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

[Pepper Mostly]

I have never liked Varner, and I was not at all surprised that he went there. I mean, I was shocked and had to rewind because I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but that Varner would sink so low, and think that he was so clever? No surprise to me. He thinks he's so bitchy and funny. But he's a bore and now he's been revealed as a completely amoral and unfeeling monster. The fake crying and the "the people who know me will know that this isn't me, I'm not like that, blah blah blah" finished me. Dude. You may say anything you want. But you have revealed your truth. You are a horrible person who will cheerfully stick a knife in anyone's tenderest, most private spot to advance yourself. "anyone who knows you" does not know you.  You were trying to win a game show. You weren't Winston Smith screaming "Do it to Julia!!" in a pitiful effort to survive unspeakable tortures and dehumanization. You are a silly, vain man, you went where no one should ever go. You deserve ostracism, you deserve to be reviled and denounced by your fellow humans, and you deserve to walk barefoot on Legos for the rest of your miserable life. 

[millennium]

1 hour ago, deaja said:

 

I read a quote last night where he said as soon as he saw Zeke he thought "It's a lesbian with a mustache."  

Some people just don't know when to shut up.   It's not enough to out the guy to the whole world, now he has to disparage Zeke's appearance to cast himself in a better light.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I have never liked Varner, and I was not at all surprised that he went there. I mean, I was shocked and had to rewind because I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but that Varner would sink so low, and think that he was so clever? No surprise to me. He thinks he's so bitchy and funny. But he's a bore and now he's been revealed as a completely amoral and unfeeling monster. The fake crying and the "the people who know me will know that this isn't me, I'm not like that, blah blah blah" finished me. Dude. You may say anything you want. But you have revealed your truth. You are a horrible person who will cheerfully stick a knife in anyone's tenderest, most private spot to advance yourself. "anyone who knows you" does not know you.  You were trying to win a game show. You weren't Winston Smith screaming "Do it to Julia!!" in a pitiful effort to survive unspeakable tortures and dehumanization. You are a silly, vain man, you went where no one should ever go. You deserve ostracism, you deserve to be reviled and denounced by your fellow humans, and you deserve to walk barefoot on Legos for the rest of your miserable life. 

Even Varner doesn't deserve this.

[millennium]

52 minutes ago, arieswriting said:

What bothers me most is that Varner is not really apologetic. He's revising what happened to make himself look like a slightly clueless guy who accidentally revealed info.

He literally said "Why haven't you told anyone you're transgender?" at tribal, and in a talking head said he knew something about Zeke no one else knew. Then in his "apology" has the audacity to claim he thought everyone knew. NO NO NO. 

LIE, LIE, LIE.

 

What struck me at the tribal council was Varner's "Many of my friends are transgender" claim, with the insistence that they are "out and loud and proud."  

I can't speak to the status of Varner's friends (if he still has any) but many transgender people don't want to be "out and loud and proud."   They grow up wanting nothing more than to change and assimilate as a normal, ordinary member of society, without fanfare or recognition of who they used to be.    I would go so far as to suggest that the one of the reasons there exists a visible "transgender community" is because many transgender people, due to genetics, finances, etc., can't so easily vanish into the gender of their choosing.   They find themselves stranded in a kind of middle-ground, where they strive to be who they are but must cope with the reality that the dream will never quite work out as they had hoped.  

Zeke made it farther along than many ever do, and Varner took it all away from him out of pure selfishness and spite.   Selfishness because as Varner defended himself at tribal council "we're playing for a million dollars" and spite because he was pissed that Zeke wouldn't guarantee his safety in advance of tribal council.

[Hanahope]

One can hope that since Sarah admitted to the experience as transforming for her, that coming from a very conservative home to realizing that it made no difference to her whether Zeke was trans, she can explain to others in her area that, yeah, there isn't really any difference between trans, gay, bi, etc. people and cis people.  Everyone is just people.  Some people need to hear, understand and accept that.

[SlackerInc]

I liked Ozzy fine on his first season, but he was a jerk and a social bully to Cochran on Cochran's first season, and I'm a big Cochran fan, so...

[truthaboutluv]

Quote

When Survivor chose to cast Zeke, were the hoping something like this would happen?  Considering that all of Zeke's real life friends and acquaintances know, it's sort of a miracle that, during his first season, one of them didn't show up on a major message board saying, "Well you know Zeke is trans as well as gay don't you?"  Even Zeke himself seems rather naïve to think he could go on reality TV and not have it come up, when we've all seen everyone's DUI history and mug shots and heard from ex-wives and high school friends. I'm feeling sort played by everyone now.

