S34: Zeke Smith

[Jabu]

Hi.  I'm from Millennials vs. Gen-X.  And I most regret Chris being in my alliance.

So this begs the question.  I gave up last season entirely because David and Ken were hogging the airtime from castaways I'd much rather have seen.  (Seriously.  You all can still have them!)  Why would he regret Chris?

[ByaNose]

If Zeke wasn't killing the Slide Puzzles we wouldn't even see him. The tribe is sitting nice & pretty..................until next week and the swap & Exile Island. Hopefully, it will benefit him. It's so odd to see his seasons back-to-back and have two different edits.

[laurakaye]

Zeke said on the last episode that he has a phone app where he plays slide puzzles.  So I thought I would try it myself, since we all know that slide puzzles are the devil's game.  I chose the easy level to start, tried to line up a picture of two adorable kittens, and after three minutes I wanted to throw my phone at the wall and break it into a million pieces.  So, props to anyone who can not only correctly work a slide puzzle, but can do it with Probst screaming your every move from a few feet away, while your tribemates yell at you to "RELAX!!!!!"  Zeke may be my new hero.

Edited March 31, 2017 by laurakaye

[peachmangosteen]

42 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

I chose the easy level to start, tried to line up a picture of two adorable kittens, and after three minutes I wanted to throw my phone at the wall and break it into a million pieces.  

Right! Those things are truly the devil's work. I've seen the explanation on how to do them and it still makes no sense to me lol. 

I'm gonna need Zeke to do something soon because, for some inexplicable reason, I chose him for my fantasy team and he is getting me no points.

[Vyk]

It is odd that as one of the most popular (or at least most focused-on) castaways from last season isn't getting a lot of screentime this season.  Then again, lots of viewers favorites and darlings are going out left and right, so it makes sense to get their stories in early, especially if Zeke may go a lot farther in this game than they all did.

[enlightenedbum]

That whole tribe is basically invisible and it has two absolutely huge Survivor characters in Cirie and Ozzy.  It's too functional and athletic to get much attention.  And Zeke kicks ass at puzzles, so they win those too.

[LadyChatts]

As a Survivor player, I don't like Zeke and think he's terrible at this game.  But damn, how could you not sympathize with him tonight?  I seriously hope the show consulted with him on how to approach this.  I can't see how they couldn't.  How they would have edited this TC, I don't know, but I hope Zeke said he wanted it shown.  He handled that better than I would have.  And he had every right to react any way that he wanted to.

[Artsda]

'Survivor' Contestant Opens Up About Being Outed as Transgender (Guest Column)

by Zeke Smith

 

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

[Charlesman]

On 3/31/2017 at 8:26 AM, laurakaye said:

Zeke said on the last episode that he has a phone app where he plays slide puzzles.  So I thought I would try it myself, since we all know that slide puzzles are the devil's game.  I chose the easy level to start, tried to line up a picture of two adorable kittens, and after three minutes I wanted to throw my phone at the wall and break it into a million pieces.  So, props to anyone who can not only correctly work a slide puzzle, but can do it with Probst screaming your every move from a few feet away, while your tribemates yell at you to "RELAX!!!!!"  Zeke may be my new hero.

 

Awww, I love slide puzzles! They're pretty easy once you get the hang of them. Just start in the top corner and work the squares in order, until you've only got a few left. Then, it's really just sliding the remaining ones around in a circle until you can shift the one you need into the gap to get them all in the right sequence, then rotate them all back at once to where they belong.

 

Easy as pie! ;)

[Vyk]

6 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

As a Survivor player, I don't like Zeke and think he's terrible at this game.  But damn, how could you not sympathize with him tonight?  I seriously hope the show consulted with him on how to approach this.  I can't see how they couldn't.  How they would have edited this TC, I don't know, but I hope Zeke said he wanted it shown.  He handled that better than I would have.  And he had every right to react any way that he wanted to.

Pwecious Wittle David cried because of him, so I'm always gonna like Zeke for that, even though he really isn't that good at this game, as proven by him easily getting found out about him playing both sides.

