S34.E07: What Happened on Exile, Stays on Exile

[Nashville]

10 minutes ago, candall said:

1.  "Metamorphosis" seems like a legit choice since they would have been looking for the longest word they could think of that could reasonably be associated with the "Game Changer" theme.  Wouldn't take very long to decipher "evolve."  (One clever element was to have the letters on buoys, so they'd roll around on the ground as people were trying to visualize the word.)

Agreed.  Many people here have read major significance into the use of this particular word; given the nature of the challenge, however, I personally don't think it's any more complicated than an associate producer saying, "all right, people - somebody give me a long-ass word that means 'change'...."

 

10 minutes ago, candall said:

2.  I thought pizza was an excellent choice for a food reward--a decent amount/combination of protein, carbs and fat for their deprived bodies.  There's a second-rate knockoff "survival" show where the hungry players were all invited to enjoy an entire banquet table of sugar--candy, baked goods, a freakin' chocolate fountain.  Several people were doubled over with nausea and sugar shock in 0-60.

I think that every time the reward is chocolate chip cookies and milk - not exactly a light repast in a tropical environment....

 

10 minutes ago, candall said:

3.  Zeke.  Although I wouldn't likely be patronizing any site where the response may be opposite, it means the world to me to see the universal outrage and 100% support for Zeke.  That's a "game change" that's happened during my lifetime--and I'm not all that damn old.

1000% with you on this.  Back in the early 80s one of my jobs in college was running projectors for the campus cinema, and I remember angry hordes of nice church people picketing us, screaming insults and curses, and even occasionally getting a tad physical - all because we did a two-day run of the movie Deathtrap.  

Why all the (quasi-) righteous furor over a movie?

Because about one second of the entire movie's screen time showed one of the first big-screen depictions of two men kissing, that's why.

Talk about coming a long way, baby.

[mishap]

I meant to ask this, but got so distracted by all the Jeff/Zeke stuff that I forgot. But what is the deal with exile island?  Was it a one time thing?  Will they send someone on the next episode?  If it's a one time thing, I totally think Debbie was right in not telling anyone about it, but if they send other people, it's likely someone will tell someone else, or 2 people that went will talk to each other about it.  Then if that happens, will people try to say Debbie was deceitful by not sharing her experience?   

Maybe I missed something, but to me, it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't, kind of situation. 

[NutMeg]

You know, I like how each tribe had a bonding experience, the one who lost the challenge but won tribal about how the longer you play, the more challenging, emotionally and mentally, Survivor is, and what a toll it takes on you;  the other one, about how they all share core values in life. I don't know whether bonding in the game or bonding in life will be stronger, but here I'm rather rooting for the latter.   

[simplyme]

19 hours ago, MissEwa said:

If he was so curious about Zeke, and so suspicious that Zeke was this season's Russell Hantz, surely he would have discussed his suspicions with Michaela, who played with him on the season where - according to Jeff's theory - he was out and proud? 

This suddenly made me think of a quote someone posted from an interview with JT. I of course can't find that link, remember which thread it's in, or remember who posted it. But JT claimed that Probst brought Michaela and Zeke up to him and introduced them as players who had just finished their season and were now doing the next and then added "you know, just like Russell Hantz." JT said that would have pissed him off if he were Zeke. (Yet apparently not if he were Michaela...? Yeah, that's JT. :P) 

I'm just curious if Probst did say that and if so how many people he said it to. It certainly doesn't excuse Varner, but it could have been something that helped plant some of the "Zeke/Russell" seeds in Varner's mind if any of this is true.

[NutMeg]

7 minutes ago, simplyme said:

This suddenly made me think of a quote someone posted from an interview with JT. I of course can't find that link, remember which thread it's in, or remember who posted it. But JT claimed that Probst brought Michaela and Zeke up to him and introduced them as players who had just finished their season and were now doing the next and then added "you know, just like Russell Hantz." JT said that would have pissed him off if he were Zeke. (Yet apparently not if he were Michaela...? Yeah, that's JT. :P) 

I'm just curious if Probst did say that and if so how many people he said it to. It certainly doesn't excuse Varner, but it could have been something that helped plant some of the "Zeke/Russell" seeds in Varner's mind if any of this is true.