In his essay to The Hollywood Reporter (which I would suggest many read because it's really compelling and details a lot more of what happened), Zeke made it clear that he did not reveal he was transgender when he first applied for the show and got the call to be on. So the show did not initially cast and have interest in Zeke because they figured "first transgender contestant".

It was later, in the last stages of casting, that he revealed it. And I think his edit in the last season made it clear that no, the show was not interested in revealing his status. As for it being naive to not know it could have come up, I can speak for myself when I say that until last night and Varner uttered those words, I literally had NO clue Zeke was transgender. I never suspected it, wondered about it, read about it, etc. nothing. 

While it seems like anything online is known to everyone, there are many people like me who watch and discuss the show on this board and leave it at that. I barely read media interviews of eliminated contestants and once the season is done, I don't pay attention to what they are doing with their lives after. So I don't think it was naive for Zeke to think this wouldn't come out on the show. Yes, since there was a story in the Harvard paper, I'm sure he figured maybe some viewers would read about it and know like a few on this board did. What I don't think he ever expected and I don't think he was naive in that thinking, was that one of the contestants on the show would use it as a game move and expose it at tribal council. 

Quote

AGAIN, I admired him until today's article where, rather than preaching peace love and forgiveness, he went the easy route ... 

YMMV, I am a Christian and I've never bought into the idea that a person is obligated to forgive and love someone who has wronged them. Also, forgiveness does not mean friendship, which is what Zeke really said in that article. That he doesn't think he will ever be friends with Varner and that yes, he's still struggling to fully forgive him. Because as he noted in THR article, it's the venom and glee in Varner's eyes when he chose to do what he did that's hard to move past.

The same way some can say we are all human who make mistakes like Varner did, well being human also means that it's not always easy to be the bigger person. And Zeke was the bigger person. I don't think it makes him any less or taking the easy route that he's still struggling to fully forgive someone who so maliciously attacked him. 

Edited April 13, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[Alison]

Like others have said before, you sign away your life when you agree to be on Survivor. And, according to Dalton Ross' interview with Probst about this episode, Zeke knew it was possible that someone might suspect it or bring it up, and he'd have to deal with it. I'm sure he NEVER anticipated a situation like what happened last night.

From Jeff's interview:

Quote

 I met Zeke in casting and loved him. I still have my original notes from that meeting. He was very engaging, gifted in his ability to manipulate with his words, and he wore this crazy Hawaiian shirt and had poofy hair. We knew we were doing Millennials vs. Gen X as a theme and we wanted him on the Millennials tribe immediately. It wasn’t until after he left that I was told he was transgender. From that point forward we agreed that if his story was to be told, he would be the one to decide when, where, and how.

As for someone else bringing it up, Zeke was fully aware someone might suspect it or bring it up and he said, “I will deal with it as it arises.” And I have to add it was never a question of Zeke being worried his story would come out. ,Zeke is a massive Survivor fan and his point with us was very clear — he wanted to be seen as a Survivor player. Not the first transgender Survivor player. I really respected that distinction and I understood it.

[cooksdelight]

If CBS, Zeke, Mark Burnett, Probst, etc., were all in on this discussing it, editing it to suit....how on earth was it not front page news as soon as they returned to US shores a year ago? That is a lot of people involved in something so explosive that I can't believe someone wouldn't have blabbed.

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, Dominii said:

I agree that the Varner outing was despicable, but since that has been commented on ad nauseum, I'd like to ask an unrelated question: am I the only Ozzy fan here?

The dude rules in challenges. There's no one that can beat him physically. He provides food for his tribe mates and helps out around camp. Also, he seems to be a pretty nice guy. Why aren't there more people who want to see him win this thing? Am I missing something?

My gf is a big Cirie fan, and I like her too, but I'm hoping Ozzy gets the big bucks this time.

I don't like Ozzy and I never have.  I agree that he is good in challenges but he doesn't seem to have much of a social game other than being the provider.    Ken from last year made it to the end by being good in challenges and by being a nice guy and a provider and it just doesn't seem like Survivor rewards those types of people.  Ozzy doesn't seem to realise that he should let some of the other big physical threats beat him and show themselves as more dangerous.

But I think for me one of the main reasons why I dislike Ozzy is because I simply can't stand the way Jeff slobbers and salivates over him.  Jeff has always had an obsession (to the point of creepiness) with the young good looking athletic alpha males, but with Ozzy it seems over the top.  "Ozzy!  Like a seal in the water!  Those buoys just instantly release as soon as Aquaman Ozzy looks at them!  Oozy again!  Look at how sleek and shiny his chest is!  Oooh Ozzy!!!  Ozzy is singlehandedly dominating this challenge!"

Also, Ozzy.... Heidi braids don't look good even on Heidi.

