Survivor's Kellee Kim: I wasn't given a head's up on producers' inappropriate touching warning

Entertainment Weekly

Kim told EW via email she first learned that fellow contestant Dan Spilo was given an official warning for repeatedly touching her inappropriately while watching last week's episode on TV. "I did not have any choice on if and how the story would be told," she said via email. "CBS did not allow me to view the episode early, and it has been difficult for me to both grapple with my feelings and figure out what to say." EW asked Kim if she was satisfied with the way producers handled the inappropriate touching controversy. "One of the things that truly makes Survivor special is that the producers let the players play," she responded. "We say what we want to say, and we are left as much as possible to our own devices; this is what has kept the integrity of the game. However, on the flip side, it has created a relationship where players can’t ask for help and producers can’t step in." Kim added: "I did not know about Dan getting a personal warning until I watched the episode. If production was going to give Dan an official warning, they should have just pulled him from the game or at least informed me so that I was aware of how it might impact the game. Let’s bring this to the workplace; you complain about your coworker making you feel uncomfortable and touching you too much. This person gets a warning, and as a result, refuses to work with you, blocks anything you try to put forward, and it hurts your career. So while I don’t think this was the right course of action, this issue coming to light is allowing production to have these conversations, input protocol, raise awareness, and change for the better." Kim also responded to the outpouring of online support. "What happened out there was and has been very hard for me," she wrote. "After many months of feeling alone, the outpour of messages, posts, DMs, texts, food, flowers, and calls have meant so much. I feel loved, heard, and believed, and there is no better gift. Thank you for that."