Thanks

This time I did remember on my own, but am so glad you give a weekly heads up as often I forget. I'm ready to see what happens next.

Lindsey, like, like and like again! I can watch again now. I would not be sad to see Tai go lol. But really with Sandra gone, who cares?!?! Haha

I am looking forward to seeing the reaction about the "Queen" no longer there.....But, would you believe, tonight is the 1st hockey playoff game for our Penguins....My remote is really going to get a workout.......

Oh my goodness! I'm speechless.

Wow!

Is this a first? What Jeff said/did?

I can't even speak. I am so furious. Jeff had no choice think about it. Imagine what is happening on social media. OK shhhh

I think so.

The way the tribe came together for that person... the way someone can show true remorse... amazing tribal! Too bad he got so caught up in saving himself he could make such a blunder.

Unbelievable!

I don't think I have ever been so disgusted by anyone in my life as I am with Jeff Varner.

Guess I missed something. I thought with the merge, it was mentioned 3 gays.

Jeff will be sorry for the rest of his life.

Glenda, did you watch the tribal council? If so, did you listen to what Jeff Varner said? Yes, everyone already knew (and everyone has known for more than one season) that Jeff, Zeke, and Tai are gay. This was ... different, and not his place to reveal. Ever.

My mouth literally dropped open. I thought...what did he say? OMG! and Zeke was so quiet and calm about it. Jeff will be ostracized for a long time over outing Zeke like this. Bravo to the council for the unanimous vote. Such a slimy thing to do, Jeff.

And then soooo remorseful. Nope. I think he was sorry it backfired so badly. Zeke definitely earned some cred last night. He did look a bit like a deer in the headlights. He handled it very well.

After thinking about it again this morning though, it has probably put a target on his back also. At least if he makes it close to the end. No one will want to sit beside him and listen to his story of emotional conflict and judgmental people and lonliness etc. See where I'm going with this? It would be like the millennial who won saying my mom has cancer, I don't even know if she's still alive.

Another crazy tribal fo sho!!

Here's the recap. Be sure to check out the Q&A with Jeff as well. (there's a link to that in the recap.)

Katlan said it all for me. Varner had no right, no business, no brain. How did he KNOW, how did he find this out? I want to know whose confidence he broke and I'm sure it wasn't Zeke who told him

Oh, Katlan, I think that guy who won-his mother died the day after he got home.

Just when I was thinking "what a boring episode". I have to say that I have discovered that I, personally, would not do whatever it takes to win a million dollars. The only excuse I can make for Varner is that the elements got to him. He will never live down the infamy of outing someone in front of millions of people.

Flaming I remembered that his mom died. It was so sad to hear that. But you know what I mean abt when people have such sadness or challenges in their lives it sways the jury? What really will work against Zeke, in my opinion, is hes so darn nice and likeable.

In my opinion, he didn't do that spontaneously, he rehearsed what he was going to say and said it. One doesn't go on the show and then just talk ragtime, he knew he would say it. He was so self absorbed that he forgot that a person would be affected and that it was soooooooo wrong to say.

I find zeke to be awesome. I was so impressed by his composure and how he handled it. He and Varner seemed to be forming a bond my guess is that he may have said something to Varner or Varner had this knowledge through other people who knew him through the community. It really is not important I guess how he knew it's what he did with the most personal private information.

I was reading all of their tweets last night and I was surprised Varner was not getting more angry tweets. Today may be different.

This kind of thing had to be handled exactly right by Jeff Probst. I mean imagine the lawyers were freaking out. It could have been a show ending event. If zeke had reacted differently things could have gone in a wildly different direction. I have to congratulate Probst too he knew he had to evict Varner from the show and he did it with class.

Varner did not make a mistake he made a cold calculated decision and acted upon it. He was just very mistaken in how everyone would react to it. He went to tribal knowing exactly what he was going to do and say period. He literally fell into his own fire.

I was so angry with Jeff Varner last night. I still am. I was screaming at the television - at Varner. That was not his secret to tell.

