"I wasn't outing him! I didn't know nobody knew he was trans!" "-literally like a minute before- WHY HAVEN'T YOU TOLD ANYONE YOU'RE TRANSGENDER"

I love how Probst just says "We don't need to vote, just grab your torch." He was seriously pissed

"I've been fighting for transgender rights in North Carolina!" Also: *Calls Zeke a 'deception' over and over* Ladies and gentlemen, the difference between allies and "Allies"

Ok but can we appreciate how everyone helps him and comes to his defense

Damn, if you can piss Tai off you know you did bad. Love ya, Zeke.

You could tell even Jeff Probst was pissed.

the fact that zeke had to comfort HIM after that is sickening... wow

Take a moment and realize that in her 3 seasons, Andrea Boehlke has had to witness the great Rice Wars, Brandon's meltdown, and now this.

I love how Jeff basically just kicks him off the show.

The fact that Zeke was just outed by Varner and he had to do the comforting by saying "it's okay, it's okay" is really mind blowing.

"I argue for the rights of transgender people, I'd never say or do anything to hurt them. Now I'm going to out this guy on national television and call it a deception."

Zeke’s face after he says that just breaks my heart💔 I am so glad everyone stood up for him

0:00 "why haven't you told anyone your transgender" 1:40 "I thought everyone knew"

I cannot feel bad for this guy...How dare he say Zeke being trans is a "deception?" That's disgusting. He's not an advocate for trans rights if he'll use someone's identity as a trans person to try and hurt them. Wow. I feel so bad for Zeke, and I'm glad the other contestants spoke up for him.

Jeff's face at 0:19 is priceless, equal parts disgust, rage, and disbelief. I think I had a similar face when I first watched this episode!

My heart jumped into my throat. I’m not transgender, but I’m gay and I can’t imagine being outed on national television. I literally felt Zeke’s mind go into overdrive. Props to him for remaining so composed! What a mature, kind guy.

ozzy is like " i ain't saying shit. target is off my back"

I think this episode is a good lesson for society which is why it was aired

Outing someone like that can cause suicidal thoughts and depression.....That was not ok.

I also really love Sarah’s reaction in the moment. She didn’t start immediately yelling but instead turned around and tried to make sure Zeke was okay.

"I thought everyone knew", a minute before when he outed zeke he asked him why he hadn't told anyone why he was transgender. That's some great logic there.

That was just horrifying to watch. People have died when those words were spoken about them.

It’s honestly disgusting that some people think that trans people or anyone lgbtq owe it to people to be open about their identity with the world and god forbid they try to protect themselves from bigotry or want time before revealing a personal detail because how dare they have secrets. I bet everyone in that show has a personal secret and “have the ability to deceive” for not wanting to share something personal. Disgusting how he tried to target a teammate for their identity. I’m so glad that everyone stood up for Zeke.

1:00 when Zeke says "2 seasons I've played Survivor I've told nobody" I can't even imagine the gut-drop the Jeff Varner probably feels after he hears this.

Poor Zeke 😢 he didn't deserve that but he handled it very well. Zeke had such good sportsmanship here.

Varner: "I'm arguing for my life here." The look on Jeff Probst's face when Varner says that. Wow.

GOD when Zeke quietly comforted Varner and said 'it's okay man' I felt that. As someone who is trans, the amount of times I've had to sit there and just- hold it all in while I comforted a cis person who was upset that they hurt me or that they were being seen as a bad person for being transphobic towards me is....a lot, especially since one of my degrees is in LGBT studies. And it sucks. It's heavy. But what can you do, you know? Especially in a position where Zeke is, where you become, against your will, an example of your community, you can't just go off because then people will assume all trans people or all people like you are angry and will flip their lid at you if you fuck up and it breeds resentment towards you and your people. It sucks. It really, really sucks, especially when you end up having to comfort the same people who just hurt you.

His excuse was very much like “ my best friend is black “. Look at how uncomfortable he was, I felt so bad for him as he is froze in embarrassment. Not cool at all.

As a trans guy myself, I'm honestly impressed at everyone's reactions. This makes me feel a little better about humanity...

Zeke is a boss at survivor! He handled that situation with pure class and decorum.

Literally 3 days earlier: Varner, Tai and Zeke "It's the three gay men!!!" Yay!!! *How come you never told anybody you're transgender* WTF VARNER

What angers me most is he thinks of it as a deception... outing someone can be extremely dangerous for the person being outted, people die when those words are spoken.