But he's still a better person than I am, because if it wouldn't have gotten me pulled from the game, I would've punched Varner square in his jaw and kicked him in the shin.  That shit isn't right on any level, and I don't truly believe he's ever forgiven him for that.

[Nashville]

4 hours ago, Artsda said:

'Survivor' Contestant Opens Up About Being Outed as Transgender (Guest Column)

by Zeke Smith

 

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

FYI - this is an excellent read, y'all.

[Fostersmom]

5 hours ago, Nashville said:

FYI - this is an excellent read, y'all.

Yes it is. In his original bio he mentioned being a rockstar debater in high school, and it really showed in the piece. Obvious personal subject aside, he's got a way with words and I can see how he easily kill in debates. I'm having Gilmore Girls, Paris Geller leaving other kids in tears visions in my head.

[LadyChatts]

Looks like the show did give Zeke some authority on how this episode was handled:

http://www.eonline.com/news/843428/zeke-smith-says-survivor-gave-him-unprecedented-autonomy-in-how-his-outing-was-handled

Quote

 

When he first applied for the competition series he said he didn't reveal he was transgender, that came later as his relationship with producers evolved. Zeke said CBS and producers basically gave him full control over his story after the outing at Tribal Council.

"I've been granted unprecedented autonomy in how I want to tell my story," he assured everyone. "We started having conversations all the way back in Fiji nine months ago about the care with which this episode was going to be handled...I was really proud of how I responded...I also thought that by showing what happened maybe it wouldn't happen to someone else and something good could come of it."

 

[jb0495]

I thought Zeke may have been trans last season, but didn't put any more thought into it and then I stumbled upon it on Survivor Sucks prior to this season (hard to ignore, unfortunately in the Zeke thread) and read the Harvard Crimson article. I figured, rightly so, that it was no one's business and no one on Survivor needed to know. 

I was just curious, since there is malicious content on Survivor Sucks regarding Zeke and transitioning in general, along with the Crimson article, is there anything online prior to his transition? I would hope not and I hope it doesn't get dissected like it did for Aubrey on BB. 

I had always hoped he'd win last season, so I'm pulling for him this season!

[Silver Raven]

Forgive my ignorance, but was Zeke able to bring his hormone doses with him on Survivor, or was he able to go without during his stay?

[DEL901]

The show provides medication for anyone who needs regular medication.  It's just not showed in the episodes.

[violet and green]

On 4/15/2017 at 3:48 AM, jb0495 said:

I had always hoped he'd win last season, so I'm pulling for him this season!

Me, too. It's rare (in my view) that a highly literate, articulate, and witty person wins Survivor. He's also so damn into it! I love the way he throws himself into the physical challenges. My favorite rarely wins, and they are not usually a popular winner. If Zeke did win, after this, he would actually be a popular winner - which is ironic, as many, many people had written him off (without much cause in my view), after some snippy comments in tribal last season.

[peachmangosteen]

11 hours ago, violet and green said:

If Zeke did win, after this, he would actually be a popular winner - which is ironic, as many, many people had written him off (without much cause in my view), after some snippy comments in tribal last season.

Some, including myself, wrote him off before that for other reasons as well.

I still don't particularly like him or the way he plays most of the time.

[marys1000]

I really liked Zeke before.  I have zero issues with LGBT.   I fucking can't stand him now.  This episode should never been aired.  Jeff should not have canceled the voting it was soooo judgemental.  I don't need my reality show turned into "something great" as in teachable moment.  Its all about this now not the game.  The whole thing makes me so mad.  Poor Zeke.  And yes I know it wasn't right.  We've seen JV for multiple seasons, we know he isn't evil but he has lost his job.  Don't turn being outed into a new career.  If Zeke wanted to do something great/teachable he could have outed himself, before during or after.  

Edited April 16, 2017 by marys1000

[ByaNose]

Varner knew he was going home before Tribal Council. There really was need to vote in secrecy for this one. That said, a lot of contestants know they are going home but they still vote. Last week, certainly changed the feeling of the game but the other tribe has no idea. If no one says/said anything there're all going to think it was a regular vote out. I'll guess we'll see (or not) if it's brought up at the merge feast. I'm still going to watch but last week tainted the season for me a little bit. Also, I think Zeke was a strong player last season but this season I haven't seen much of him. I didn't even realize that he, Ozzy & Andrea were in an alliance. It's hardly been shown.

