'Survivor' Castaway Zeke Smith Explains Why He Wanted CBS to Air Controversial Tribal Council

[@____adi]

Varner said he didn't plan to do that.... well if you watch the episode you can tell he had it all planned put in his head . Prior to tribal in the episode he says "I've picked up on something that nobody else has, and it's insignificant to the game but I'm gonna let everyone know in tribal tonight"

[@alysskennedy8661]

What a dick.

[@superawesomecaillougod6664]

He planned to rub dirt on him, but not in the way he did it

[@MugurDeBrad]

oh you are so sure you got your facts right. silly, isn't it? Survivor episodes are edited, so no, you don't have the facts right. only people who were there have it.

[@gregXxo]

@@MugurDeBrad still sad that he barely remembers an incident that was so traumatic for someone

[@Marcus_1001]

Absolutely. Jeff Varner is a despicable person and I hope he never, ever lives this down. That was utterly shameful.

[@Monterey96]

The fact that he still continues to almost make it Zeke’s fault in the aftermath make me mad.
I read an interview where he constantly kept talking about his own life and how it was affected by his choices then would say “but this about Zeke. I’m not hear to talk about me”

[@FranMSK]

He needs to stop using the word deceived.

[@warpath375__]

No, that's what the devil does. The devil loves to deceive people.

[@chrisc6898]

Warpath 375 the devil doesn’t exist baby.

[@alexabauckman236]

Chris C i’m sorry you feel that way

[@icemeoutlikeelsa]

@@warpath375__ The devil doesn't exist, it's scapegoating so you get away from the reality that humans themselves are capable of evil. By blaming the devil you take responsibility away from those sh!tty people doing shitty things out of their own CHOICE.

[@icemeoutlikeelsa]

@@layla1863 correct

[@TheUmystifyme18]

I am still stunned & disgusted by what Jeff Varner did & how he tried to justify it. There is no excuse. As for who outed Zeke, well Jeff did to the tribe & CBS did to the rest of the world. As long as CBS had Zeke's permission & input in airing this, then it is his right to do so. Irreguardless, none of this would have come about if it weren't for the greed of Jeff Varner

[@michelesykes8105]

Why was it a secret in the first place?

[@TheUmystifyme18]

Michele Sykes that is Zeke's private business & personal choice & his rights. He did say that a certain amount of fear is involved in coming out as trans due to societies views & he also stated that it's more important for him to be known as a good player on Survivor & not the trans player. I get it & it makes sense. You can research his statements regarding this. I know he wrote a poignant article. I also get why he hugged Jeff Varner at the time. I was faced with a difficult personal situation & asked to forgive & accept the other persons apology & I hugged her but let me be clear, I forgive but never, ever will trust her again.

[@erikeide5407]

Oh poor you, having to treat people like individuals.

[@jasonpennington1816]

Irregarless isn't a word.

[@velzygirl1]

It should have been only Zeke's decision on when and how to come out.

[@sniper8560]

I’m proud of Zeke for how he handled that

[@KyleT1990]

She*

[@ilovetroyesivan]

@@KyleT1990he.

[@KyleT1990]

@@ilovetroyesivan lol if you really believe that then the word “he” means absolutely nothing.

[@noseinyosneakers]

@@KyleT1990 nah we all thought he was a bio guy until he was outted, dude resembles nothing like a girl

[@KyleT1990]

@@noseinyosneakers except for the XX chromosomes, mastectomy scars, and vagina…

[@jhyland87]

He didn't plan to do that?.. bulllllSHIT

[@yulimoonshine]

"I didn't plan it"....but you did. Because you said in the episode before that you "picked up on something".....and you say you "barely remember it"....but I bet Zeke does. Come on Jeff. Apologize all you want be take responsibility and accountability for your actions. Your "desperate attempt" forced someone to be put under danger in front of millions of people and you are still trying to justify your actions? Do better than sorry. Take accountability.

[@tomr6955]

You know nothing, the show is full of edits. This is hardly proof.

[@stroyer2103]

If Zeke did not agree to have it aired, then we would still have found out anyways because of the way the voted out Jeff Varner.

