But Kim declined that action needed to be taken, explaining that now they’ve merged tribes and have Janet, a kind older woman around, Spilo would likely stop his behaviour towards the girls. She chose to continue playing the game and seemingly didn’t want to risk doing something that could disrupt it.

Although the aptly named Survivor has never been about living comfortably, both cast and crew seemed aware a boundary had been crossed. One that went beyond the usual bug bites and backstabs. Halfway through the episode, text appeared on a black screen. It stated that following the day of Kellee’s confessional, producers met the players and cautioned them about personal boundaries. Dan was issued a warning, but ultimately allowed to continue playing.

In a shocking turn of events, Kellee was the one sent home.

As the episode unfolded and tribal council approached, female players contemplated whether to vote Dan out or choose someone more strategic for their game. Ultimately, the latter prevailed and in a shocking turn of events, Kellee was the one sent home. Only several episodes later, Spilo was removed from the show when his inappropriate touching extended to a crew member.

During an incredibly powerful season reunion, Survivor host Jeff Probst reflected on how poorly production had handled the situation, apologising to Kellee for not taking further action.

“Survivor can take this, learn from it, and do better” she responded, “we are committed to it Kellee,” Jeff confirmed. A very real-world issue had tested the boundaries of a manufactured one and held up a mirror to the responsibility of its creators. Although Kelli’s behaviour mightn’t appear as bad as Spilo’s, why didn’t Australia get the memo?

Despite having 45 seasons of its American counterpart’s mistakes, triumphs and evolutions to learn from, Australian Survivor has repeatedly stumbled when tackling real-world social inequities as they inevitably come into the game. In an interview in The Sydney Morning Herald last year, writer and former contestant Benjamin Law said the series lacked diversity (racial or otherwise) and has some players “starting at a disadvantage”.

During his season, Law was one of only two people of colour on his tribe and was often labelled as “shifty” by other contestants. “There is that sense that you’re entering into dangerous terrain if you’re the racial minority talking about race,” he said, “it’s something that I really didn’t want to do out there on the island because people get defensive – and when they get defensive, they can lash out”.

Prior to Law’s season, discussions of the show’s casting were already under way as it became clear to fans that contestants of colour were having to “survive” more than their fair share. Host Jonathan LaPaglia accused the program of being “whitewashed” in an interview with the ABC.

When CBS received similar criticism of the American Survivor’s diversity issues in 2020, they responded with a promise that the cast would be at least 50 per cent indigenous, black or people of colour in the future. A move which, by improving the equity and experience of its players, ultimately improved the entertainment value of the show and demonstrated a level of accountability still lacking in our own leg of the franchise.

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Although the Australian production has succeeded at emulating its parent show’s formulaic backstabs, blindsides and tribals, it’s unfortunately failed to learn from its handling of consent, discrimination and other challenges that are best left outside the game.

In the case of Kelli and Alex on Titans vs Rebels, perhaps we would’ve seen their dynamic framed differently if the genders were reversed. Perhaps Australian Survivor isn’t ready to reflect on their portrayal of masculinity and race. But as we watch a young man’s discomfort getting laughed away and a middle-aged woman being reduced to a joke, we can’t help but feel the real-world implications of the artificial one that’s been created.

Australian Survivor: Titans vs Rebels is on Ten, Sunday-Tuesday, 7.30pm.