[Stinamaia]

On 4/14/2017 at 11:48 AM, jb0495 said:

I thought Zeke may have been trans last season, but didn't put any more thought into it and then I stumbled upon it on Survivor Sucks prior to this season (hard to ignore, unfortunately in the Zeke thread) and read the Harvard Crimson article. I figured, rightly so, that it was no one's business and no one on Survivor needed to know. 

I was just curious, since there is malicious content on Survivor Sucks regarding Zeke and transitioning in general, along with the Crimson article, is there anything online prior to his transition? I would hope not and I hope it doesn't get dissected like it did for Aubrey on BB. 

I had always hoped he'd win last season, so I'm pulling for him this season!

I knew Zeke was trans which helped me reconcile the 70's mustache. :)  I kind of forgot about it afterward though.  I totally understand his not telling new people in his life because he wants to move along without having to go over this story again and again.  I also have something irregular in my life.  I have told people in the past, but I don't any more because I'm bored with telling "my story"  and it's something I've dealt with and I'm more interested in other aspects of my life and other people's lives. 

That said, I've never really supported Zeke in the game because he's been a threat to others I like more.  He's a dangerous guy because he's very strategic and a good liar who can be very sympathetic to others.  He's a bit like Cire in this regard - or Yul in his season.  

[LadyChatts]

See, I never saw Zeke as that good of a Survivor player.  Last season Probst hyped him up as being some Hatch/Coach/Phillip hybrid, but he got power crazed, overplayed his hand, and left the game with a rep as a bit of a bully that had to do damage control over it.  When I heard he was coming back this season, I thought Probst was trying to make him happen.  I still do, but we haven't really seen Zeke play this season so I'll see when the merge comes.  Still don't like him much.

Edited April 16, 2017 by LadyChatts

[Theredone]

3 hours ago, marys1000 said:

I really liked Zeke before.  I have zero issues with LGBT.   I fucking can't stand him now.  This episode should never been aired.  Jeff should not have canceled the voting it was soooo judgemental.  I don't need my reality show turned into "something great" as in teachable moment.  Its all about this now not the game.  The whole thing makes me so mad.  Poor Zeke.  And yes I know it wasn't right.  We've seen JV for multiple seasons, we know he isn't evil but he has lost his job.  Don't turn being outed into a new career.  If Zeke wanted to do something great/teachable he could have outed himself, before during or after.  

What happened to make you go from liking Zeke to not being able to stand him now? I'm having a hard time following your logic in your comment. 

[Silver Raven]

8 hours ago, marys1000 said:

I really liked Zeke before.  I have zero issues with LGBT.   I fucking can't stand him now.

Can you expand on this, please?

[violet and green]

11 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Some, including myself, wrote him off before that for other reasons as well.

I still don't particularly like him or the way he plays most of the time.

Oh, right. I'll rephrase that: Many, many people had written Zeke off before this season even aired because he was meanie to David in a tribal once, but they did not include Peachmangosteen (or the cosigned)... :)

In terms of a general mood shift towards Zeke, I stand by my observation.

[DEL901]

On 4/16/2017 at 9:44 AM, marys1000 said:

I really liked Zeke before.  I have zero issues with LGBT.   I fucking can't stand him now.  This episode should never been aired.  Jeff should not have canceled the voting it was soooo judgemental.  I don't need my reality show turned into "something great" as in teachable moment.  Its all about this now not the game.  The whole thing makes me so mad.  Poor Zeke.  And yes I know it wasn't right.  We've seen JV for multiple seasons, we know he isn't evil but he has lost his job.  Don't turn being outed into a new career.  If Zeke wanted to do something great/teachable he could have outed himself, before during or after.  

Regarding the last statement:  why should Zeke have done this?  Seriously, he was the victim.

