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Survivor is a CBS original reality TV competition show that will air its 47th season on September 18, 2024, on CBS and Paramount+. The show first premiered in 2000 and has been running for almost two decades. The show welcomes contestants in an isolated location, where they face physical and mental constraints.
The contestants are put through different tasks to save themselves from getting eliminated. The last one to survive throughout wins $1 million and the title of sole survivor.
The channel announced season 47 in May 2024, and the cast on September 4, 2024. The season will be filmed in Fiji and has welcomed its seasoned host back once more. Jeff Probst has been hosting the reality TV show since its inception.
As the show has covered a long period by entertaining audiences, it has also witnessed some of the biggest controversies in reality TV during these 20 years of broadcast. Here are some scandals that etched the audience's hearts and minds.
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5 controversial moments from Survivor through the years
1) Jeff Probst and Julie Berry's 19 years age difference
Julie Berry participated in the ninth season of the CBS reality TV show Survivor. Julie and Jeff Probst, the veteran host of the show, got into a relationship despite having a 19-year age gap. The couple announced their relationship after the reunion of Survivor: Vanuatu in 2004. However, the couple did not last and separated after four years in 2008, citing long distance as the reason.
Berry claimed in 2012 in an interview on Rob Cesternino's podcast that her relationship with Jeff affected her professional life, as she could not return to the show after being exposed to the Behind-the-scenes of the working of the show.
2) Alec Merlino violated his NDA before the show's premiere
Alec Merlino was denied attendance for the reunion show of season 37, David vs Goliath, and was not given his appearance fee for the show. They didn't pay him because Alec violated his NDA by sharing a photo with a fellow contestant before the channel revealed the cast. However, he was not bitter about it and shared with Entertainment Weekly in November 2018:
"The thing is, with social media, I feel things can be misconstrued, but I have nothing but the utmost respect for CBS, for Survivor, for Jeff. I went out there, and I had the experience of a lifetime."
3) Nick Wilson's controversial bills
After completing and winning the reality TV show Survivor: David vs Goliath, Nick Wilson joined the route of politics and was elected in 2022 to the Kentucky House of Representatives. In 2024, Nick Wilson was caught in controversy because he introduced a bill that talked about legalizing sex between first cousins. However, Wilson cleared the air about the bill, withdrew it, and posted on his Facebook:
"During the drafting process, there was an inadvertent change, which struck 'first cousins' from the list of relationships included under the incest statute, and I failed to add it back in."
4) Richard Hatch's domestic assault and tax evasion controversy
Richard Hatch featured in the debut season of the show in 2000. The reality TV star was accused of domestic assault by his former partner, Glenn Boyanowski, in 2001. He was charged in 2001 and sentenced to a one-year probation period. However, in 2002, the conviction and probation sentence was repealed by the court.
After his domestic assault fiasco, Richard made headlines in 2005 for his tax evasion charges on multiple occasions, for which he was punished accordingly.
5) Stacey Stillman sued Mark Burnett, creator of the show
Stacey Stillman participated in the inaugural season of Survivor and sued Mark Burnett, the creator of the show, for staging her eviction and the result of the show. In her lawsuit, Stacey claimed that her tribe's mates, Dirk Been and Sean Kenniff, voted her off the show out of persuasion.
CBS denied the claims of the former player, saying:
"We heard about Stacey Stillman's allegations several months ago. They had no merit then, they have no merit now that she has packaged them into a frivolous and groundless lawsuit."
Survivor season 47 will premiere with a two-hour episode on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 8 pm ET/PT on CBS.