I really thought Varner was doing a great job making a case against Ozzy.  When he said that Zeke and Ozzy had a secret alliance and those other people were being deceived and on the bottom, I really felt like he got through to them.  Especially Sarah.  But then he went too far.  I never liked Varner in any of his appearances.  Useless in every way.  I hope this means he will never come back.  

Of course, this means we will spend 10 minutes on this subject at the reunion show, and Sia and Sia's wig will show up to give Zeke $100,000.

[eskimo]

I don't have any memory of what Varner did to become a game changer, but whatever it was and however much time he put into the game, it was all undone in one sentence.  Probably less than three seconds.  This will be a blot on him for the rest of his life, and not just in the Survivor world.  Zeke handled it like a champ.

It would serve us all to remember the power of the tongue.  In a couple of seconds it can destroy someone, including yourself.  

[uoflfan]

I had absolutely no idea Zeke was transgender. I thought he was gay.

[pennben]

Hell of an episode title given what went down at tribal!  I'm not even watching this year and it was all over my twitter within minutes. 

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

If CBS, Zeke, Mark Burnett, Probst, etc., were all in on this discussing it, editing it to suit....how on earth was it not front page news as soon as they returned to US shores a year ago? That is a lot of people involved in something so explosive that I can't believe someone wouldn't have blabbed.

But whether they discussed it or not, they all knew.  They all knew before Zeke played his first season, too.  The players of this season are the only ones who could've blabbed since last year and they don't seem to think it's newsworthy.  They couldn't have blabbed the Varner thing without violating their contracts, right?

Someone posted on Zeke's thread for last season that they'd read he was transgender.  I googled it for a few minutes then and replied that I didn't think so, based on virtually no evidence online and that he'd said on the show that he was a gay child, which I took to mean a gay male child.  Hardly anyone else even commented on it, back then.  So no one seems to really care.  

[NutMeg]

1 hour ago, Dominii said:

I agree that the Varner outing was despicable, but since that has been commented on ad nauseum, I'd like to ask an unrelated question: am I the only Ozzy fan here?

The dude rules in challenges. There's no one that can beat him physically. He provides food for his tribe mates and helps out around camp. Also, he seems to be a pretty nice guy. Why aren't there more people who want to see him win this thing? Am I missing something?

My gf is a big Cirie fan, and I like her too, but I'm hoping Ozzy gets the big bucks this time.

Well, you're not. I'm hoping Ozzy lasts as long as possible, not only because he's a joy to watch at challenges, but also because he seems to derive such joy from them, like that's what he was born for.

That being said, and with the kind of edit we get that gives us what they think we expect to see, so take it with a grain of salt, he does not seem to be well positioned for the end game. I'd be more optimistic if he had tied his fate to Sandra's, because that team could have worked. Or he got close and worked with anyone either as different from him as can be or as similar as possible (i.e. either hide behind me or let's all be each other's shield). So all is not lost, but we see so little of him in relation to the game that I'm not super hopeful. Although, I'm impressed that he's keeping his cool after being targeted (or at least his name being thrown out there twice in a row now). Maybe Tai will play an idol on him to keep him as shied? Although that would mean Ozzy working on Tai, now that Sandra is out of the game... and we know that while Ozzy can easily grasp an opportunity, he hasn't so far proved he could engineer one. Would Andrea or Debbie be able to convince Tai to do so?  The game is still afoot, but it's not super promising for dear Ozzy. Can someone please use him for his vote as long as possible? Or can he suddenly reveal his inner strategic genius? (Quite ironic, by the way, that twice in a row people mention Ozzy as a strategic thread at TC, when he's a threat all right, but not a strategic threat). In the best case scenario, it's foreshadowing :)

[BarneySays]

6 hours ago, Superpole2000 said:

I thought this through, and I was ready to 100% agree until I was reminded of the name of the season: Survivor Game Changers. It's in the title of the season, so I don't think the word is that unlikely to have been used.

I don't agree.  Game changer is not synonymous with metamorphosis.  Metamorphosis means change, usually from one form to another.  EG:  a caterpillar metamorphosizes into a butterfly.  Game changer would imply an action taken by the player that changes the course of the game.  They are simply not alike.  The choice of metamorphosis is quite odd, particularly when compared to other terms and phrases used in puzzles in the past.

If CBS only aired this outing with Zeke's consent, isn't the outrage merely self-serving?  If he's fine with how it played out, shouldn't people simply say, all's well that ends well?

[cooksdelight]

7 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

So no one seems to really care

They do now.

[MrsR]

2 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

But whether they discussed it or not, they all knew.  They all knew before Zeke played his first season, too.  The players of this season are the only ones who could've blabbed since last year and they don't seem to think it's newsworthy.  They couldn't have blabbed the Varner thing without violating their contracts, right?