This is so weird, I thought players were not supposed to have any interaction pre game. Well, I guess maybe not in case of returning players. But it still doesn't feel right that Probst would introduce players to each other  :(

[MVFrostsMyPie]

4 hours ago, himela said:

Thank you for doing that Judy :)

Regarding Rob, well, I never was a fan of his when he played and my reasoning was (I know, it's stupid) that he was crazy about that skinny nobody, Heidi. I mean, what on earth turns you on from bones? Anyway, it's my personal opinion and I'm sure people like skinny girls but calling her hot? Not my cup of tea. 

Hi, skinny bony woman here, through no fault of my own, and that wasn't very nice :( 

[DEL901]

13 hours ago, Brenogan said:

I love the comments section...

 

"Now to see what path each of their lives takes... I wish them both healing and growth."

"I would hire Jeff at our new real estate office in Oakland, ca"

"This is all to telling of the PC environment we live in. Yes he was a jerk, but to lose his job for exercising his right of free speech is ludicrous!"

"I have an issue with the Survivor" producers who could have easily edited that out and saved two men from embarrassment. It's shameful that the show used an incident like this to dramatize the show. Sometimes it's more ethical to protect the participants, who aren't acting and don't always think clearly."

"Theater. All contrived to shine more spotlight on the needy transgender who did not get any attention while growing up."

 

Only one full of venom.  Not bad out of 6.

There are more comments now and fights developing on just how bad what Varner did was.  The three I highlighted... the first - revealing someone's personal medical information is not protected under free speech.  In fact, there's something called HIPPA that expressly forbids it.  The 2nd highlighted bit about causing 2 men embarrassment...  Zeke wasn't embarrassed, he was outed, which has been discussed thoroughly so I'm not going to rehash here.  The 3rd, no words.

But my main point:  sure, these comments aren't full of venom towards Varner.  Most of them show animus towards Zeke / transgender people.

 

12 hours ago, simplyme said:

Public outcry? The company fired him (three weeks after hiring him) because they didn't like the bad press being associated with their company. I also imagine it's difficult to sell things to people if you're really unpopular.

I don't think Varner should be stoned for making a (bad) mistake, but there are repercussions for things we say. If you say something that essentially reflects poorly on you and impacts your ability to do your job, most companies will let you go. Especially if you're a new hire.

(And the right to free speech means you can criticize the government. It doesn't mean there are no consequences for what you say.)

At this point, I do feel bad for Varner and hope he gets some positive things going soon. 

ETA: Er, apparently @pennben types faster than me.

Jeff has had 2 jobs in the last 3 months... the first hired him with great fanfare and advertising and then 2 /12 months he jumps ship.  The second company, the one he was fired from, he had only been there 3 weeks... 

7 hours ago, Kelda Feegle said:

would there then have been an opportunity for Varner to see and recognise the meds that Zeke would be taking thus allowing him to come to his conclusions?

I don't think so.  That would also be a violation of Zeke's privacy.

39 minutes ago, simplyme said:

This suddenly made me think of a quote someone posted from an interview with JT. I of course can't find that link, remember which thread it's in, or remember who posted it. But JT claimed that Probst brought Michaela and Zeke up to him and introduced them as players who had just finished their season and were now doing the next and then added "you know, just like Russell Hantz." JT said that would have pissed him off if he were Zeke. (Yet apparently not if he were Michaela...? Yeah, that's JT. :P) 

I'm just curious if Probst did say that and if so how many people he said it to. It certainly doesn't excuse Varner, but it could have been something that helped plant some of the "Zeke/Russell" seeds in Varner's mind if any of this is true.

