Varner Outed Zeke as a Transgender on 'Survivor' and it Was Not Well Received
CNN – The outing of a “Survivor” cast member on television has sparked outrage.
Zeke Smith, who appeared on back-to-back seasons of the reality series, was revealed to be a transgender man by fellow contestant Jeff Varner in an episode that aired Wednesday night.
Varner, who is gay, shared the information during an emotional Tribal Council on “Survivor: Game Changers.”
“Why haven’t you told anyone you’re transgender?” Varner asked Smith.
Other contestants reacted negatively, telling Varner that was personal and he shouldn’t have said it. Varner insisted he did it to show that Smith was deceptive during the game. …
Varner apologized, but was voted off the show.
I share every “Survivor” castaway’s disgust with Jeff Varner outing Zeke Smith for being a transgender. Just not for the same reason.
I hated the move not because it revealed an opponent’s deeply personal and private life choice in a cynical attempt to turn Tribal Council against him and win votes for Varner. I hated it because it was terrible strategy. Just the worst. It was “Survivor” suicide, as evidenced by the way they sent him home without needed to fill out ballots.
If I was on “Survivor” I would absolutely out another castaway’s life secrets if I thought it would give me an advantage. In a microsecond. I would take whatever they told me in confidence, betray it, use it to slit their throat when the votes were being cast, go back to camp and sleep like a baby. But that is if I thought it would work. This move had no shot of doing anything but blowing up in Varner’s face like a Jason Pierre-Paul firecracker. Any idiot could have seen that.
Look, I’ve had the honor and privilege of interviewing two former castaways. 2010’s Jimmy Tarantino for the old paper edition of Barstool, and “Survivor: Second Chance” winner Jeremy Collins on my old WEEI podcast. And both will tell you nothing is off limits. It’s about winning. Kill or be killed. Everything you do. I asked them both if there were any issues with sleeping next to strange half-naked women. And they said even where and how you sleep is strategy. If curling up next to some chick in a two-piece will get you a vote, you’ll do it. If it will cost you votes, you don’t. Because everything is strategy. You play … to win … the game.
Is it immoral to out a guy who does not wish to be outed by you? In life, yes. In “Survivor,” not at all. If it would win me the game, I’d kick Zeke Smith out of his closet and let him the rest of the weirdos I got marooned with hate me for the rest of their lives. While I self-medicate with the million bucks I won. So you’re not a terrible human being, Varner. You’re just terrible at “Survivor.”