I really hate what Varner did but I've posted enough about that and I'm not going to repeat myself.  However, I believe this public shaming has gotten out of control.  I'm not surprised he lost his job and it suck about all the emotional torment he's gone through for the last 10 months waiting for this to air... he really couldn't get past this moment until it did air.  However, actions have ramifications.  Perhaps another teachable moment is about cyber-bullying and piling on someone for a mistake they made almost a year ago.  (But I do NOT blame Zeke for Varner's repercussions.  That was all him.)

[peachmangosteen]

21 hours ago, LadyChatts said:

See, I never saw Zeke as that good of a Survivor player.

Yea, I agree. He is a liar and a smooth talker (Apparently. To me his speeches always come off so fake and manipulative.), but he gets way too high on himself and that will always fuck you over. Not to mention that he has shown he'll go nasty when things don't go his way, which isn't really a trait of a good player imo.

Edited April 17, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[Nashville]

On 4/16/2017 at 8:44 AM, marys1000 said:

If Zeke wanted to do something great/teachable he could have outed himself, before during or after.  

• "Before"?  Zeke didn't want to do "something great/teachable"; Zeke didn't want to do shit, other than live his life in the manner he chose without having to constantly reference the transitions necessary to pursue that goal.   But Varner kinda stepped into the middle of Zeke's life and gave THAT option a bloody abortion, didn't he?
• "During"?  Don't know what you saw on the broadcast, but I saw Zeke attempting the most graceful response he could manage to a truly shocking situation by which he was totally blindsided.  YMMV
• "After"?  As I said a while back, I see Zeke trying to make lemonade out of this total lemon of a situation - but again, this is Zeke reacting to the steaming-pile-of-shit situation created by Varner's proactive shot at Zeke's personal life.

[ByaNose]

4 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yea, I agree. He is a liar and a smooth talker (Apparently. To me his speeches always come off so fake and manipulative.), but he gets way too high on himself and that will always fuck you over. Not to mention that he has shown he'll go nasty when things don't go his way, which isn't really a trait of a good player imo.

I didn't think Zeke was that great of player on his GvsX. He was a super fan and nice enough and he made it really far. I was actually surprised that he was asked for Game Changers. I would have put David or Jay in his place. I liked him and thought he had a good storyline especially when he and Bret had their talk. That said, I didn't think he was the Game Changer that David and Jay were. Of course, the show might be holding them for another season. Even, this season he's been pretty quiet. He's had one on ones with Ozzy, Cirie and later Varner but I haven't really seen him play the game. There still time and maybe he'll make a big move. Right now, he seems like he is tight with Ozzy & Andrea. I guess if he cuts Ozzy that might be the big move he needs for the "all important" resume.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I was actually surprised that he was asked for Game Changers. I would have put David or Jay in his place.

Maybe part of why they asked him back was in hopes there'd be drama over his being trans.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

Whoever the Survivor producers are or whoever casting is, they think exactly like I do.  For me it was very obvious that Zeke and Michaela were the most likeable contestants -- to ME; I know that Michaela is not universally likeable here -- and I also like so much of the Game Changers cast so yeah Zeke and M being chosen made a lot of sense to me.

Zeke stands out.  The Hawaiian shirts, the mustache, the hipster glasses, are you kidding?  And Michaela, she's so tough and fiery and different from what I'm using to seeing on this show - the contestant who doesn't hide their feelings whatsoever (I said the same thing about Spencer, and I found that fascinating about him also.)  Anyways, I did not find Z and M being re-cast for Game Changers suspicious or weird or agenda-laden whatsoever.  They stood out.

It was like somebody read my mind.  I wouldn't have cast, say, Sarah (nothing against her, and I kind of love her now) but for sure I would have cast Tai and Aubry (and even Cydney, just cuz I like her).  The game changing thing, whatever, I don't know or think Z and M changed the game at all probably?  But to me they are TV ready (charismatic, attractive in a unique way, and exciting.)

Edited April 18, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[SVNBob]

A point of discussion in Varner's thread about this season's reunion show and how it's been nearly a year between the events of this infamous TC actually happening and airing made me wonder:

How weird is this for Zeke and Probst?  Not just the events, but the timeline.