Someone posted on Zeke's thread for last season that they'd read he was transgender.  I googled it for a few minutes then and replied that I didn't think so, based on virtually no evidence online and that he'd said on the show that he was a gay child, which I took to mean a gay male child.  Hardly anyone else even commented on it, back then.  So no one seems to really care.  

No. People who knew cared.

I knew last year because on another site someone linked the Harvard articles so there was confirmation.

I didn't respond to the comments last year on this thread because it wasn't appropriate.

Just because someone else makes a mistake somewhere else doesn't mean I have to make the same mistake.

If Zeke didn't disclose it to the Survivor world than who am I to spread it around.

His choice, no one else's.

[Drogo]

Just now, BarneySays said:

Game changer is not synonymous with metamorphosis. 

Not synonymous, but the terms definitely tie in together.  Not sure there is a word synonymous with "gamechanger."  A metamorphosis is a change from an immature form to a mature more advanced form of oneself, as in the caterpillar to butterfly or tadpole to frog.  Similarly, these players have all had time to adapt, juke, become better more advanced versions of who they were on their last season.

[Special K]

3 minutes ago, Drogo said:

Not synonymous, but the terms definitely tie in together.  Not sure there is a word synonymous with "gamechanger." 

Catalyst?
 

[ljenkins782]

13 minutes ago, BarneySays said:

I don't agree.  Game changer is not synonymous with metamorphosis.  Metamorphosis means change, usually from one form to another.  EG:  a caterpillar metamorphosizes into a butterfly.  Game changer would imply an action taken by the player that changes the course of the game.  They are simply not alike.  The choice of metamorphosis is quite odd, particularly when compared to other terms and phrases used in puzzles in the past.

 

I'm not sure I'm understanding this conspiracy theory, are you saying that the show knew Varner was going to drop this bombshell at a tribal council later, so they purposely used a certain term in an earlier challenge to mirror the later event? Seems like a stretch.

Quote

If CBS only aired this outing with Zeke's consent, isn't the outrage merely self-serving?  If he's fine with how it played out, shouldn't people simply say, all's well that ends well?

Allowing them to air the scene is a far cry from being "fine with the way it played out." And it's a bit premature to say all's well that ends well considering that this just aired yesterday and the impact it will have on Zeke (and Varner) in the future is yet to be seen. Zeke may have been "out" to the Harvard community and people online may have known, but that's very different from it being on national tv and now all over the media. 

Edited April 13, 2017 by ljenkins782

[Crazydoxielady]

How dare Varner. Zekes truth is he quite obviously has always identified as a dude and made the decision to transition and live his life as his truth. That is not deceipt. I'm disgusted at the level of low Jeff was willing to sink to.  Varner was only sorry when he saw how awful his reveal was received. I would hasten to say he will need some time to get over being Survivor's biggest jerk of all time. As a gay man, he 100% knew better. 

Edited April 13, 2017 by Crazydoxielady

[Ms Blue Jay]

5 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Sarah didn't seem to be intending to say anything at all until Probst asked her to explain what she was thinking while she sat there looking stunned and tearful.  Even after he asked her, she paused and obviously struggled to find words to explain her feelings, she hadn't had time to write a concise speech and her feelings are by definition going to be about her. I don't think her Midwestern upbringing is  something she should be blamed for, in spite of all the prejudice and hatred toward people born between the coasts.

We didn't see how long the tribal was... the many hours.... I mean when Probst calls you and asks you to speak in the heat of the moment, Sarah was very emotional and I don't even think she really wanted to.  Some people have pitchforks for Sarah because she "made it all about her".  Maybe she didn't want to make it all about Zeke because she didn't feel the right to speak for him?  I wanted to say something positive towards Sarah because I loved what she said.....  

[DEL901]

1 hour ago, millennium said:

What struck me at the tribal council was Varner's "Many of my friends are transgender" claim, with the insistence that they are "out and loud and proud."  

Sounds a lot to me like when racists deny it by saying, "I've got black friends".

57 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

In his essay to The Hollywood Reporter (which I would suggest many read because it's really compelling and details a lot more of what happened), Zeke made it clear that he did not reveal he was transgender when he first applied for the show and got the call to be on. So the show did not initially cast and have interest in Zeke because they figured "first transgender contestant".

It was later, in the last stages of casting, that he revealed it. And I think his edit in the last season made it clear that no, the show was not interested in revealing his status. As for it being naive to not know it could have come up, I can speak for myself when I say that until last night and Varner uttered those words, I literally had NO clue Zeke was transgender. I never suspected it, wondered about it, read about it, etc. nothing. 