"I speak for the rights of Transgender people every day" - Oh sure and I bet you train dragons for a living too

For those wondering is CBS shouldn't have aired the episode, here are Zeke's thoughts on the airing "I love Survivor, and I was drawn to apply to Survivor because of the integrity in the storytelling. And when I first applied, I didn’t tell casting that I was trans. That was developed later in our relationship. And I had a chat with Jeff Probst in which we agreed if, how, and when I’m gonna talk about this part of my life-it’s going to be up to me, as opposed to being outed by a fellow contestant being the exception. But in the aftermath of being outed, I’ve been granted unprecedented autonomy in how I wanted to tell my story. 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 came to Jeff and asked if I could write a personal essay about what happened, and he immediately said yes. And I was really proud of how I responded. And I wanted the world to see how much I’d grown and I also thought by showing what happened, maybe it wouldn’t happen to someone else, and something good could come of it."

"I argue for the rights of trans everyday in NC, I would never say or do anything to harm a person here." That's very hypocritical of him to say since he just OUTTED a trans person

jeff varner DESERVED to go home. outing people is serious.

I hope the shows producers gave Zeke the option of not letting this part of the show go to air. Once aired, it cannot be undone. I'd be interested to know if they did. If they didn't - then they are no better and condone this type of behaviour.

For the record, Zeke was planning on coming out at some point during the show, Jeff Varner just forced his hand. Zeke had the option to get this cut, and told the producers to leave it in.

This was horrifying to watch and I’m glad Jeff handled it the way that he did

This really got me emotional. As someone who has been outed it is astounding to see such support for Zeke. It also gives me perspective of how the people who outed me might feel in 30 years looking back on their actions, as the world moves further and further in the right direction, I believe it is a high possibility that they will realize their mistakes, and I can forgive them.

Did anyone notice how pissed off Jeff Probst was? He literally voted Varner out and when he blew out his torch he walked away before Varner could leave, he normally stands there. If I was Probst I wouldn't even take into question if the other tribe members wanted Varner out I would send him home because they do not want that kind of behavior on this show. He literally told America, with out Zeke's permission, his personal information that Zeke did not even tell anyone on Survivor. I know he realized what he had said but you cannot take back the fact that this was at first personal information which no one knew(except Zeke's loved ones) and set out for ALL of America to hear.

And yet, faced with fucked up things like this right here, trans people are expected to not let it get to them or get angry. I can't tell you how many times I've heard transguys and gals mutter "it's ok, it's fine" when someone disrespects the core of who they are in this way. This broke my heart.

I saw this when it aired. You can see how hurt Zeke is. This makes me so sad.

To call being trans 'deception' is by definition saying they are lying about the truth. Essentially calling a trans man not a 'real man'. You can't turn around and try and back out of that. When people are scared, they show who they truly are at heart. Varner did that here.

My God, this is painful to watch! The dead silence after Varner said it, and Zeke just sitting there completely silent, I imagine his world must have been shattered. Poor soul, I feel for him so much! ♥ But he handled the situation with incredible strength and grace!

I don't think he intentionally meant to hurt anyone. He got caught up trying to save himself in a game but didn't quite realize how unacceptable his actions were until everyone explained it. Outing him as transgender and treating that as "deception" is a total far fetched belief. Zeke should only discuss that if he feels comfortable with people. I give Zeke full props for how mature he was throughout this ordeal.

I’m still watching this clip in 2019 and it’s still gut wrenching, like what possesses a person to put someone and call it “being deceptive”. I understand that to some contestants on the show would feel so much pressure and anxiety at the thought of going home after playing for some amount of time but what Jeff did was absolutely terrible in my opinion, he didn’t really have to do what he did and say that he’s in “the fight of his life” at tribal and resort to outing someone who didn’t want to say anything and wasn’t ready to say anything to the world. That is a true testament to what some people will do to save their own skin in a situation like Survivor.

0:34 My sincerest apologies to all transgender North Carolinians. You deserve better than this man.

Varner has about 100 pounds on Tai, but tai was ready to fuck him up lol

This was one of the cringe-worthiest moments in Survivor history. Even worse than Brandon Hantz's meltdown, IMO. I don't know how the hell Varner could have thought this would be a valid point to bring up, but I'm glad he apologized. Zeke took it well.