• Zeke is cast for Millennials vs Gen-X.  Late in the casting, he reveals to TPTB (including Probst) that he is trans, but doesn't want that to be his story, if it can be helped.  TPTB agree.
• Zeke competes in MvGX.  Nothing about him being trans is ever brought up (that we saw).  The closest thing was him bonding with Brett about being gay, and Zeke thanking Brett and his generation for paving the way so Zeke and his generation can be out as they choose.
• Zeke is invited back and competes in Game Changers.
• This TC.
• Zeke returns from Game Changers.
• The MvGX Reunion!

That means that for the MvGX reunion, both Zeke and Probst had to pretend this bombshell never happened.  I'm sure it was easier for Probst, since he's had a few years of experience compartmentalizing the different back-to-back seasons. 

But for Zeke?  Talk about awkward.  He was probably glad for the controversy of him picking on David, since he could focus on that instead of the (I would imagine) still deep hurt of what happened here.

 

And then there's also Michaela.  Was she aware of all this at the MvGX reunion?  Maybe she was, and that's part of why Probst barely talked to her at that reunion, despite her also playing back-to-back.

[JudyObscure]

On ‎4‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 9:44 AM, marys1000 said:

 Jeff should not have canceled the voting it was soooo judgemental.  

I agree with that. It was such a prissy, "Well!  We all hate Jeff now so we don't need to vote."  They may or may not have all hated Jeff, but just because everyone was crying and telling Jeff how wrong he was, doesn't say how they might have voted in private.  I can see sneaky Tai, and maybe Ozzy,  wanting Jeff around as a shield.

I'm interested in seeing how Zeke will be for the rest of the show.  This week I've seen him on TV and read his brilliant essays and he seems very happy now, but when we last saw him on Survivor he had that round eyed, hurt look that made Andrea (and me) burst out crying.  It will be odd to go back to that.

[MissEwa]

13 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

I agree with that. It was such a prissy, "Well!  We all hate Jeff now so we don't need to vote."  They may or may not have all hated Jeff, but just because everyone was crying and telling Jeff how wrong he was, doesn't say how they might have voted in private.  I can see sneaky Tai, and maybe Ozzy,  wanting Jeff around as a shield.

YMMV on whether it was prissy, but I read that as being the show's (Probst's) reaction to the severity of what he'd done. As even Varner admitted, outing someone against their will is assault. I doubt it's specifically in their rules as a forbidden thing but it crosses such a huge line I think basically Probst was making a producer's call of 'You're done. You can't stay. Everyone okay with that? Good.'

IMO it was the right call, making it clear that they were not going to let it go, but what it did do was make it impossible to edit around what happened. If they'd voted there's more wiggle-room to hack something together where Jeff gets voted out and it's very boring and predictable and Zeke is only outed to those six people. 

The huge time gap between when this happened and when it aired and how just plain weird that must have been for Zeke hadn't really occured to me but sheesh. It must be so surreal. I don't see how Michaela's lack of screen-time at the MvGenX reunion factors in though - even if she knew I'm sure she's capable of discussing other things. I think that was more just that she was pre-jury. 

[DEL901]

16 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I didn't think Zeke was that great of player on his GvsX. He was a super fan and nice enough and he made it really far. I was actually surprised that he was asked for Game Changers. I would have put David or Jay in his place. I liked him and thought he had a good storyline especially when he and Bret had their talk. That said, I didn't think he was the Game Changer that David and Jay were. Of course, the show might be holding them for another season. Even, this season he's been pretty quiet. He's had one on ones with Ozzy, Cirie and later Varner but I haven't really seen him play the game. There still time and maybe he'll make a big move. Right now, he seems like he is tight with Ozzy & Andrea. I guess if he cuts Ozzy that might be the big move he needs for the "all important" resume.

I think there is more at play than just who the fans or producers would like to have play.  You can't just put someone in the gave.  Sure they applied for their first season, but everyone after that, the producers can ask, but they don't have to participate.  Maybe David wasn't interested.

[Jobiska]

1 hour ago, DEL901 said:

Maybe David wasn't interested.