While it seems like anything online is known to everyone, there are many people like me who watch and discuss the show on this board and leave it at that. I barely read media interviews of eliminated contestants and once the season is done, I don't pay attention to what they are doing with their lives after. So I don't think it was naive for Zeke to think this wouldn't come out on the show. Yes, since there was a story in the Harvard paper, I'm sure he figured maybe some viewers would read about it and know like a few on this board did. What I don't think he ever expected and I don't think he was naive in that thinking, was that one of the contestants on the show would use it as a game move and expose it at tribal council. 

YMMV, I am a Christian and I've never bought into the idea that a person is obligated to forgive and love someone who has wronged them. Also, forgiveness does not mean friendship, which is what Zeke really said in that article. That he doesn't think he will ever be friends with Varner and that yes, he's still struggling to fully forgive him. Because as he noted in THR article, it's the venom and glee in Varner's eyes when he chose to do what he did that's hard to move past.

The same way some can say we are all human who make mistakes like Varner did, well being human also means that it's not always easy to be the bigger person. And Zeke was the bigger person. I don't think it makes him any less or taking the easy route that he's still struggling to fully forgive someone who so maliciously attacked him. 

So much yes to this.  And I also recommend reading Zeke's Hollywood Reporter article.  Very thoughtful and enlightening.

30 minutes ago, uoflfan said:

I had absolutely no idea Zeke was transgender. I thought he was gay.

Why can't he be both?

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, Dominii said:

I agree that the Varner outing was despicable, but since that has been commented on ad nauseum, I'd like to ask an unrelated question: am I the only Ozzy fan here?

I disturb myself by how much I love Ozzy.  He's in my top 3 players/contestants of all time.  Number 3 I'd say.  I'm pretty much in love with him, and I completely admit he's a flawed player, and seems to turn a lot of people off, and I get it.  

Edited April 13, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[laurakaye]

4 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I disturb myself by how much I love Ozzy.  He's in my top 3 players/contestants of all time.  Number 3 I'd say.  I'm pretty much in love with him, and I completely admit he's a flawed player, and seems to turn a lot of people off, and I get it.  

I was hoping you'd weigh in on this particular topic. :)

[BarneySays]

16 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

I'm not sure I'm understanding this conspiracy theory, are you saying that the show knew Varner was going to drop this bombshell at a tribal council later, so they purposely used a certain term in an earlier challenge to mirror the later event? Seems like a stretch.

No, I am not saying that at all.  I think my words were clear.  It seems peculiar that the producers would choose the term metamorphosis for a puzzle, given their history.  metamorphosis fits perfectly with zeke's experience, but not with the "theme" of the show.  My suggestion is that perhaps production discussed with zeke a coming out scene for this episode, varner knew about it, and jumped the gun since it was going to come out anyway.  I did not propose any "conspiracy theory," but simply expressed my feeling that something is off on the surrounding facts.

21 minutes ago, ljenkins782 said:

Allowing them to air the scene is a far cry from being "fine with the way it played out." And it's a bit premature to say all's well that ends well considering that this just aired yesterday and the impact it will have on Zeke (and Varner) in the future is yet to be seen. Zeke may have been "out" to the Harvard community and people online may have known, but that's very different from it being on national tv and now all over the media. 

You appear to miss my point.  When (assuming) zeke agreed, he did so with the knowledge that it would be widely disseminated information.  I am sure he is smart enough to have assessed the consequences, especially since he had already gone through a transition and coming out experience.  

As for all's well that ends well, he is being open and honest about his experience and who he is.  That is a happy ending, as anyone who has gone through that process will tell you.  Being honest about who you are is a reward in itself.   

[eskimo]

Although Zeke knew that it could come up at any time, I don't think he was prepared for how it was actually used.  It was so malicious and, for me, that is the bigger issue.  Varner outright said that because Zeke kept this (totally non-relevant) info to himself proves that he is a liar.  So I guess we should all tell everybody everything or we're deceptive snakes.  I can't wait to tell the guy who changes my oil about my finances and medical history.  Don't want to be an untrustworthy liar.

7 minutes ago, ArmoPrincess said:

 

Edited April 13, 2017 by eskimo

[Whimsy]

Just a couple quick reminders:

1. Stay on Topic.  There have been a few posts with personal experiences, reviews of documentaries, etc.  Not saying that they are not important, but take those discussions to the Small Talk thread.
2. Be Civil.  Several posts have been deleted and warnings issued.  Do not personally attack your fellow posters for their experiences or opinions.

We want to keep this a pleasant place to visit and have discussions. 

[valandsend]

27 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

Why can't he be both?

Of course he can, but I think the confusion comes from Zeke sharing last season that he is gay but not that he is transgender.

[MostlyContent]

I can't believe that nobody has referenced Franz Kafka.  His work 'The Metamorphosis' is the only reason I even know what that word means, and the only reason I think Survivor is pretty innocent here.  They thought their viewers were a whole lot more well-read than they appear to be.  

