>>>>> re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was removed from the game
>>>>>>> due to
>>>>>>> actions against a crew member which were never shown on camera.
>>>>>>> I also
>>>>>>> recall Dan's behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes
>>>>>>> and he
>>>>>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out because I
>>>>>>> presume players were taking him to the end as a goat who could
>>>>>>> never win.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so long
>>>>>>> to take
>>>>>>> action against him (and only then because he abused a cast
>>>>>>> member) but
>>>>>>> it is also amazing to me that the players that season were
>>>>>>> willing to
>>>>>>> keep an obvious abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I
>>>>>>> wonder if the show many any private settlements to players in the
>>>>>>> game
>>>>>>> who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact (similar to the
>>>>>>> "help"
>>>>>>> they gave Sue after the incident with Rich on All-Stars) or if
>>>>>>> any other
>>>>>>> legal actions occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>> confessionals
>>>>>> of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to a staff member was
>>>>>> never
>>>>>> mentioned on the show.  When Dan was finally removed from the
>>>>>> game, I'm
>>>>>> pretty sure the show did not specifically say why.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove Dan
>>>>>> from the
>>>>>> game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they didn't care about the
>>>>>> players
>>>>>> complaining about Dan. Were none of his inappropriate behaviors
>>>>>> caught
>>>>>> on camera? That seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>>>
>>>>> My assumption would be that the actions were caught but not shown as
>>>>> it didn't go along with the story they wanted to tell. As for the show
>>>>> not evicting the guy when he misbehaved (or whatever he did) with
>>>>> other cast mates, my assumption would be the producers wanted to let
>>>>> the cast decide. They could vote him out at any time and so they had
>>>>> the power. Where has with a member of staff the only people with the
>>>>> power were the producers.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> An example which Kellee talked about to other players where he was
>>>> fondling her hair and then following her is shown at the start of
>>>> this clip.
>>>>
>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXo_w0DYCnI
>>>
>>> Dan was a victim of the Me-Too hysteria of the time. If the same
>>> thing happened now, nothing would be said.
>>>
>>
>> That's a bit unfair to Kellee, who clearly told him to stop.  One of
>> the things she accused him of was following her around and violating
>> her personal space (which we kind of see in that clip where he follows
>> her to the shore) and it reminds me of how Rome was doing the same to
>> Sol. I said at the time that Sol should have made a formal complaint
>> to producers about it, and I wonder if he ever did that.
>
> Was Dan following her around on purpose? There's no context in that
> regard in the clip.The Rome/Sol stuff is a great example of how the show
> doesn't enforce it's own rules or does so selectively.
>
> After I watched that clip, YouTube of course start recommending other
> related clips from that season. One of them was two of the women
> (Elizabeth & ?) admitting they were exaggerating about Dan. I'd love to
> know if Kellee ended up the biggest money winner that season.
>

I think it is definitely possible if not likely that the show made some
kind of cash settlement to Kellee to keep her from suing.  I tried to
see what she is doing nowadays and can find nothing of significance.

I do think her complaints were valid, and I think other players were
clearly uncomfortable with Dan.  I haven't rewatched any episodes from
that season, but I do recall Dan did seem to be a bit of a sleazeball.
The fact that the show took things as seriously as they did, including
kicking Dan off the show and having Jeff apologize publicly, etc., and
making all those supposed changes, makes me think there was definitely
something there.  But I also think they have been wildly inconsistent in
their enforcement, as shown by their apparent ignoring of the Sol situation.