When Russell was on Fans vs Favorites, those seasons were also played back to back and no one knew anything about his gameplay except for the fact that he was on the villains team.  Mickaela and Zeke also played back to back seasons.  To me, that's the commparison being alluded to... especially since Probst was apparently talking about both M/Z.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

revealing someone's personal medical information is not protected under free speech.  In fact, there's something called HIPPA that expressly forbids it.

HIPAA doesn't apply to this situation, though.  It limits the acts of heath care providers, insurers, etc, not random people.  

Malcolm also played back to back seasons so Jeff could've used him as an example instead of Russell.  

[himela]

34 minutes ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Hi, skinny bony woman here, through no fault of my own, and that wasn't very nice :( 

I apologize.

[EvilApplesauce]

13 hours ago, MsTree said:

I don't watch ANTM, but I don't agree that Survivor should have followed suit. Survivor is/was the first successful Reality TV show, and as such, I appreciate that they didn't edit anything out.  Doing so would have just brought on more questions, more speculation...and eventually it would have gotten out to the public anyway, in the same way as show "spoilers" get out.  By being honest and airing the segment, we all get to see/learn the FACTS. No guessing, no bullshit. For me, I say BRAVO Survivor!

Of course our mileage varies, but I liken this TC to broadcasting or publishing the identity of a rape victim. Zeke was outed against his will, and like others have said in the thread, he's having to make lemonade with the lemons that were forced on him. IMHO, "fair reporting" be damned. I really don't think this needed to air. Let people speculate, let spoilers leak - it's not the public's "right" to be informed of everything.

Edited April 15, 2017 by EvilApplesauce

[KayG]

Varner is a vile person for doing this, that is for sure. I just read he got fired from his job over it. Boo Hoo.

My thoughts on the game are they gotta vote Zeke out now. If he makes it to the final 3, he is the winner. They have to get rid of him, sad as it is.

[illdoc]

My question is: When they merge (next episode), will they tell the people who weren't at TC about what happened there (i.e. will they out Zeke to the others)? Or will they just say "something happened...deeply personal...let Zeke tell you if he wants...yada yada yada"?

[KayG]

People talk, so I think after the merge everyone will eventually find out.

They were all probably expecting Varner to be voted out anyway. I can't wait to see how it goes next week.

Edited April 15, 2017 by KayG

[ByaNose]

I'm assuming they'll talk about it but whether they air it is a different story. They still have a lot to show & do. I don't think they'll get too bogged down on the why. They have a merge and too much game left. I think it will be treated like another day after Tribal Council at the merge. 

[KayG]

You're probably right, I think they expected Varner to go so it won't be a big surprise. However, I think as alliances form in the new tribe it will come out. Zeke may well tell them himself. Who knows? 

[Hera]

I don't know that the other tribe is going to question why Varner was voted out. The swap put him and Sandra in the minority on that tribe, and given that Sandra was voted out at the last tribal council, I suspect the others will just assume that Varner went out because the other six maintained their loyalty to each other. I'm curious to see if there will be a pre-credits scene from that tribe after Tribal Council, where the others reassure Zeke that they won't out him to the players on the other tribe and that no one has to know what Varner said at Tribal Council unless Zeke wants to say something about it himself.

18 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

This very well may be true but I doubt it, only because Zeke is probably one of the most (if not the most) well-spoken people to ever be on Survivor.  I have no trouble believing that he could be so composed and articulate even while that ugliness was going down.

Not only that, but I doubt this is the first time that Zeke has been confronted about his transgender status. This may be one of the nastier or most out of left field confrontations he's had about it, but I'd bet good money that in addition to his natural eloquence, he has the memories of several other discussions to draw on to put together his statements at Tribal Council.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Hera
grammar

[KHenry14]

BTW, I wonder how much Cochran got paid to come all the way out there to spend an hour with Debbie?

