Hollywood Talent Manager Removed From 'Survivor' Following Misconduct Allegations

"A decision has been made and Dan will not be returning to the game," executive producer and host Jeff Probst told remaining players during Wednesday's episode.

Survivor contestant and Hollywood talent manager Dan Spilo has been removed from the CBS competition show following misconduct allegations, a first for the reality series in its 19-year and 39-season run.  

Following the elimination of fellow contestant Elaine Stott, executive producer and host Jeff Probst told remaining players, "Alright, so, need to share some news. So I just spoke privately with Dan and I want to update you guys. A decision has been made and Dan will not be returning to the game. He will not be coming back to camp. He won’t be on the jury. He’s gone."

Wednesday's episode ended with a title card that read, "Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player." CBS declined further comment beyond the title card at the end of the episode.

In an interview with EW, Probst declined to elaborate on the circumstances that led to Spilo's ouster but said the exec was initially "not happy" with the decision. "When we first told Dan we were pulling him from the game, he was not happy. We talked through everything for quite a while, and by the time he got on the boat to leave he had calmed down and was actually very respectful as he departed," he said.

The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Probst, who also executive produces the reality competition series, in November regarding the behavior and allegations surrounding Spilo, a partner at Industry Entertainment that, at the time, prompted a warning from CBS producers.

Spilo was accused by a fellow contestant of inappropriate touching, with allegations including making physical contact after being asked to stop, and later apologized to his fellow competitors if his behavior was inappropriate. "In the episode broadcast last night, several female castaways discussed the behavior of a male castaway that made them uncomfortable," CBS and producers MGM TV said last month following Spilo's initial warning. "During the filming of this episode, producers spoke off-camera to all the contestants still in the game, both as a group and individually, to hear any concerns and advise about appropriate boundaries. A formal warning was also given to the male castaway in question. On Survivor, producers provide the castaways a wide berth to play the game.  At the same time, all castaways are monitored and supervised at all times. They have full access to producers and doctors, and the production will intervene in situations where warranted."

CBS has come under fire in the #MeToo era following former chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves exiting in September 2018 amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. In the wake of Moonves' departure, CBS was hit with a shareholder lawsuit accusing the network, its board of directors and Moonves himself of fraud by not only failing to disclose information in proxy statements that would have a material effect on its business, but also through allegedly misleading statements on how the network was committed to zero-tolerance on the sexual misconduct front.

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Spilo for comment and will update this story when and if he responds.