Except according to his interviews Probst asked Zeke 20 minutes after he was voted out, and he went out before David.  (Also Ponderosa, and pre-jury boot, did give him and Michaela a little more recovery time; I think Malcolm has spoken about the effects of lasting deep into a game and then coming right back).  

[cooksdelight]

I wonder if Zeke was brought back by Probst in the hopes him being transgender might come out? I wouldn't put anything past him. Because I agree that he didn't come across as a game-changer his first time around. 

[ljenkins782]

7 hours ago, SVNBob said:

A point of discussion in Varner's thread about this season's reunion show and how it's been nearly a year between the events of this infamous TC actually happening and airing made me wonder:

How weird is this for Zeke and Probst?  Not just the events, but the timeline.

• Zeke is cast for Millennials vs Gen-X.  Late in the casting, he reveals to TPTB (including Probst) that he is trans, but doesn't want that to be his story, if it can be helped.  TPTB agree.
• Zeke competes in MvGX.  Nothing about him being trans is ever brought up (that we saw).  The closest thing was him bonding with Brett about being gay, and Zeke thanking Brett and his generation for paving the way so Zeke and his generation can be out as they choose.
• Zeke is invited back and competes in Game Changers.
• This TC.
• Zeke returns from Game Changers.
• The MvGX Reunion!

That means that for the MvGX reunion, both Zeke and Probst had to pretend this bombshell never happened.  I'm sure it was easier for Probst, since he's had a few years of experience compartmentalizing the different back-to-back seasons. 

But for Zeke?  Talk about awkward.  He was probably glad for the controversy of him picking on David, since he could focus on that instead of the (I would imagine) still deep hurt of what happened here.

 

And then there's also Michaela.  Was she aware of all this at the MvGX reunion?  Maybe she was, and that's part of why Probst barely talked to her at that reunion, despite her also playing back-to-back.

Wait, Game Changers filmed before the MvGX reunion? Why did they only announce Michaela as a returnee? They didn't say Zeke was coming back at the time. 

[EVS]

Here's what Probst said in his ew interview about why they asked Zeke back. 

"We knew Zeke was a tremendous storyteller with an amazing ability to take a specific moment from the game or life and give it a universal perspective. That’s why we asked him back to play a second time."

Who knows if this is the true reason or the only reason, but this is what Probst said.  He then goes on to give the example of how even in the midst of being outed, Zeke was able to connect what had just happened with the word 'metamorphosis '. 

http://ew.com/tv/2017/04/12/survivor-jeff-probst-zeke-transgender-jeff-varner/

Edited April 18, 2017 by EVS
Added link

[Whimsy]

Let's stay on-topic for this thread, which is Zeke. I've had to hide some posts that were way off topic, but a lot of these posts are not exactly on-topic. 

[ByaNose]

While I didn't Zeke was all that compelling to bring back he's certainly not the worst. He went far his first time around and didn't make the finals. I can see why he was asked back. He was sort of like Malcolm (not that they are anything alike) in that, he went far but didn't make the finals either. He made it to Day 33 (Episode 12) last time. I'm not sure if he'll make it further this time or not. I think he's playing the same game but it wasn't shown as much due to the "All-Star" returning players taking the first half of the season.

[himela]

On 17/4/2017 at 5:08 PM, peachmangosteen said:

Yea, I agree. He is a liar and a smooth talker (Apparently. To me his speeches always come off so fake and manipulative.), but he gets way too high on himself and that will always fuck you over. Not to mention that he has shown he'll go nasty when things don't go his way, which isn't really a trait of a good player imo.

Are you talking abour Zeke or Boston Rob? Cause BR now is considered to be one of the best players ever and he only won cause the rest of that season's tribe were purely idiots.

It is told by many people from Millenials VS GenX season that Zeke has a way to come close to every person, he has the ability to find at least one thing that has in common with everyone and he uses it to connect socially with them. I don't see why this is a bad thing in a game where social skills are one of the most crucial thing to have among with physical strength...

On 18/4/2017 at 2:53 AM, Winston9-DT3 said:

Maybe part of why they asked him back was in hopes there'd be drama over his being trans.  