[@betsi_cibrian6779]

No they probably would have explained it in the show and say something like a situation happened off camera with Jeff’s behaving inappropriately and was kicked off the gane

[@Steffert.]

​@@betsi_cibrian6779or if jeff realised his mistake and cooperated they could've filmed a fake council as a cover up since he was already on the chopping block

[@ashleym6454]

What Varner did was absolutely sickening.

[@Epicgamerbro2000]

It was bad but not that bad

[@francesca-selfproclaimed-bleep]

What he did was horrendous and he deserves to be known as the guy who can't even make the merge three times, but I think he definitely knew what he did was wrong right when he outed him. Even Probst knew he was officially done and had no bridges left to burn. Took his own butt right outside of the Tribal. His action afterward was right. There's nothing that he can reverse to fix the situation he committed.

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

@@francesca-selfproclaimed-bleep Varner told the truth

[@francesca-selfproclaimed-bleep]

@@AndrewSmith-pn2qc I mean, it's not a lie? And also, this was almost half a decade ago? I-

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

@@francesca-selfproclaimed-bleep This was more than half decade ago. Varner outed Smith in summer of 2016 and the episode was aired in April 2017.

[@MJ-om5go]

Jeff is so nasty. Such a nasty character inside.

[@superawesomecaillougod6664]

I saw genuine care in his face when he was regretting his decision. He could’ve been faking but I know that he regrets it deep down

[@doge8825]

Super awesome Caillou god666 true but he’s still a major POS. Even if he truly regretted it

[@superawesomecaillougod6664]

DOGE yeah that’s still awful. Even if it was just a misinterpretation

[@Fragrance_in_thaw]

@@superawesomecaillougod6664 how exactly can what he did be misinterpreted

[@MikeJ2023]

I honestly don’t believe he’s a bad person or a bigot for that matter. I honestly believe he just fucked up and miss spoke without thinking about it and got carried away in the moment. He seems like he generally is feeling bad about it. If he were an actual bigot he wouldn’t show emotion.

[@scottjohnson3903]

Zeke was the adult in this situation

[@danielledenis5160]

Zeke is a beautiful person

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

She is nice but she did lie about her gender.

[@voures.5504]

@@AndrewSmith-pn2qc He is not a she and he didn’t lie about his gender.

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

@@voures.5504 She has a vagina. That is a fact. Therefore by definition, she is a woman. That is the way it works remember.

[@ethangc081]

@@AndrewSmith-pn2qc LOL dont even act like you knew Zeke was trans before he was outed

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

@Ethan Constantinescu I did not know Zeke was actually a woman. I believed her lie about being a real man until Varner told everyone the truth.

[@Gryffindormagizoologist]

I do not forgive him at all.

[@gregXxo]

Then he said he barely remembers...if I caused someone so much pain...I would always remember

[@janineshaner1107]

Zeke is just a class act!

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

But she is a deceptive little liar. Had me fooled into thinking she was a man.

[@janineshaner1107]

@@AndrewSmith-pn2qc hate speech

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

@@janineshaner1107 It is not hate speech to call a woman a woman. Zeke has a vagina and by definition is a woman.
There are only 2 genders: male and female.

[@janineshaner1107]

@@AndrewSmith-pn2qc and how do you know he has a vagina?????????

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

@@janineshaner1107 Because Varner exposed her as transgender.

[@gabrielwong9063]

Zeke being wonderful as usual

[@Ms.Kelani]

Damn, I really wish that we could see the entire 1:30 uncut tape.

[@tomr6955]

What about that guy saying he's still a virgin to that girl in an early season, and the show airing that? Doesn't this go down the same path as the issue with Zeke?
Then the host asks him in the reunion if he's still a virgin.
Is this not a double standard?
Make it make sense.

[@Snapdragon247W]

People have been killed for being trans in the past and still are today, so there's a big taboo toward outing someone. No one's been killed for being a virgin.

[@sonnyhuynh007]

sorry...but i don't see what the big deal is? so he a transgender ....now what?

[@TheUmystifyme18]

Sonny Huynh it is a big deal because it was a total attack on his privacy, his choice & his character. I had someone very close to me "come out" & I felt very happy that she trusted me with that & that she can live her truth. I also respect her privacy. Although, I suspected the truth, it wasn't my place to discuss it with anyone. she was so afraid I would feel differently towards her. That fear is real & many people lose friends & family when sharing the truth.

