Throughout the last 25 years,Survivorhas been able to produce millionaires, celebrities, and fan favorites, but the Emmy award-winning program has also had some unsettling moments that they would like to forget. There have been incidents such asDan Spiloinappropriately touching others onSurvivor: Island of the IdolsandColton Cumbie’s bigoted comments from his time on the show. However, nothing will compare toJeff Varnerpublicly outingZeke Smithas transgenderat Tribal CouncilduringSurvivor: Game Changersin 2017. The emotional episode has remained one of the most controversial moments in the history ofSurvivorand presented a real-life issue that has now been used to educate fans of the show.Varner’s actions were shameful, but Smith’s reaction, Varner’s response to his mistake, andSurvivor’shandling of the situation made a lasting impact on the series.
Why Did Jeff Varner Out Zeke Smith?
Heading into the infamous Tribal Council, Varner and Smith secured spots in the top seven. But Varner ruined his reputation with one sentence that sabotaged his path to becoming the sole survivor. Prior to the incident,Smith had privately revealed to Varner that he was transgenderbut did not intend to disclose that information to the viewers at home. Smith felt comfortable telling Varner due to the 58-year-oldidentifying as a homosexual male. At this point during the game, Varner was becoming paranoid around his peers and believed that Smith was using his gender identity as a deceptive tactic. Therefore, at Tribal Council, Varner simply asked Smith why he refrained from revealing his gender to the rest of the contestants on the show, leaving Smith to remain silent due to the uncomfortable nature of the situation. Players such asTai TrangandAndrea Boehlkehad an emotional response to Varner’s actions and accused him of using personal matters to advance his life in the game. Despite Varner’s apology to Smith moments later, he was unanimously voted out by his tribe, losing his opportunity to win the million-dollar prize. However, Varner’sSurvivorcareer was not the only thing he lost after the show concluded.
Despite realizing his mistake, after the episode aired,Varner was fired from his jobworking as a real estate agent because of the controversy.Survivorwas also faced with a difficult decision regarding the episode due to uncertainty over the public reaction both Varner and Smith would receive. Ultimately,Smith preferred for the episode to be released, as he felt it could be used as an educational lesson for those unaware of the difficulties of being transgender.Smith even revealedin an interview with Entertainment Tonightthat he hoped sharing the episode with the world would help prevent another incident like this from happening.
Varner has not shied away from public appearances or the media since outing Smith. He not only accepted the invitation to appear atthe reunion showafterSurvivor: Game Changersconcluded but also revealed that he had sought out therapy after being voted out. That said, despiteSurvivorbeing able to handle the incident between Varner and Smith with as much care as possible, the outcome of the situation could have taken a darker turn.
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How Zeke Smith’s Courage Prevented Further Issues
It’s hard to imagine that one of the most controversial Tribal Councils inSurvivorcould have gone worse, but the show was fortunate to have somebody like Smith, who was determined to use the incident as an opportunity to share his story. Despite initially being uncomfortable,Smith did forgive Varnerand chose to stay in the game, butothers who are transgendermay not have taken the same stance. Publically shaming somebody for their choice to keep their gender identity hidden could have serious implications on thatperson’s mental health, especially on a national program likeSurvivor.Thankfully, Smith decided to use Varner’s actions to spread awareness, which took immense courage after this part of his private life became public. In addition, it was a bad look forSurvivor,who initially brought Varner back to be a “game changer.” After 25 years on the air, it’s impossible to avoidcasting mistakesentirely, but players like Varner proved to be harmful to others to win the competition.
Varner’s outing of Smith as transgender will continue to be used as an example of how real-life private matters can bleed into the public eye for someone’s own benefit. Despite Varner’s apology to Smith, he stilltried to use the fact he was transgender to further himself in the game ofSurvivor.He also used hiding one’s gender identity as a way to deceive others, which labels people in the transgender community as deceitful or manipulative. Varner’s actions not only affected both Smith and his castmates but also the viewers who had to witness the portrayal of being transgender as shameful.
Survivoris available to stream on CBS in the U.S.