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

It is. Average 2 hrs long each time, we only see the snippets Probst wants us to see.

Does Probst really have full power over what we see?

[princelina]

4 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

This very well may be true but I doubt it, only because Zeke is probably one of the most (if not the most) well-spoken people to ever be on Survivor.  I have no trouble believing that he could be so composed and articulate even while that ugliness was going down.

He said in that article people posted here that he kind of zoned out and appreciated Probst keeping things going while he had a chance to compose himself.  So if there was something we didn't see, it could be Jeff P running his mouth until Zeke was ready to respond.

[princelina]

On 4/15/2017 at 8:01 AM, JudyObscure said:

Okay, Himela, I listened to it although I've never listened to Rob Cesternino's* podcast before. I understood it the same way you did.   Varner  thought Zeke was just like Russell, as well as evil and malicious based on pretty much nothing.  Varner also lies again, saying  the trans question, "just popped out organically," and he had never planned to ask it.  We all heard him say earlier that day that he had a secret about Zeke that he might use.

I call bullshit on that whole line of reasoning anyway- from what we saw he and Zeke were friendly and bonding.  If what he says now were true his TH wouldn't have been "I'll do anything to save myself including telling things about others" but more along the lines of "I'm not going to let that asshole Zeke get away with anything!"

On 4/15/2017 at 9:33 AM, JudyObscure said:

Can you imagine the first episode if people thought they would be deemed deceitful if they didn't tell all?  I don't even think of transgendered as sexual orientation so much as medical history.   Would everyone have to out their own knee replacements, hysterectomies, breast implants, nose jobs, colonoscopy results, hormone replacement therapy, and testosterone injections?  If not, there might be a big moment at tribal council where someone said, "Jennifer isn't the pretty girl you all think she is.  When were you going to tell them the truth about those "blonde" highlights, Jennifer?"

Haha how about Sierra's eyebrows- giving away her "deception" on their own :)

Edited April 16, 2017 by princelina

[millennium]

6 hours ago, DEL901 said:

 

Jeff has had 2 jobs in the last 3 months... the first hired him with great fanfare and advertising and then 2 /12 months he jumps ship.  The second company, the one he was fired from, he had only been there 3 weeks... 

If the Mouth of the South is comfortable acting so cruelly and spitefully in front of a worldwide audience, can you just imagine what he's like around the office?    Based on what I've seen, he's probably vain, vindictive, interested in advancing only his career, and dripping with entitlement.

[millennium]

We got it all wrong. 

Jeff Varner is the victim here:

http://www.etonline.com/news/215312_survivor_castaway_jeff_varner_reportedly_fired_from_job_after_outing_fellow_contestant_zeke_smith/

[Fiftyninth]

Every time Varner opens his mouth, it's either uglier or less convincing. I really liked him until this week; I quite sincerely dislike what I have seen from him over the past 72 hours, including all these interviews (and his Gordon Holmes pre-season interview).

This man needs to shut up and find a place to hunker down for a good chunk of time, and stop yapping self-interestedly to anyone who'll grant him some press. 

[mishap]

If Zeke is still around when they merge, which he probably will be, he will probably tell the other people himself.  Or maybe even make an announcement next week, even if there is no merge.  I don't see any of the others in his tribe talking about it.  I bet, at the beginning of the next episode, we have them talking about it, but then saying no more will be said about it, unless it comes from Zeke himself.  And I think that is the only way it should be discussed.  If Zeke brings it up and wants to tell them fine.   But the others should keep their mouths shut about it.  Just as they said it was not Varner's place to out him, it's not theirs either, and I think they will respect that. 

That is what I hope to see anyway.