[@carter4701]

Sonny Huynh hmmmm maybe it’s a big deal that he completely outed him on national television. “Outed” for your dumb mind, basically means spilling the beans. He didn’t want or need that information to be brought up. Dumb piece of shit

[@superawesomecaillougod6664]

ISRL_Carter way to respect someone else’s opinion

[@editingisle4405]

You’re an idiot

[@moon_sun1964]

You can’t out someone it’s not only disrespectful but can be extremely dangerous

[@EliTheGleason]

Dear god what a king

[@evegarson5664]

jeff or zeke??

[@jak151000]

@Sullivan Reck jeff

[@zziniop]

"Guys, he is deceiving, hey you, why didnt you tell them you were hippies in the past? It is so deceiving!!"

[@MrRodgersHood521]

I feel like he is sincerely sorry, regardless, what he did was ridiculous and unacceptable

[@DunkCanzGaming]

what were they gonna do? redo it? no. they wouldve aired it lol

[@sgtjohnson]

Hopefully Zeke comes back

[@omgmynamedoesntfi5116]

Just a question I had that maybe one of you could answer but why become a male transgender when you like men (being gay and trans)?

[@taralen1101]

As a cisgender (natural born) gay black man, this is something I used to be confused about. All I can say is Sexuality (LGB/Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual) is different from gender identify (T/Transgender.) Someone could be struggling with acceptance and understanding that they can be both. For example, Kaitlyn Jenner is a lesbian transwoman. He was born a heterosexual male, but transitioned into female, so he is a lesbian transwoman. Zeke was born a heterosexual/bisexual woman I believe. He transitioned into male, so technically, he is now a gay transman.

[@omgmynamedoesntfi5116]

Taralen Hey thanks for responding. You've given me some stuff to think on and add to my opinions and whatnot.

[@LucaCullen]

he likes women tho

[@robinkinard525]

Ppl who r trans think they r actually this gender that what is down there don't show. I can't necessarily explain it mostly cuz I'm not trans myself but that doesn't change who they like. U can be trans and have a sexual/romantic attraction to someone of the same gender.

[@jacksonb1001]

Those things don’t cancel each other out, who you’re attracted to isn’t in any way related to your gender. Why would he pretend to be a heterosexual woman when he’s not?

[@Danimal1177]

I'm still confused. So Zeke was born female, but at some point had a sex change to become male, right? And if so, how was it kept a secret from all of Zeke's friends and family as claimed by Zeke later on?

[@oliversmith7322]

This is very common with a lot of trans people. Many who don’t have families that they think would be supportive, so they either cut most contact or just completely cut off some of their family. Alternatively they could have just recently transitioned and just not come out to their family yet.

[@tomr6955]

​@@oliversmith7322nah, complete nonsense. There's a Reddit about him being trans well before that season aired. As he was in a previous season and no one on the show knew then. So lots of people knew.

[@bubbyjon]

Man was more then desperate

[@tenderpawsm473]

Survivor aired this because they thought it made good tv. I hate the program.

[@lauralou1115]

Jeff didnt out Zeke......Zeke agreed for CBS to do so.

[@sillygoosesurvivor]

Jeff backed him into a corner basically to out himself to America. But I believe the bigger problem was that he tried to use the transgender issue as a strategy to make Zeke seem "deceptive" which is just ridiculous.

[@amimibarker1905]

Jeff outed Zeke to the tribe and Zeke allowed them to put it in the show as a lesson for others.

[@babyyoda4294]

@@amimibarker1905 I agree. This idiot didn't get the whole story and commented.

[@superawesomecaillougod6664]

If zeke was genuinely offended he wouldn’t have allowed that scene to air. But he didn’t care that much so i think it’s fine for the people that care about his feelings

[@iMaDeMoN2012]

@@amimibarker1905 I disagree, Zeke did it to punish Jeff. They could have had a regular vote off.