Thoughts that entered my head --- How long has Zeke been at his current job? I'm guessing that his employer knew before now that Zeke is gay, but what if Zeke hadn't revealed the rest of his story to anyone where he works? How will this affect him now? What would have happened on the show last night if, after Varner said what he did, Zeke asked Jeff Probst not to air that? Would they have stopped filming for a few minutes, then started again but have Probst make an announcement that "due to unforeseen circumstances, we cannot air tribal council tonight. Jeff Varner was unanimously voted off."

I am still a little confused about the specifics. Varner said Zeke was transitioning, so I thought that meant that he was in the process of becoming a woman. But then I read that Zeke transitioned in college. Or maybe he just started the process in college and still hasn't fully transitioned into a man. So was he born a man or a woman?

It's really not something zeke has to reveal. He has had to live through it. He's done a very good job. It's his to tell or not.

My mouth was hanging open...and then...I was Pi$$ed OFF! He did not just reveal THAT so he/Jeff could advance in the game! OMG! Jeff = GONE! Woooooooow! As it should be!

I'm watching "The Talk", Zeke is going to be on....

I did not get the impression that he was gay, but that he was transgender...

Mayflowers -- Zeke was born into a female body. He has, in my opinion, fully transitioned into a male. He has grown a beard and has quite a bit of chest hair. I can usually tell a transgender person just by looking at them. I never, ever, would have guessed that Zeke is transgender.

------------

Zeke has previously stated (when he was on Survivor during a different "season") that he is gay. Varner revealed last night that Zeke is also transgender.

Many transgender people never have the gender reassignment surgery because it is very expensive.

He sounds like a really cool dude.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/survivor-zeke-smith-outed-as-transgender-guest-column-991514

Thanks for posting that, CIndyMac, it was great.

Zeke is the real deal, a really good person.

"After 18 days starving and competing with me, they knew exactly the man I am, and after that Tribal Council, we all knew exactly the man Varner is."

Thank you, Lindsey.

It was said tonight that Zeke worked with CBS and the producers of Survivor to make sure that the whole TC was properly edited, and that he was good with what was shown. That man has courage,

I'm glad to hear that the producers worked with Zeke to edit the TC. Varner should be ashamed of himself.

Yes, thank you Cindy for posting Zeke's editorial. What an eloquent, insightful young man. I have to say the first time Zeke played, his hubris did him in. I think he is playing a different, smarter game this time. Wish he hadn't felt a kinship with Varner and warn him about his fate, giving him time to construe his plan. I wonder if and how the other team will find out. Next week is the merge, will it be discussed? I would imagine feelings will still be raw.

I was reading in the comments that Zeke may have been the bully on another show. Apparently, he did something similar to someone with mental problems.

very shocking, very sad.... what was Varner thinking, i think he wasn't...

"I was reading in the comments that Zeke may have been the bully on another show. Apparently, he did something similar to someone with mental problems."

I don't know that I would say that Zeke had been a bully on another show. He was on the Survivor season that immediately preceded this season. I think what you're referring to had something to do with Zeke and another player giving a hard time to another male player who was crying.

Earlier today I posted, "Thoughts that entered my head --- How long has Zeke been at his current job? I'm guessing that his employer knew before now that Zeke is gay, but what if Zeke hadn't revealed the rest of his story to anyone where he works? How will this affect him now?"

After reading the article to which CindyMac provided a link (thank you!), I now know that no one at Zeke's job new he was transgender.

Coming out is intensely personal, and no one should have any control or say over it other than the person himself/herself. What Varner did/said was deliberate and decided upon before that tribal council even started. "Malice aforethought," as they say. I know how difficult it was for my brother to tell me he was gay (even though I'd known since he was about 7, he didn't come to grips with it until he was 17), and if anyone had outed him before he was ready to talk about it, it would have devastated him. Being transgender these days is so much bigger, given the political climate in which we live. I just cannot begin to imagine how Zeke felt sitting there at tribal when those words came out of Varner's mouth. I hope Varner rots in hell.