The story was horrifying when I was assigned to to read it as a sophomore.  It. was. awful.  My mother, a published author of four books, and a local weekly columnist, said at that time, "Is that 'The Metamorphosis'?  I've heard about it all my life. Give it to me."   She threw it across the living room and retreated to the master bedroom after reading it.  Takes about an hour if one can actually read.  

Wikipedia (yeah, I know, but in this case, they're right) describes his works:  "His work, which fuses elements of realism and the fantastic, typically features isolated protagonists faced by bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible social-bureaucratic powers, and has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. <snip> The term Kafkaesque has entered the English language to describe situations like those in his writing." 

So, the word metamorphosis is entirely appropriate before the awful shit by Varner.  

I'm now wondering who came up with that word during the challenge.   I heard one voice say, "I think she got it" (or something like that).  Then we saw Michaela hug and throw Hali around, so perhaps Hali was the one? 

Edited April 13, 2017 by MostlyContent

[valandsend]

2 minutes ago, MostlyContent said:

I'm now wondering who came up with that word during the challenge.   I heard one voice say, "I think she got it" (or something like that).  Then we saw Michala hug and throw Hali around, so perhaps Hali was the one? 

Hali was the one who kept insisting the word had to begin with "meta". It wasn't clear who came up with the rest of it, but she got them on the right track.

[SPLAIN]

28 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I disturb myself by how much I love Ozzy.  He's in my top 3 players/contestants of all time.  Number 3 I'd say.  I'm pretty much in love with him, and I completely admit he's a flawed player, and seems to turn a lot of people off, and I get it.  

Quote

Well, you're not. I'm hoping Ozzy lasts as long as possible, not only because he's a joy to watch at challenges, but also because he seems to derive such joy from them, like that's what he was born for.

Add me to the group. I like Ozzy.  If Jeff treats him like the teacher's pet, that is a reason to hate on Jeff, not Ozzy.  I also liked Sandra. I guess I am in the minority.

[laurakaye]

6 minutes ago, MostlyContent said:

I can't believe that nobody has referenced Franz Kafka.  His work 'The Metamorphosis' is the only reason I even know what that word means, and the only reason I think Survivor is pretty innocent here.  They thought their viewers were a whole lot more well-read than they appear to be.  

The story was horrifying when I was assigned to to read it as a sophomore.  It. was. awful.  My mother, a published author of four books, and a local weekly columnist, said at that time, "Is that 'The Metamorphosis'?  I've heard about it all my life. Give it to me."   She threw it across the living room and retreated to the master bedroom after reading it.  Takes about an hour if one can actually read.  

Wikipedia (yeah, I know, but in this case, they're right) describes his works:  "His work, which fuses elements of realism and the fantastic, typically features isolated protagonists faced by bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible social-bureaucratic powers, and has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. <snip> The term Kafkaesque has entered the English language to describe situations like those in his writing." 

So, the word metamorphosis is entirely appropriate before the awful shit by Varner.  

I'm now wondering who came up with that word during the challenge.   I heard one voice say, "I think she got it" (or something like that).  Then we saw Michala hug and throw Hali around, so perhaps Hali was the one? 

That is one creepy book, to be sure.  It's been years since I read it but the mental imagery has always stayed with me.

Hali was indeed the one who insisted they try "M-E-T-A" as the first four letters, and it seemed like no one really wanted to give that a try until Cirie said, "try it, maybe she's right."  I found that to be a small but powerful exchange.

EDIT: I also recall thinking that Hali was wrong because I thought they were spelling out a phrase, not one long word...did Jeff tell them that they were unscrambling a word?

Edited April 13, 2017 by laurakaye

[mishap]

5 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Sarah didn't seem to be intending to say anything at all until Probst asked her to explain what she was thinking while she sat there looking stunned and tearful.  Even after he asked her, she paused and obviously struggled to find words to explain her feelings, she hadn't had time to write a concise speech and her feelings are by definition going to be about her. I don't think her Midwestern upbringing is  something she should be blamed for, in spite of all the prejudice and hatred toward people born between the coasts.

I mostly agree with this, but that last sentence is a little broad, IMO.  I think Sarah referred to being raised in a conservative home, and that she was not exposed to as many different types of people as people who live in the big cities.  Conservative does not equal being prejudice and having hatred toward other people. And I can assure you , that the land " between the coasts' is not full of racist, and bigots, rednecks and hillbillies, or whatever the people who do live on the coasts might think. 

But I'm not going to try and say that there is no intolerance here.  ( I live in the Midwest)  Sad to say , there is.  But there are also a lot of really good people who are open minded and welcoming to all.  I guess I don't  like it when people disregard the all of this beautiful country, between the coasts to be nothing but full of prejudice and hatred.  It is not.   And if you think that, and disregard all of the fly over states as such, you are missing out on  a lot.    