[@sergeant_salty]

Zeke Smith will never be a man

[@EnnAzazel]

before he did this trans thing was he a guy or a women

[@jevynsanpedro8120]

Luis Moreno woman

[@EnnAzazel]

Jevyn San Pedro ok thx

[@carter4701]

Shiloh_ Dynasty._ you’re such a piece of shit

[@aidenshields633]

zeke is ftm, (female to male) so he was assigned female at birth and transitioned into a man.

[@buddies8757]

@@aidenshields633 if he trans back to female.. is he transwomen or he just a women? I'm confuse, because i have friend who biological male trans to women,but she still f with a women.. so, is he a lesbian or straight??🤔😥

[@haidkowk]

They should've banned the episode

[@zayzay3177]

AACme yeah but I think they'd find it questionable. Like if they said "jeff Varner was unanimously voted out we couldn't get any footage of it sorry" I mean that would be a first like come on.

[@aidenshields633]

i’m kinda glad they aired it, trans men don’t have a lot of pop culture representation and at the time had even less, so younger me seeing that impacted me a lot and i didn’t even know at the time that ftm was a thing. i probably wouldn’t have figured out that i was trans if it weren’t for zeke and that episode. that doesn’t change how disgusting varner is.

[@jamborei]

Not me responding to a four year old comment nooo
As a trans male, watching this scene hurt my heart but when Zeke talked about his own feelings on the situation and his side, I related to someone on the media for what felt like the first time in forever and it helped me tremendously. It was an awful thing to have happened but it shouldn’t be censored and hidden away

[@Littleathquakes]

seriously did anyone for a minute think that Zeke was actually a man?

[@naomiwalsh1411]

Littleathquakes me I luv Zeke

[@galileeo]

He is a transgender man

[@welcomeg5533]

Because he is a man? Just because he is trans doesn't make him less of of man.

[@bobyanawilson3814]

@@welcomeg5533 they probably thought he was a born male turning woman or something

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

I did. I thought Zeke was a man until she got outed as being a woman.

[@Crisperdad]

Varnerv is still my favorite

[@dynamicshocke2821]

I don't get it. so zeke was a girl before?? and now a man? or zeke is a man but without his male genitals? sorry just bare with me

[@itsLuis551]

He was a woman, now a man. Whether or not he had surgery to change his genitals is unknown. Some trans people do, others dont.

[@RaymondHng]

Zeke was assigned female at birth. After transitioning, he now identifies as male.
When we have conversations with and about transgender people, it is important that we do not reduce them to body parts. Trans people are more than the sum of their parts. The preoccupation with transition and surgery objectifies transgender people and we don’t get to deal with the real lived experiences. The reality of trans people’s lives is that so often they are targets of violence. Trans people experience discrimination disproportionately to the rest of the community. Their unemployment rate is twice the national average; if you are a trans person of color, that rate is four times the national average. The homicide rate is highest among trans women. If we focus on transition, we don’t actually get to talk about those things.

[@TheTorseHumtunja]

Sikh Khuntakinte k

[@gamzettemakara6220]

@@sikhkhuntakinte8089 he's a man

[@e13kid]

She was born female.

[@calebr3097]

Ight so was he born a dude or born a woman

[@samuelmader7357]

He was born a woman, transitioned to a man

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

@@samuelmader7357 She was born a woman, is a woman and always will be a woman. Gender cannot actually be changed.

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

Zeke had me fooled. I actually thought she was a man until Varner revealed to the public Zeke is in fact a woman.

[@oliversmith7322]

The public fact that Zeke was born a biological female*
Zeke is a man, they weren’t “fooling” anyone either, it’s a very personal bit of information that they had no need, moral or obligatory, to state to a group like and especially not on television to millions of people.

[@AndrewSmith-pn2qc]

@oliversmith7322 Zeke Smith is still a woman and in no way whatsoever is SHE a man!!!

[@gabrielwong9063]

Zeke is a man. Actually a man. Period.

[@blakehague7296]

Zeke was a great player but survivor needs to stop with the political stuff. Your not a transgender, your not black, your a person end of that story

[@kad3629]

How someone chooses to identify themselves is not political, Blake. Just as much as being gay or straight isn’t political. Transgender people have existed for millennia. Do some research beyond your third grade education, Blake.