Zeke's face afterwards :'( I can't imagine the emotions going through his mind

Wow and Zeke still stood and gave him a hug. That shows just how kind hearted, and secure Zeke truly is. 🥺💕

Jeff was soooooo pissed passed at Varner.. you can see it in his tone

I love Jeff. He didn’t even give the dignity of a voting ceremony. 😂😂😂😂

Credit to Zeke who went on to say that they made amends after filming. That's honor and love right there

"I'm not outing him" THEN WHAT DID U JUST DO!

I don't personally like getting into intense KZfaq comments, but just this once I want to say that when Varner said "it reveals the ability to deceive" that means nothing because everyone has the ability to deceive people if they want to. I really feel for Zeke.

Even my dad was shook about this We both knew he was gone. “Whelp, there he goes.”

The way everyone jumps to his defense has me teary... I wasn't into survivor when I first saw this clip but it def impacted how I move thru the world as a trans man for the better

Zeke is living his truth. It would be "deception" to pretend to be a woman.

the reactions to this make me happy, as a transguy. honestly looking in the comments i expected some bad stuff.

Varner, it was not deception, it is something extremely personal.

I find it so weird that people think that zeke being calm and nice during this is him actually forgiving Jeff he only was calm and so willing to forgive because he felt like he had to be a good representative for trans people because if he was angry and rude, tons of people would think that trans people were angry and rude. love how fast they got that loser out of there

Zeke's face when Jeff V. said that just breaks my heart. : (

I know I’m crazy late to this clip, but I want to take a moment and individually acknowledge everyone’s reactions and how meaningful they were. Andrea: Almost immediately begins to cry from the shock and grief at someone being outed. Her empathy for Zeke really struck me. Ozzy: Says little, but calls Varner out at the first lull of the conversation. No words minced, he is the first to state Varner is willing to sacrifice his integrity for money. Tai: There are thee things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the wrath of a gentle man. Sarah: Like Ozzy, she minces no words in pinpointing the malice of Varner’s comments. It’s lovely to see her own personal growth shine here too. Debbie: Strong mom energy here, laying down lines in no uncertain terms to protect someone who was just attacked. Jeff: Man, his face at 0:20. This was a hard moment to host, but he did it so well. He asked keen questions of everyone, helped them process their reactions, and most importantly gave Zeke a platform to tell his own story. Zeke: There’s nothing I can say that he didn’t say best himself. But I was especially touched by his concern of being reduced to just one aspect of himself - and how he’s been able to overcome. Here’s to Zeke, the Survivor. I won’t say much about Varner other than this - Even allies can carry internalized prejudices they don’t recognize until it shows itself in ugly ways. This is a good reminder that we should always be carefully reflecting on our actions and words. There’s ugliness buried in all of us, and hopefully grace and redemption available too.

I missed ONE episode and my mom was like, "OMG YOU WILL NEVER GUESS WHAT JEFF DID"

Varner: Jeff, I'm fighting for my life here! Probst, giving him the glare of the century: *Oh really now? O h r e a l l y?*

So glad he apologized for it. Too many people think it's cool to double down and pretend everyone who criticizes you is a triggered snowflake.

If Zeke has forgiven Varner, which to my knowledge he has, then we all should respect that as well.

Zeke is so inspiring and will forever be my favorite player ever on survivor.

No matter what your stands on transgender people is - that was the lowest thing ever. You can't talk your way out of this either. I had no idea Zeke was transgender, nor do I care. He chose not to tell or make himself "that trans person". So nobody had any right to call him out. I'm so angry, I'm shaking

I think we see a difference in generations within the LGBT as well here. Varner is from a time where coming out as a gay person is very hard, and when you are openly gay, you should always be proud of that and openly talk about that with everyone you start to know. Zeke is from a different generation, where coming out is much more accepted, but where that proudness is gone to the background more. They want to be regarded as humans, and be judged on their acts. Zeke wants to be known as Zeke the man/human, not specifically Zeke the gay/trans guy. So when Varner had suspicions that Zeke was trans, he couldn't understand why he never brought that up. plus Zeke was in season 33 (aired after shooting this season). He must've thought that a transgender on that season was outed already as the 'first transgender in Survivor'. He was wrong. Ps. may I say that the video title that you're using pisses me off, capslocking it makes it sensational

Kudos to this team for standing up to him, what a beautiful moment and for Zeke to being the bigger man. Dude I have tears in my eyes. No one should be outed in this way.