On 5/12/2025 5:00 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
> On 5/12/2025 1:58 PM, Rick wrote:
>> On 5/12/2025 3:44 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>> On 5/12/2025 8:27 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>> On 5/12/2025 12:48 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>> On 5/11/2025 5:22 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>> On 5/11/2025 4:27 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>> On 5/11/2025 1:57 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>> On 5/11/2025 12:27 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 7:11 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 4:51 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:02 PM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 2:12 PM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 8:54 AM, Rick wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 5/10/2025 1:00 AM, Brian Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dan Spilo Removed As Producer Of Indie Film ‘Runner’ &
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dismissed As Manager Of Star Alan Ritchson After
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Incidents On Australian Set
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> By Matt Grobar
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> May 8, 2025 4:40pm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Industry Entertainment manager and producer Dan Spilo was
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> fired for cause after at least one incident on the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Australian set of the indie action thriller Runner. Spilo
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> subsequently was dismissed as manager by the film’s star,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Alan Ritchson, and sent home shortly after, multiple
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sources have confirmed to Deadline.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Those sources cited inappropriate behavior that included
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> bullying and yelling at crew. His dismissal on the film
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> came after an HR investigation, and the Reacher star
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> parted ways with the manager at the same time. This all
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> happened a week ago.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You might recall Spilo for his stint on Survivor: Island
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of the Idols, when he became the first contestant on the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> show to be sent home, for alleged inappropriate behavior.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This came after two female contestants said they were
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> made uncomfortable by Spilo’s touchy- feely manner. This
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> played out before the cameras, and Spilo survived that.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> The torch snuffer came after a member of the show’s crew
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> lodged a similar complaint and Spilo was eliminated and
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sent home.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Spilo declined to comment, but sources close to the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> producer conceded to a “heated exchange” on set. Still,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> they painted a different picture of events, noting that
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> things quickly got awkward in the aftermath of the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> exchange, with Spilo choosing to leave set of his own
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> accord, recognizing what was best for the project.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Emotions were high for Spilo, we’re told, as he’d
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> recently been dealing with the health challenges of a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> family member in Israel, which is where he set off for as
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> soon as he was dismissed from Runner.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sources close to production caution, however, that when
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> it comes to Spilo, the situation on Runner was not an
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> isolated incident, pointing to his exit from Survivor as
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> just one example.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ritchson stars opposite Owen Wilson in Runner, an indie
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> from director Scott Waugh, which is based on the 2023
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Black List script by Tommy White and Miles Hubley. The
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> project still has a week or two left of shooting. In
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> addition to Ritchson, and following Spilo’s dismissal,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> producers include Todd Garner of Broken Road Productions,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures and Jeffrey
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Greenstein of A Higher Standard. Lauren Gennawey is exec
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> producing for Broken Road, along with Matthew Goldberg
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for Nickel City.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Source:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> https://deadline.com/2025/05/dan-spilo-fired-alan-
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ritchson- exits-runner-movie-producer-1236390803/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I've pretty much put that Survivor season out of my mind
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and have never re-watched any episodes.  I know Spilo was
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> removed from the game due to actions against a crew member
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> which were never shown on camera.  I also recall Dan's
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> behavior was discussed throughout multiple episodes and he
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> often got votes against him at TC but was never voted out
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> because I presume players were taking him to the end as a
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> goat who could never win.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> In retrospect, it is amazing to me that the show waited so
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> long to take action against him (and only then because he
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> abused a cast member) but it is also amazing to me that
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the players that season were willing to keep an obvious
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> abuser around because they knew he couldn't win.  I wonder
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> if the show many any private settlements to players in the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> game who had been abused (like Kellee) after the fact
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (similar to the "help" they gave Sue after the incident
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> with Rich on All- Stars) or if any other legal actions
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> occurred after that season involving Spilo's actions.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>  From what I can recall, Dan was accused by two players in
>>>>>>>>>>>>> confessionals of inappropriate behavior. Whatever he did to
>>>>>>>>>>>>> a staff member was never mentioned on the show.  When Dan
>>>>>>>>>>>>> was finally removed from the game, I'm pretty sure the show
>>>>>>>>>>>>> did not specifically say why.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> You're right that it's amazing they took so long to remove
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dan from the game. To me, it's pretty obvious that they
>>>>>>>>>>>>> didn't care about the players complaining about Dan. Were
>>>>>>>>>>>>> none of his inappropriate behaviors caught on camera? That
>>>>>>>>>>>>> seems weird to me that they weren't.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> I wouldn't be surprised if private settlements were
>>>>>>>>>>>>> reached. The show did make some big changes right after
>>>>>>>>>>>>> that which I doubt they would have done without being
>>>>>>>>>>>>> forced to.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> S39 was the last season before Covid which means that it
>>>>>>>>>>>> would have been the last with the traditional live finale
>>>>>>>>>>>> with all the players (minus Dan, of course) present.  Anyone
>>>>>>>>>>>> recall how the Dan situation was explained and discussed at
>>>>>>>>>>>> the finale? I don't recall how much of the finale was spent
>>>>>>>>>>>> on this, or if this was when the show announced it would be
>>>>>>>>>>>> making changes as a result.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> I don't recall Dan being discussed at all at the finale.