[CarolMK]

One way I can understand why Zeke didn't tell anybody is that he probably doesn't want to explain over and over again and yes, have people look at him a certain way. In early February, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I've already had surgery and will start radiation next week. I struggled as to whether or not to come out in public about it via my personal Facebook page, and I have around 200 family, friends, neighbors, former and current co-workers etc. I'm doing as well as can be expected since my surgery was successful in getting it all, but it's strange to me now when friends of friends are asking me directly how I'm doing- acquaintances at best. I'm not comfortable talking about it to people that I really dont' know. Of course, they always feel free to share things like how their grandmother died of it, and how their sister in law couldn't take the prescribed hormone blockers that I will have to take for the next 10 years to hopefully prevent a future recurrence. To these folks, I want to tell them to take a hike. I imagine Zeke feels the same way. And being on Survivor, you're probably not out there long enough to bond with people to share something like that. For the record, after I did share, I had several women confess to me that they'd skipped mammograms for a few years but decided to get them after reading about my experience. All that said, I wouldn't be surprised if Survivor completely drops the issue altogether and it never gets discussed again on the show.

[Stinamaia]

22 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

This very well may be true but I doubt it, only because Zeke is probably one of the most (if not the most) well-spoken people to ever be on Survivor.  I have no trouble believing that he could be so composed and articulate even while that ugliness was going down.

Plus it looks as if he disassociated  for a while.  This happens with people who have gone through trauma in the past.   It's also possible that he became quiet in order to think through how he needed to handle the situation.  Maybe it was a bit of both.  I can't pretend to know how Zeke dealt with his conflict over his identity in the past.

I'm sad and I'm a bit angry that Varner caused all this.  For a long time, I've disliked that people have to "come out."  I've never had to announce that I am heterosexual and have been classed as a female since birth with no feeling of conflicted identity.   Of course most people are curious about the sexuality of others and may speculate, but as you get to know people things become clearer and if they don't, that's ok too.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Stinamaia
Spelling

[Stinamaia]

9 hours ago, CarolMK said:

One way I can understand why Zeke didn't tell anybody is that he probably doesn't want to explain over and over again and yes, have people look at him a certain way. In early February, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I've already had surgery and will start radiation next week. I struggled as to whether or not to come out in public about it via my personal Facebook page, and I have around 200 family, friends, neighbors, former and current co-workers etc. I'm doing as well as can be expected since my surgery was successful in getting it all, but it's strange to me now when friends of friends are asking me directly how I'm doing- acquaintances at best. I'm not comfortable talking about it to people that I really dont' know. Of course, they always feel free to share things like how their grandmother died of it, and how their sister in law couldn't take the prescribed hormone blockers that I will have to take for the next 10 years to hopefully prevent a future recurrence. To these folks, I want to tell them to take a hike. I imagine Zeke feels the same way. And being on Survivor, you're probably not out there long enough to bond with people to share something like that. For the record, after I did share, I had several women confess to me that they'd skipped mammograms for a few years but decided to get them after reading about my experience. All that said, I wouldn't be surprised if Survivor completely drops the issue altogether and it never gets discussed again on the show.

Yes to all of this.  AND often people need to insinuate that you that you are somehow wrong or mistaken or responsible.  I haven't been through cancer but something else quite personal and foreign to many.  Just thinking of the loooonnnngg explanations necessary and the possible reactions is somehow exhausting and depressing. 

[backformore]

5 minutes ago, Stinamaia said:

I'm sad and I'm a bit angry that Varner caused all this.  For a long time, I've disliked that people have to "come out."  

Yes - and there's a difference between being "out" as a gay person and "out" as a trans person.  A simplistic way of looking at it is this:   a gay man is "out" when he stops pretending to be straight and lives his authentic gay life.  A trans man is "out"  when he stops pretending to be female and lives his authentic life as male.   Zeke was already out.

[Stinamaia]

11 minutes ago, backformore said:

Yes - and there's a difference between being "out" as a gay person and "out" as a trans person.  A simplistic way of looking at it is this:   a gay man is "out" when he stops pretending to be straight and lives his authentic gay life.  A trans man is "out"  when he stops pretending to be female and lives his authentic life as male.   Zeke was already out.