Jeez I remember watching this episode...As soon as the words came out of his mouth I just started crying. I was lucky to come out after my sister so I knew I was gonna be okay. I can’t imagine having someone take away my choice. It was a heartbreaking moment and I feel bad for both of them in a way....

"Told millions of people" -meanwhile in the editing room. LOL

Ladies and Gentlemen, the #1 Most Unforgivable Survivor Moment!

Sarah was literally holding herself back from losing it

This is one of two times I’ve seen Jeff mad, the other is when Osten up and quit, Jeff said to him “Osten as per your wishes go home”

Honestly Zeke was so chill about it. If I was outed like that, i would be devastated. I would never forgive them. That fact that Zeke could was amazing, and it shows how great of a guy he is. Luv ya Zeke.

There's something special about Jeff taking control of the conversation and just saying, "There's no question who's going home tonight, right?"

Can you imagine if Sandra wasn't sent home from the previous tribal council? Jeff Varner would have been the first survivor contestant in history to be sent home in a body bag.

If this happened on Big Brother, everyone would side with Varner.

Just came to watch this after listening to Zeke's interview on the Love Bomb podcast. Production let him decide what he wanted aired. It was a good interview.

Jeff's reaction is what gets me. He doesn't tell Varner it's time for him to go, or give him the send off. Can't even look at him beyond snuffing out his torch. Probably on his way to go talk to the producers and maybe Zeke about whether or not they want to air that or stage a re-shoot to protect him (I'm sure they don't reshoot very often if at all, but this might have been a circumstance where they might have considered it for Zeke's safety when he got home). Such a big moment, glad everyone reacted in Zeke's defense with no mercy.

I binged Survivor all of 2022 so I watched the show for the first time last year and when I watched this my food literally fell out of my mouth. I could not believe my ears and eyes.

Zeke is so much better than me I would’ve caught a felony when Varner went in for that hug

This happens way too often people outing others and it breaks my heart. My best friend who sadly passed away I met through old job. Me and him became instant best buds and he even lived with me for a bit. Someone at work found out he was trans and started spreading it so he ended up telling a bunch of us himself a few people I guess already knew but I will never forget him telling me and I and told him I genuinely had no idea whatsoever and I would’ve never known if he didn’t say anything told him I loved him and made sure he was still coming out to hang after work. He was my best friend and I miss him so much everyday. I will never forget the smile on his face after that conversation and I know he valued that moment so much as well ❤ always was so fiercely protective of my other brother bff❤

The most unpopular man on television right now. I wouldn't want to be him. (AND he lost his chance at a million dollars.. Bummer!)

I’ve just been outed as trans to my mother by my brother and this is too real

He outed him and then he said literally maybe a minute or two later he said “I thought everyone knew” What is he smoking

Zekes face just broke my heart 🥺

I guess, this is the last time that Varner has been on "Survivor".

"it shows the ability to decieve" you're on survivor, everyone has the ability to decieve.

Not Jeff squirting lemon juice in the eyes with “is it just dawning on you, you’ve told not only 6 but millions of ppl on tv.”

I will literally never forget watching this when it aired. My dad and I always watch Survivor together and never miss an episode. We were both appalled with this. Zeke was absolutely amazing in handling this situation

I don't watch Survivor, but jeeeeesus that was rough. On the one hand, I'm glad that this exists as a concrete example of how shitty it is to out somebody, and it's really nice to see everybody else sticking up for Zeke. No, actually, it's *incredibly important* to see everyone else sticking up for Zeke. On the other hand... wow. It's scary to think of what could have happened if the others hadn't been as accepting.

Tai getting pissed is going way too far

Varner is 100% never coming back He is like, “Why did you not tell anybody your trans” then 5 seconds later said “I thought everybody knew”

But you know what’s beautiful in all of this? They rallied around Zeke in a heartbeat, it didn’t matter what had happened prior to that but when Varner outed him the reaction was instantaneous no questions asked. And Probst handled this situation well, he was very upset by the situation and did not give sympathy, didn’t pretend to be okay with it, but immediately shut it down and skipped the vote. But of course the best reaction? Zeke by a long shot. Comforting Varner like that and remaining poised and even being able to sit there like that and keep his composure, that takes so much and Zeke truly was incredible. Sad he didn’t win but he will forever be remembered for this

0:04 that moment when everyone you realizes they left the oven on and they've been on this island for 17 days