These Players Are Blacklisted From ‘Survivor’ Forever
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Going on ‘Survivor’ for the first time can be a gateway to a lifelong relationship with the popular reality competition. Many players have come back for a second and third time. Plus, several have made their careers around competing and speaking about the show. However, not every player is welcome back to the franchise. Some players are now blacklisted for good. The game can handle conniving and backstabbing, but some actions are simply too much. Some things cross over from villainous to just plain evil.
Brandon Hantz
Watching Brandon Hantz in Survivor: South Pacific and Survivor: Caramoan is like watching a man’s descent into madness. He begins as a 19-year-old trying to live up to his infamous uncle’s name (Russel Hantz). He ends up having weird stints of sexism, borderline-religious cultism, and a nearly-violent breakdown. That breakdown in the Caramoan season is ultimately what gets him taken away from the show on the spot. It also ensures that he will never see the beaches of Survivor again. The producers simply can not take a risk on someone who may try to physically assault another cast member. So, he will most likely remain blacklisted forever.
Dan Spilo
If the events of the #metoo movement from the 2010s didn’t make you wary of Hollywood higher-ups, Dan Spilo is here to reinforce the stereotype. Dan was on one of the more recent seasons, Survivor: Island Of The Idols. He was a good player who actually had a solid chance at making it to the end and winning the entire game. Unfortunately, many believe he is a creep who sexually harassed multiple cast and crew members. He was ultimately removed from the season off-screen.
His removal became a massive controversy as fans questioned why he hadn’t been removed earlier. Fellow castaway Kellee Kim spoke several times about Spilo’s inappropriate conduct. It appears she was only given pacifying words at first until there were too many people speaking up to ignore it any longer. He has obviously been blacklisted and will never return.
Michael Skupin
Michael Skupin was a well-liked player on both Survivor: Australian Outback and Survivor: Philippines. He even has his name written in the halls of Survivor history as the first player to have a medical evacuation on Season 2. He was a good player who had built up a decent amount of fans amongst the viewers who appreciated his attitude and ability to maneuver within the game.
Outside the game, though, he is a much darker person. In 2016, Skupin was put under arrest on six counts of child pornography possession. He was in prison for a little over a year and has been out on parole since December 2017. Of all the horrible things certain players have done over the years, it is hard to imagine anyone more twisted and evil than someone who consumes that type of media. Needless to say, Skupin will never return to the show.
Sometimes casting monsters is unavoidable. Survivor is a show that runs on a variety of people. In the case of someone like Michael Skupin, there was no way of seeing how dark he truly was inside. But in the case of Brandon Hantz and Dan Spilo, there are lessons. Let’s hope casting heeds those lessons and keeps violent outbursts and sexual harassment away from the beaches in the future.