That is a good point.  It's also possible that a gay man or woman is not pretending to be straight but is merely not sharing his or her private life with me just as might not share mine with people who are tangential to me.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Stinamaia

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 0:18 AM, henripootel said:

I'm flummoxed that Varner could, in so short a span, think that this was a good idea and then realize just how terrible he was being.  I mean his tears at the end seem pretty heartfelt, and not to be mean, but good.  It was a galactically assholeish thing to do, and for the life of me I can't imagine what possessed him.  

That said, Varner did this in front of a few dozen folks - the producers aired it to millions of people.  Leaning strongly that this was a despicable act on their part as well, even if Zeke gave his consent to airing it.   Weaponizing other people's personal info - where does this stop being 'entertainment'?  The cynical part of me wonders if Jeffy et. al were just salivating at 'dramatic gold' and didn't even ask themselves if editing it out was the right move. 

This is Varner's third Survivor trip - he's extremely savvy about production, and the Survivor audience and fandom.  

Having said that, maybe none of us can possibly understand what it's like to be "in" the moment of Survivor, and how insular and isolating the experience may be.  While it's difficult for me to believe Varner - who seemed to clearly pre-meditate the outing - temporarily lost sight of the fact that he was outing Zeke to the entire world, he did seem to have a genuine moment of realizing what he had done.  I did believe his post-fire snuffing devastation.  But it was kinda sorta too late.

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 0:51 AM, Vyk said:

I seem to be the only one who had an inkling that Jeff was probably a stealth douche and had been since he happily blew up his own alliance in Second Chances and then trashed Tasha on social media and in interviews after she blew up his spot that season.  He only proved it tonight.

Good job, Varner.

Zeke was one of my favorites in Millennials vs. Generation X if only because he made Pwecious Wittle David cry.  (Still feel very sorry for any and all who liked him.)  He became even more of my favorite with how he handled that mess.  Good for you, Zeke.

Oh no, I've always thought Varner was a nasty piece of work.  This season, watching him splayed out in the sleeping area, cackling and egging on Sandra's sneaky-ass manipulations, I despised him even more. 

And please - don't feel sorry for those who liked David.  We're not imbeciles.  I despised Zeke for his behavior toward David, but don't judge you for liking Zeke after it.  I was through with Zeke after that moment, but he's won me over again with his handling of his outing.  Such class and dignity.

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 6:49 AM, wallflower75 said:

The problem you'd have with taking out what happened in this episode is the fact that Zeke being outed is probably going to echo throughout the rest of the season as long as he's still in the game.  It's easy to say that all they had to do was go straight to a vote (which someone somewhere pointed out takes a lot longer to get through than the blip we get on TV, which would only have prolonged the agony of that tribal council for Zeke).  But from that moment on in the game, that information about Zeke was out there.  It couldn't be taken back, and it undoubtedly affected Zeke's gameplay from here on out.

I agree with this.  Anything revealed on a reality show is fair game, and I'm sure Zeke was fully aware of it.  Plus, if what people have said is true, that Zeke interviewed early on that if it come out it comes out ...... I have to believe that Zeke determined it was worth the risk.   Especially since the truth was out there after his first season.  By no means am I implying that Zeke "deserved" being outed - he did NOT.  I also don't believe he wanted to be outed.  His reaction in the moment was incredibly real.

And at the risk of alluding to the verboden politics, I think there may be another reason Survivor showed the moment.  Mark Burnett has gotten endless amount of criticism for his extremely conservative beliefs.  I think he wanted this to air so he can dislocate both shoulders patting himself on the back for being so "open-minded".  Just my opinion.

Selfishly, I have to say that it warms my heart at the overwhelming reaction.  By no means is equality achieved, but it has come so far in a relatively short amount of time.  Whereas other forms of bigotry seem to be making a grand comeback.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, RedheadZombie said:

Mark Burnett has gotten endless amount of criticism for his extremely conservative beliefs.

