Two female “Survivor” contestants say they’re sorry for taking advantage of a third woman’s complaints about unwanted physical contact in order to advance in the game.

The apologies came after a two-hour Wednesday night episode of the popular CBS show, in which the women said that a male contestant had touched them inappropriately. The show’s producers got involved and issued the man, Dan Spilo, a formal warning, but, in a Machiavellian twist, the two accusers admitted to using the complaints of the third woman, Kellee Kim, to oust the other.

On Thursday night, after a fan backlash, the two contestants, Missy Byrd and Elizabeth Beisel, issued lengthy apologies online.

“I became so caught up in game play that I did not realize a very serious situation, nor did I handle it with the care that it deserved,” Ms. Byrd said on Twitter.