[@rlt152]

He did the right thing, people have the right to know if someone is Transgender

[@RaymondHng]

No, people do not have a right to know personal and private matters. Like gays or lesbians - or anyone else, for that matter - transgender people get to determine for themselves what they’re willing to divulge about their sexual orientation and gender identity. It’s not your business unless or until the person tells you it is.

[@rlt152]

I disagree not everyone agrees about the lifestyles of LGBT people so if they are going to be playing a reality game with them than they deserve to know

[@RaymondHng]

Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender is not germane to game play. Other players do not have a right to know. Also, being LGBT is not a lifestyle. It is a life. It is not a choice.

[@juliah.104]

The right thing? Lmao, he outed someone. Not the right thing to do in that moment. Or in that case, not the right thing to do ever.

[@fuckinwhat7626]

No dude, Outing someone as lgbt can be fucking dangerous. I’ve been there personally, and all I got was death threats and seconds away from assaults. Us being forced to be out for your comfort is a danger to our wellbeing. What we are, if we choose to be private about our personal matters is none of your business.
After all, if you had, say, any underlying issues you wouldn’t wanna be forced to tell everyone about it when it’s YOUR business

[@Znibro]

Well, hate to break it to you all but, that was probably the single reason for Zeke to be there, got to join the "Game Changers"/season 34. It was strategically good timing to throw in a transgender and get some extra juice from it, especially after Jeff's unwise move here during the tribal council. Because Zeke wasn't really that impressive during the last time he participated in "Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X" neither (that whole season sucked as well).

[@dinohall2595]

I think Zeke was definitely a Game Changer in MvGX. They had planned on saving two spots in the season for MvGX cast members, and Zeke was one of the smartest strategists that season behind David.

[@carter4701]

Znibro there’s a reason your comment has zero likes

[@dwell7315]

to be fair, literally half the cast of Game Changers weren't actually game changers. Claiming Zeke was only added to the cast because he's "a transgender" is really kinda gross especially because without that tribal council, it was likely to have never come up (just like it never came up in MvGX or the entire season of Game Changers until that tribal)

[@oranplan1630]

Idk, he's said before that he never told them he was transgender in the first place.

[@jiayouchinese]

*SHE not HE.

[@dinohall2595]

J. Jernighan He is a man.

[@jiayouchinese]

Are you joking? It's a woman that tried to change her sex, and we all know you can't change your chromosomes.

[@TheTorseHumtunja]

J. Jernighan They kill themselves because of jerks like you.

[@kayley9523]

@@jiayouchinese Your a straight up bitch

[@gamzettemakara6220]

@@jiayouchinese if sex determines gender, then explain people who have both genitals. Explain people with vaginas who have XY chromosomes. Explain people with penises who have XX chromosomes. They exist

[@KyleT1990]

She*

[@kad3629]

No, it’s he. Nice try though, Kyle.

[@KyleT1990]

@@kad3629 she’s a female. For the entire history of the English language the pronoun “he” has been used to describe males. You can try to redefine what words mean, but the concepts that those words were originally meant to describe still hold true, and so now you look as crazy as a person insisting dogs are cats.

[@kad3629]

@@KyleT1990 wow these are some big feelings coming out, Kyle. I didn’t realize you had such an issue with people holding autonomy over themselves and how they choose to identify as. I guess we’ll take away the choice for people to change their names, no last name changes for marriage too. You weren’t born that way and come hell or high water you change that.
You see how dumb that sounds? How people choose to identify literally makes no difference in any of our lives. I genuinely pray you don’t reproduce, ever. The gene pool doesn’t need another single digit IQ score muddying up the future generations of people with autonomy over themselves, considering in this sense it impacts no one outside the person.
Grow up, Kyle.

[@kad3629]

@@KyleT1990 your obsession with how others identify is so strange, Kyle. Your mother must be proud of you.

[@KyleT1990]

@@kad3629 you guys always say that kind of nonsense. “Why do you care so much. It doesn’t affect you. Just let people live their lives”. Yeah, except, you’re ruining the institution of marriage, demanding the ability to use bathrooms based on personal identification, demanding males be able to play in women’s sports, demanding everyone respect your preferred pronouns, creating HR rules within nearly every major company that requires people respect how you identify. I could go on and on. Stop playing dumb like you don’t understand that this isn’t just a small personal issue.