Really?  Where?  I've never seen that suggested.  

[RedheadZombie]

2 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Really?  Where?  I've never seen that suggested.  

I don't feel comfortable elaborating on this site.  Just google - the info is out there.

[henripootel]

14 minutes ago, RedheadZombie said:

This is Varner's third Survivor trip - he's extremely savvy about production, and the Survivor audience and fandom.  

I thought this too, and it crossed my mind that Varner was encouraged by production to 'make a big move', or whatever they're calling 'do something stupid / camera-worthy'.  And he came up with this.  I can't imagine that the producers would green-light him to out Zeke else they are colossally stupid, aiming the potential blow-back right at themselves.  Also tried to imagine this being an editing thing, that the general theme of 'being deceptive' came up and Varner eventually landed here.  Nope - even if it did come up a bit less abruptly than it looked on tv, Varner totally said it.  I'm forced to conclude he's not as savvy as I'd thought.  You'd think a person from NC (with all the attendant heat from HB-2) would have an easier call here. 

Quote

Does Probst really have full power over what we see?

As an EP, I think he has a hand in whatever he wants to have a hand in.  I mean they have casting people and editors and such, but I'm given to understand that Probst exercises a fair amount of control.  I seem to recall that many of the 'twists' like the HII are all Probst-approved, and I've seen the argument made that the tone of the show changed a good bit when Probst demanded and got EP status.  

Edited April 16, 2017 by henripootel

[RedheadZombie]

I find it amusing how Varner finds it reasonable to blame his actions on his belief that Zeke was a "Russell Hantz".  In the future, players of Survivor may very well accuse someone of being a "Varner", aka devious snake. 

I can see it now - I just don't trust this guy.  He's a real Varner.  He's going to suck up and then stab you in the back at tribal.  He's gotta go.

[needschocolate]

I was surprised that Debbie got mad at Varner, but I wasn't sure why that surprised me - she doesn't seem intolerant and she has no trouble speaking her mind.  Then I realized that it was surprising because I would have expected Debbie to try to "one-up' the moment - "Zeke's transgender? Big deal - I was born female, then I became a male then I went back to being female and I performed all of the surgeries myself, without anesthesia!"

Among the many reasons I am glad Varner got his torch snuffed is that too many posters refer to him as Jeff (because it is his name) and I keep thinking they are talking about Jeff Probst - "Probst got fired? What?!? - Oh, not that Jeff."

[Rachel RSL]

Random observation: As much as I question why Sarah is on Game Changers, I appreciated that just as all hell was breaking loose at that TC - Debbie, Tai & Andrea were all yelling at Varner, you could see Sarah lean back & reach over to ask Zeke if he was ok. I loved her in that moment.

[SVNBob]

On 4/11/2017 at 10:16 AM, Tara Ariano said:

Quote

Another castaway is voted out of the game.

As much as we complain about this generic episode blurb when it gets used for the start of these threads (not Tara's fault, btw... sometimes that's the only preview information released prior to the episode airing,), it's probably for the best that this was the blurb for this episode.

[survivinmt]

It would be really interesting if Exile was different for different people. So say the next exiled person goes and it IS the normal sucky, lonely, no-flint experience as it has been historically. That person comes back and says as much, only Debbie, of course, doesn't believe it. I think this would make for some fairly interesting interactions. But it would have probably been better if it had started earlier in the season.

[Archery]

CarolMK, best wishes to you.

[laurakaye]

On 4/15/2017 at 3:21 PM, illdoc said:

My question is: When they merge (next episode), will they tell the people who weren't at TC about what happened there (i.e. will they out Zeke to the others)? Or will they just say "something happened...deeply personal...let Zeke tell you if he wants...yada yada yada"?