Regarding the rest of the show -- I can't help but feel a little manipulated.  I can't put my finger on how, or by whom, but I do. 

The puzzle, and the word 'metamorphosis', seemed kind of out of place to me.  Even thought Culpepper and Co. were talking about how the show changed them.  So in that regard, it fits. But then to have Varner out Zeke like that, seems too perfect of a coincidence. 

I can't imagine it was scripted though.   The reactions seemed to raw and real.    And I can't imagine anyone willing to pretend to be that big of an asshole.  And that's not even the right term.   He treated a human being as less than human ,  and thought it was ok to do that, because $1,000,000 was at stake. 

But on the other hand, it makes no sense that Varner would think that would help him.    Maybe he will go with the metamorphosis theme and say that he was not thinking clearly because of lack of sleep, or hunger or maybe the overload of grease and sugar, from the pizza reward?  I have no idea. 

It was hard to watch. 

[MostlyContent]

1 minute ago, laurakaye said:

It's been years since I read it but the mental imagery stayed with me.

Same here.  I had to pass a test concerning it, but I will *never* read it again.  I have to say, though, I've thought about it through the years, and that story alone has kept me from judgement many times.  I tend to have a quick, sarcastic tongue sometimes, and The Metamorphosis really taught me to ZIP IT several decades ago.  

Now that I think about it, Kafka really was a genius.  

[MostlyContent]

10 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

I also recall thinking that Hali was wrong because I thought they were spelling out a phrase, not one long word...did Jeff tell them that they were unscrambling a word?

He didn't say either a 'word' or a 'phrase'.  It was totally ambiguous.   

[EVS]

36 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

We didn't see how long the tribal was... the many hours.... I mean when Probst calls you and asks you to speak in the heat of the moment, Sarah was very emotional and I don't even think she really wanted to.  Some people have pitchforks for Sarah because she "made it all about her".  Maybe she didn't want to make it all about Zeke because she didn't feel the right to speak for him?  I wanted to say something positive towards Sarah because I loved what she said.....  

FWIW, here's how I interpreted Sarah's response:  

I think Sarah is usually a very stoic person and rarely shows emotion or discusses her feelings. Being a police officer, she has probably seen some terrible things, but maybe still doesn't usually break down. Clearly what happened at tribal affected her deeply. For someone who is used to being able to control of their emotions, it must have been unsettling for her. I think she was trying to process why she was so upset, but because Probst asked her about her reaction, she ended up having to process everything out loud which again may be unusual for her.  I don't think she was trying to make anything "about her", just trying to explain her background and why this affected her so much. She didn't have time to craft some perfect speech but she clearly showed her support for Zeke.  I found her comments to be raw and honest and, as a viewer, I appreciated her opening up like that. 

[valandsend]

What was Varner carrying as he left TC? It looked like the top of one of the pizza boxes.

[piequinn35]

24 minutes ago, valandsend said:

Of course he can, but I think the confusion comes from Zeke sharing last season that he is gay but not that he is transgender.

You're not alone I thought he was also gay until I read somewhere that he was lesbian then trans.

[Special K]

24 minutes ago, MostlyContent said:

I can't believe that nobody has referenced Franz Kafka.  His work 'The Metamorphosis' is the only reason I even know what that word means, and the only reason I think Survivor is pretty innocent here.  They thought their viewers were a whole lot more well-read than they appear to be.  

Um, Ovid?

[303420]

1 hour ago, uoflfan said:

I had absolutely no idea Zeke was transgender. I thought he was gay.

He is. Gender identity and sexual orientation don't have anything to do with each other.

For context: I identify as queer and I am a trans activist. I was both horrified and uplifted by what happened last night. And ultimately, I'm glad it turned out the way it did. The rest of the cast reacted exactly as I'd have hoped, and Zeke was a goddamn hero. 

I think it's always good when trans people are visible. I find reality shows to be more or less reflective of the zeitgeist; for example, I thought it was awesome when Project Runway first started showing gay contestants communicating with their partners without making a big deal about it. To me it showed that we're way beyond the time when a same-sex kiss was a huge deal that might lead to losing advertisers.

The way it happened was awful, in my opinion. There are a lot of LGBTQ activists, though, who think that everyone should be outed; that hiding one's gender identity or sexual orientation is giving in to the culture of oppression. I don't know whether Varner subscribes to this theory.

But that Zeke was able to handle it how he did AND decide to make it public - well, I think that's a win for the trans community. Excellent, positive visibility. He may not have wanted to be a trans ambassador, but he's a hell of a good one.