>>>>>>>>>>> Also, I'm pretty sure they decided at the minute not to air
>>>>>>>>>>> the finale live. Probably to avoid any controversial comments
>>>>>>>>>>> about what happened.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I just re-watched the relevant part of the S39 reunion show and
>>>>>>>> was surprised that they did a full seven and a half-minute
>>>>>>>> segment on this, which was roughly a third of the reunion show's
>>>>>>>> 22-minute run- time. Yes, by this point in the show's history,
>>>>>>>> the actual reunion part of the final episode was only 22 minutes
>>>>>>>> excluding commercial
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I must have erased a lot more of that season from my mind than I
>>>>>>> had thought. The reunion only being 22 minutes of airtime does
>>>>>>> not surprise me at all. It's one of the reasons I much prefer the
>>>>>>> aftershow format.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The segment consisted of Jeff apologizing for what happened and
>>>>>>>> how the show dealt with it, committing to the show planning
>>>>>>>> changes beginning with the next season to be filmed, and then
>>>>>>>> interviewing Kellee to get her perspective about what happened.
>>>>>>>> Unfortunately, Kellee was very nervous and had difficulty at
>>>>>>>> first in articulating her points, which caused Jeff to cut-in a
>>>>>>>> few times to help her out. But she did make the point that the
>>>>>>>> worst part for her was no one taking her seriously in the game
>>>>>>>> and the fact that Dan was allowed to remain in the game for
>>>>>>>> several episodes after she was voted out. She also made the
>>>>>>>> point (which I had remembered) that other players used the
>>>>>>>> situation strategically to keep Dan in the game since they knew
>>>>>>>> he would never receive any votes if he went to the finale.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Do we know for sure that's why the other players kept Dan around?
>>>>>>> Jeff Varner's arguably the most vile player ever, and he never
>>>>>>> made the jury despite playing multiple times.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yes, other players mentioned that they wanted to keep Dan in the
>>>>>> game for strategic reasons because they knew he couldn't win.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't know that Jeff was the most vile player ever.  He had one
>>>>>> really bad moment, which was when he outed Zeke as a trans person
>>>>>> at a TC, and he was voted out shortly thereafter without an actual
>>>>>> vote but rather a sort of unanimous agreement by the other
>>>>>> players.  If I'm remembering right, Zeke had actually outed
>>>>>> himself years earlier in a college publication, but this fact was
>>>>>> apparently not known to the other players other than Jeff.  Prior
>>>>>> to this moment, I don't recall Jeff being intensely disliked or
>>>>>> hated by the other players. I'd argue Russell and his nephew were
>>>>>> much more disliked.  Maybe Richard Hatch as well.
>>>>>
>>>>> According to this list, Varner is the most hated Survivor. After
>>>>> this incident, it's possible Dan will move from #2 to #1. I would
>>>>> also expect Bhanu to make the list.
>>>>>
>>>>> https://screenrant.com/the-most-hated-survivor-villains-ranked/
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> That's really just the opinion of the author of this article.  There
>>>> is no indication he or she took any kind of poll or survey to
>>>> compile the list.  I don't know how widespread that view is.
>>>
>>> Varner's pretty hated online. I believe Eliza is the head hater.
>>>
>>>> I've said before that anyone with a secret like Zeke's should not go
>>>> on a show like Survivor and presume the secret won't come out.  I
>>>> also believe there's a decent chance Zeke was planning to reveal the
>>>> secret himself if he made it to Final 3.  He had already revealed it
>>>> years earlier in a college publication.
>>>
>>> Zeke's mistake was not taking down his post before going on the show.
>>> If he had done that, Varner never would have said a word.
>>>
>>>> For me, there are a number of names on that list I would put well
>>>> ahead of Jeff (e.g., the notorious puppy-killer and porn star Brian
>>>> Heidik). I also note with some amusement that the author chose not
>>>> to put Boston Rob on the list, even though many people would
>>>> probably list him first as the most hated Survivor player of all time.
>>>>
>>>> It's all in the eye of the beholder.
>>>
>>> You probably need two lists. One for game-related incidents and one
>>> for real life stuff. Some people seem to hate certain players for
>>> very strange reasons. I'd like to see a poll done focusing on just
>>> New Era players.
>>>
>>
>> Mike Skupin is definitely someone a lot of people now hate because of
>> incidents that occurred outside the game.
>
> And for good reason.
>
>> A New Era most-hated list would be interesting.  You've mentioned
>> Bhanu, but for a lot of viewers, he probably comes across as more
>> pathetic than really someone worth hating.   You've also mentioned
>> Carson before, but that's another person like Skupin who would be on
>> there for out-of-game activities that I suspect many fans wouldn't
>> even know about.
>>
>> I think I would personally put Rome high up on the New Era list
>> because I really detested the way he played.
>
> Rome would be on my list as well. Karla and Drea would also be on my
> list. Gabler would be on a lot of people's lists, but not mine.
>

I think Gabler is only on some lists because some people are just mad
that either Cassidy or Jesse didn't win.  I think Gabler actually played
a decent game and, if I am remembering right, is one of the few or maybe
the only contestant who said he would give his winnings away.