DJariya

Bill Needle

Tonight, on a very special episode of Survivor...

TomOpus

Holy shit....TC.

Inhumans99

I just read an article....holy cow, what one survivor just did to another is beyond screwed up. We can be so mean to each other, it is just sad.

DWilson

I'll be curious to see Probst's answers to EW's questions this week. I can't help wondering if there was an option to not show the TC if Zeke had objected (or re-film) or are you just at the mercy of what anybody happens to say. Obviously, this information was out there, -it was discussed the last time Zeke was on, -but was there any consideration about privacy issues (though I know the contestants probably sign a book-length waiver.

GuessWho

Zeke interview
http://people.com/tv/survivor-transg...-tv-exclusive/

skywalker8

It was?

windom

They filmed this season before Zeke's first season aired. So none of the players really knew anything about Zeke ahead of time.

Varner should have at least tried saying that now no one would ever vote for him to win as a reason to keep him in.

brainee

And before that, it really seemed like Varner was making headway into getting people to distrust Zeke because of how close he was with Ozzy. Horrible move on just about every level possible.

windom

Varner probably just guaranteed himself a spot on a future "Heroes vs. Villians" season or a redemption themed season.

So will the other players at that tribal tell the other players what happened?

Eddie W

Wow...you know some shit is going down when tribal begins at the 41:00 min mark.

Inhumans99

Okay, I just watched the episode and Dalton Ross at EW.com is right to say kudos to Zeke's cast mates for how they handled the revelation. Sarah's reaction was particularly touching and felt genuine.

wirefan

Can I put my tinfoil hat on and wonder if the metamorphosis challenge meant the producers had some inkling that Varner was considering the Zeke stuff in advance? (probably not, but it's fun to come up with these theories!)

EDIT: Nevermind, I forgot it was another Ozzie diving challenge to help his tribe win (/puts a completely different tinfoil hat on!)

I wonder if that was just clever editing. I don't think he drops that bomb and goes full a-hole unless he thought he had no other choice. Or maybe he just is that clueless and thought no one would be bothered by it?

Cardsfan111

What a strange TC, which will go down as one of the most memorable of all time, yet not for the usual reasons.

As much as Probst seemed sympathetic to Zeke, I couldn't help but feel he was rejoicing inside at this moment being captured and the attention that would come the show's way. Also, I wasn't a fan of the "we know Varner is going home, let's not even vote" tactic. Honestly, I thought Varner might step down from the game when he began to show remorse for his actions.

Bill Needle

No kidding. What if he had an idol?

creekdipper

That's a good point, although obviously Probst knows who has an idol even if the cast allegedly doesn't (unless it has been revealed at some point).

And Tai has two idols, so he could have given one to Jeff. Unlikely, but it could have happened.

I agree that the vote should have taken place (if it was only to save time, they could have just cut to Probst reading the votes). And how many times have we seen people say they absolutely are voting for someone only to write down a different name.

I think that Jeff was a goner even without the drama. In fact, given past seasons in which cast members kept someone around as a sure person to take to FT since no one wants to reward him/her and boots the more deserving cast due to being threats, Jeff would have been the perfect person to keep around.

That silly "reveal" was one of the stupidest decisions ever made at a TC. Jeff's "logic" at trying to connect the issue with Zeke's "deception" made no sense even if it hadn't offended the cast. The irony is that, until that moment, people such as Debbie were applauding Jeff's arguments in favor of getting rid of Ozzy and keeping him.

In that case, Jeff certainly turned out to be a "game changer."

I still think that Jeff would have gone home anyway, although Ozzy's ability in challenges won't matter now that they're going to be one tribe at 13.

creekdipper

Has the show ever "unmerged" and divided back into tribes after merging?

Shannon Nutt

This is what ticked me off about this episode. Probst had no issue calling out Varner (as he should have) on what he did to Zeke, then he (he's a producer) and CBS turn around and basically do the same thing by airing it on national TV. I'm assuming Zeke okayed it and they just didn't do it because the players all sign a contract that says CBS can air whatever they want to.

I'm sorry, but if Zeke did indeed get "outed" in this episode (and my guess is that he's been out to his family/friends for a long time, since he was open about it in his Survivor audition), then CBS is just as complicit here - Varner only outed him to his other tribe members. CBS outed him to the rest of the world. If anything happens to Jeff Varner as a result of last night, CBS is partially responsible. But all in the name of ratings, right?

creekdipper

We had two non-reactions:

1. Zeke had already identified as homosexual. Why would this additional revelation be considered a big deception? Also, I'm sure that most of the contestants have some personal details that they don't tell all of the other cast members. It just made no sense to bring that up (as the cast reactions show). The only time something like that is relevant is when the contestants actually have tried to deceive the cast (Johnny-What's-His-Name with "dead" Grandma) or with some wealthy contestant whose financial worth can be used as an excuse not to give them more money.

2. We assumed that Zeke okayed the airing of the footage. If somebody revealed something about another cast member that potentially be devastating to them, one would think that producers would just skip airing the TC and announce that, due to privacy violations, etc., they weren't going to air the footage and were just going to announce the vote (or just show Probst reading the votes and snuffing the torch).

hdnmickey

Yup. Which sucks because I'm not really fan of his to begin with. How did he even belong in this group in the first place?

TomOpus

There's quite a big difference between gay and trans if you're trying to use a bathroom in certain states. Maybe you view all LBGT was just one entity.

Finisher

Always thought Varner was a POS. He pretty much stated in his talking head before tribal he was going scorched earth if he thought he was out. Dude would rather be drama queen attention whore than decent human. Only when he realized how severe the immediate backlash did he start with his BS apologizing.

Having said that, this has to help Zeke's game. Makes him super sympathetic and you look like a douche if you vote against him. Was curious to see if Zeke made it to the end whether he'd make a grand reveal during final speech. Actually agree with Varner that Zeke is a phony and I'm not a fan of Zeke but Varner crossed such an obvious line there.

windom

So did we ever figure out if Zeke is actually engaged to Hannah?

creekdipper

I don't think bathroom privacy controversies are a major issue on Survivor.

From the earliest seasons, it seems that they have always had unisex trees and bushes.

Of course, there was that time when contestants objected to the guy who kept defecating in the ocean....

DWilson

It'll be interesting to see if Varner sits out the reunion or if he tries to redeem himself or Probst tries to create a "moment".