Is it OK to post a link to my blog? I wrote a post on this topic.

http://accordingtovikki.blogspot.com/2017/04/survivor-outed-trans-man-tonight-heres.html

[Special K]

5 minutes ago, valandsend said:

What was Varner carrying as he left TC? It looked like the top of one of the pizza boxes.

The pizza boxes had the Game Changes logo on them, so I guess he saved one of the box tops as a memento.

[BTBAM310]

15 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

I wonder why Ozzy said nothing throughout that whole TC.

Don't know if you mean literally nothing, but he told Varner something like "You're messing with people's lives, this is just a game"

I read last year that Zeke was transgender. When Varner said he was going to bring up something about Zeke at TC, I thought there was no way he would reveal Zeke was transgender, and I wasn't sure how many contestants on the show knew or whether it would ever be brought up on the show at all.

A couple of random notes:

The pizza looked awful

Sarah looks a million times better with her hair down

Edited April 13, 2017 by BTBAM310

[MostlyContent]

3 minutes ago, Special K said:

Um, Ovid?

Early Roman writings are really not my thing except for the history aspect.  YMMV.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Ozzy actually shouted "You should be ashamed of yourself" before that which I wasn't sure how to feel about because he knew he was in danger of being voted for (???) but I'm trying to remember everyone was highly emotional and the TC was probably hours and hours and I don't blame anyone's reactions except yes I do blame Varner.  

Edited April 13, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[valandsend]

1 minute ago, BTBAM310 said:

The pizza looked awful

Before they even showed the closeup, I was thinking, "Can they really get good pizza there?" and then my suspicions were confirmed. And also there was the thought that the pizza had to have been out of the oven a long time before the unveiling. I guess old, lukewarm pizza is better than nothing in these circumstances, though.

[Special K]

2 minutes ago, 303420 said:

He is. Gender identity and sexual orientation don't have anything to do with each other.

[snip]

The way it happened was awful, in my opinion. There are a lot of LGBTQ activists, though, who think that everyone should be outed; that hiding one's gender identity or sexual orientation is giving in to the culture of oppression. I don't know whether Varner subscribes to this theory.

First of all, thanks for that first sentence.  Phew, glad we got that out of the way.

On the second point of outing:  Some gay activists in the 1980s adopted the practice of outing famous people. Not in order to embarrass or endanger them, or to ruin their lives (although of course those things may have and did happen), and not out of mean-spiritedness or judgment, but to make the idea of being gay more mainstream as a way of elevating tolerance and advancing the idea of gay protections under the law.  If you learned, for instance, that your favorite movie star was a gay man, maybe being gay wasn’t such a big deal and maybe it shouldn’t be, as it often was, a punishable crime.  Like all political ideals in theory, the reality of outing wasn’t so ideal.

People's personal lives shouldn't be collateral damage to social progress, but I wonder how many people, watching this show for the past two seasons, last night realized for the first time that they “know” a transgender person?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I disturb myself by how much I love Ozzy.  He's in my top 3 players/contestants of all time.  Number 3 I'd say.  I'm pretty much in love with him, and I completely admit he's a flawed player, and seems to turn a lot of people off, and I get it.  

He's not in my top 3, but he's my favorite in this game. Probably in my top 10 overall.  

[ljenkins782]

1 hour ago, BarneySays said:

No, I am not saying that at all.  I think my words were clear.  It seems peculiar that the producers would choose the term metamorphosis for a puzzle, given their history.  metamorphosis fits perfectly with zeke's experience, but not with the "theme" of the show.  My suggestion is that perhaps production discussed with zeke a coming out scene for this episode, varner knew about it, and jumped the gun since it was going to come out anyway.  I did not propose any "conspiracy theory," but simply expressed my feeling that something is off on the surrounding facts.

You appear to miss my point.  When (assuming) zeke agreed, he did so with the knowledge that it would be widely disseminated information.  I am sure he is smart enough to have assessed the consequences, especially since he had already gone through a transition and coming out experience.  

As for all's well that ends well, he is being open and honest about his experience and who he is.  That is a happy ending, as anyone who has gone through that process will tell you.  Being honest about who you are is a reward in itself.   

Varner knew about what? That Zeke was allegedly planning a coming out scene to coincide with this puzzle? That is indeed a conspiracy theory to suggest that production was planning an episode ahead of time with one of the contestants. And in fact, would probably put them in violation of the laws that govern game shows. 

As for your second point, there is no way to assess consequences that have yet to happen. Much like the way the actual information was delivered (in a mean-spirited, game-motivated reveal by another contestant) couldn't have been predicted by Zeke, neither could the potential consequences. The way you anticipate something happening isn't always the way it turns out and even if the day after, it appears that things are okay, we don't know what will happen for him down the road. Not everyone is going to respond positively.