I was wondering this same thing.  How will this extremely emotional event be handled going forward?  Does it become the center of attention?  Does it kind of fade away, unexplained?  I can see pros and cons to both, but in the end it should be whatever Zeke wants it to be...but, there were seven other people sitting there as well.  People talk, and these people all know each other and have relationships and friendships outside of the game.  And if the entire story does come out, does Zeke suddenly have a target on his back?  Should he?  Is that fair?

Those are just a few of the questions I have.  I have many more, but I know I'm going to have to just wait and see.

[Lamb18]

My guess is that Zeke will tell the rest if he's around after the merge because he seems like the sort of person who wouldn't want half the group to know and the other half not. Plus he can kind of control the spread of information about him - better that he just tell than have all these whispers, discussions, etc. going around and not knowing who knows what. That's my guess on his actions and thought process.

[303420]

On 4/15/2017 at 7:33 AM, JudyObscure said:

I don't even think of transgendered as sexual orientation so much as medical history.   Would everyone have to out their own knee replacements, hysterectomies, breast implants, nose jobs, colonoscopy results, hormone replacement therapy, and testosterone injections?  If not, there might be a big moment at tribal council where someone said, "Jennifer isn't the pretty girl you all think she is.  When were you going to tell them the truth about those "blonde" highlights, Jennifer?"

Transgender, not transgendered. Also trans is not related to sexual orientation, it's about gender identity. 

The rest of your post is spot on! Imagine!

On 4/15/2017 at 9:03 AM, peachmangosteen said:

I took Varner saying that Zeke reminded him of Russell to simply mean that Zeke was someone no one knew anything about, like how no one knew anything about Russell in HvV. It still doesn't make any sense though that he went from that to "And so he must be evil!"

I read it the same way, though I don't think it's that unfair of a jump to evil. Maybe not evil, but he had to have done something remarkable to play back to back seasons, and we know how Survivor loves a villain. 

[laurakaye]

I don't know if this has been covered yet, but I thought the title for this episode was strange: "What Happened on Exile, Stays on Exile."  I think we saw about 2.5 seconds of Debbie saying that Exile was hard (false) and that there was no flint (technically true).  Even for an episode not completely overshadowed by what happened with Zeke and Varner, it still seems odd, especially since there was no Exile in this episode.  I could understand the title if someone else was sent there (which I assumed would happen) and that person then had to decide whether or not to tell people that Debbie failed to mention that she was actually on a boat with Cochran, etc.  I thought sending someone else to Exile Lounge & Spa would then give that next person an unintended alliance with Debbie, because each would know the other had an advantage.  But....crickets.

I love me some Survivor.  Some (my husband) would say it's even slightly unhealthy and/or obsessive (no one is allowed to talk to me while it's on).  But this season has just been a strange one.  I can't pinpoint what's off - the plotting?  Not as much action?  Editing?  I don't know.

[Guest]

Yeah, I thought this might be a great season since the last returnee one was a blast.  To me, this one isn't even as good as last season.  

I wondered about the ep title, too, but figured it also maybe referred to Jeff outing Zeke.  

[violet and green]

2 hours ago, laurakaye said:

I don't know if this has been covered yet, but I thought the title for this episode was strange: "What Happened on Exile, Stays on Exile."  I think we saw about 2.5 seconds of Debbie saying that Exile was hard (false) and that there was no flint (technically true).  Even for an episode not completely overshadowed by what happened with Zeke and Varner, it still seems odd, especially since there was no Exile in this episode.

Well, Debbie actually said this in a talking head. So, it's  good line, why not use it for the title, I guess. If they'd gone with anything referencing the tribal to come, it would have been too on the nose. And in a sense it does subtly refer to the tribal, in that that line is about a tacit understanding that such secrets are not outed, and yet private material was outed.

[Kel Varnsen]

If Zeke decided he didn't want his business broadcast on TV then they should have removed Varner from the show Poochie style. Just use CGI to abruptly delete him from the picture right before he talks to Zeke in tribal, then have a note on the screen saying "Note: Jeff Varner died on the way back to his home planet".