This is a cruel thing to say :(

[peachmangosteen]

3 minutes ago, himela said:

Are you talking abour Zeke or Boston Rob? Cause BR now is considered to be one of the best players ever and he only won cause the rest of that season's tribe were purely idiots.

I mean it applies to both imo. Actually they do kind of remind me of each other, except I think BRob's probably a better player, and I don't think he's that good lol.

4 minutes ago, himela said:

It is told by many people from Millenials VS GenX season that Zeke has a way to come close to every person, he has the ability to find at least one thing that has in common with everyone and he uses it to connect socially with them. I don't see why this is a bad thing in a game where social skills are one of the most crucial thing to have among with physical strength...

It's a good thing and I believe he does that, but to me on screen it comes off so transparently fake and manipulative. I guess it's better if you're actually there. Although apparently not good enough because he didn't even make it to the F3.

I am interested to see how Zeke deals with the Varner incident going forward. I think he'll tell everyone what happened, both in an effort to keep it from being something that the ones who know about it could use in the game and in order to give a big speech, which he obviously loves doing.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, himela said:

This is a cruel thing to say :(

Cruel or cynical?  If Zeke truly wanted it kept secret he wouldn't have told them.  I'm sure it's partly why they cast him the first time, whether they admit it or not.  I love the show but it is reality TV and without water cooler moments like this and creative casting from day one, it wouldn't have lasted this long.  

[himela]

On 18/4/2017 at 4:31 PM, cooksdelight said:

I wonder if Zeke was brought back by Probst in the hopes him being transgender might come out? I wouldn't put anything past him. Because I agree that he didn't come across as a game-changer his first time around. 

Since it was not revealed throughout a whole season why would Probst hope it would be revealed in a second season? I think we are overly suspicious. Zeke is a great guy, he loves the game, he played a great game last time, his narratives were great, he was likeable, he gave us the best moment of season 33 (the one he talks with Brett about being gay etc) and Probst asked him to come back for the next season. Why are those reasons not enough?

[peachmangosteen]

46 minutes ago, himela said:

... his narratives were great ...

I feel like that's probably the reason they brought him back. He's a big character that talks a lot and TPTB love that. But there's no doubt in my mind that the possibility that the fact that him being trans could come out was part of it, too. Reality TV producers live for that kind of drama. 

Edited April 19, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[himela]

7 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I feel like that's probably the reason they brought him back. He's a big character that talks a lot and TPTB love that. But there's no doubt in my mind that the possibility that the fact that him being trans could come out wasn't part of it, too. Reality TV producers live for that kind of drama. 

So Zeke being trans is the main possible reason he came back. Could you tell me why he only has this reason and Sarah, Hali, Sierra, Brad and so many others have better reasons? Cause I just can't see it.

[Guest]

I don't think anyone said it was the main or only reason.

[peachmangosteen]

44 minutes ago, himela said:

So Zeke being trans is the main possible reason he came back. Could you tell me why he only has this reason and Sarah, Hali, Sierra, Brad and so many others have better reasons? Cause I just can't see it.

I actually said the reason he was brought back was that fact that he's a big character. Also there isn't anyone that I can see that thinks any of the people you mentioned have good reasons to be on this season. In fact I would say Sierra's inclusion was pretty much universally panned. Zeke is probably actually one of the few contestants that didn't get a bunch of 'why are they even here?' comments.

ETA: I also don't see the belief that Zeke being trans was part of the reason he was cast as some kind of slam on Zeke. I think it's just an observation about/slam on TPTB.

Edited April 19, 2017 by peachmangosteen

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

I mean it applies to both imo. Actually they do kind of remind me of each other, except I think BRob's probably a better player, and I don't think he's that good lol.

It's a good thing and I believe he does that, but to me on screen it comes off so transparently fake and manipulative. I guess it's better if you're actually there. Although apparently not good enough because he didn't even make it to the F3.

I am interested to see how Zeke deals with the Varner incident going forward. I think he'll tell everyone what happened, both in an effort to keep it from being something that the ones who know about it could use in the game and in order to give a big speech, which he obviously loves doing.

Or, he was so good at it that they feared he'd win if he made final 3.