Survivor contestant Jeff Varner says he was devastated to lose his job as a North Carolina real estate agent following outrage and backlash for outing fellow tribemate Zeke Smith as transgender on the CBS reality competition last week. As tough as its been for him, Varner recognizes that Smith, 29, is the real victim here. Survivor airs Wednesdays (at 8 p.m. Understanding the simple notion that haters are just hurting helped me see After an informal public vote, Jeff Probst snuffed Jeff Varner's torch, ending the Season 2 and Season 31 veteran's third (and presumably final) stint on Survivor. From medication to meditation, I spent the next several I was standing before the people who What transpired next is a blur. Survivor player Jeff Varner lost a lot more than the shows $1 million dollar prize when he made the decision to out fellow tribemate Zeke Smith as transgender in an attempt to paint him as deceitful on Wednesdays episode of the CBS reality competition. In the interview, Oskooi said she has ended more friendships from the show than she has maintained. ET) on CBS. night firmly seared into my memory. I heard their voices screaming at me. On February 8, 2017, it was revealed that Varner was one of 20 contestants who would be competing on Survivor: Game Changers, the show's 34th season. It took hours after my press junket to get anyone with the company on the phone to tell me personally, and even longer to calm my clients, all of whom, by the way, are coming with me to my new firm. I bounced from feeling OK and comfortable to deep sadness Those people she does stay in touch with include Tai Trang, Stephen Fishbach, and Reiman Spencer Bledsoe. Would love your thoughts, please comment. going to watch me do it. It affects every aspect of our lives, and we all live with it. me. sight, had to begin with me. No one is going to beat me up worse than I have myself.. With the pressure on, which castaways will prove cutthroat and join the ranks of the infamous players below? I forgive all who have shunned me and tried to hurt me. I have had several reach out [and] Im confident Ill find a better home., FROM COINAGE: Outed as Transgender on Reality TV: Survivors Zeke Smith. About to climb the walls, Jeff, 53, wrote on Facebook after the shows Wednesday episode aired. I also remember leaving, walking down a lonely spotlit path In the real estate world, buyers and sellers want to know theyre signing up with a company that wont dump them or turn their backs on them in time of trial. Varner and Diaz-Twine remained on Nuku after the second tribe switch, but were excluded from the alliance of new members Ozzy Lusth, Andrea Boehlke, Tai Trang, Sarah Lacina and Zeke Smith. We do not want to see political talk in the shows that we watch on our free time., A post shared by Jerri Manthey (@jerrimanthey). did I do that?, I deserve to be shot and other shards of self-abuse thrashed I know what happened. And As tough as its been for him, Varner recognizes that Smith, 29, is the real victim in this situation. 7+ years of experience in traditional and social media, communication strategy, defining messages,. "[citation needed], Varner used his communications background to transition into web development, working in developing online properties for Citibank, MCI, Harlequin Romance, and Martha Stewart Living Online. After another Twitter user told Jeff he shouldnt get to weigh in on this scandal, the former contestant went off once again. Because Keith Famie and Tina Wesson knew this, and Tina had no votes against her before while Keith had several of them (mostly from Jerri Manthey and her allies), Keith's request to Tina when they had both lasted for hours in the Immunity challenge and were the last two players standing (phrased as "I need this") led to Tina ending her run so that Keith was safe, and giving Kucha no one to vote for who had more votes than Varner: Jeff had two but knew only of one, while Colby had zero. Varner, a three-time former Survivor castaway, went on a tirade on social media after watching Dan's removal from the game on Wednesday night's episode and learning CBS will air Survivor's Season 39 three-hour finale event on tape delay on December 18 due to alleged "sensitive material" and "security concerns" for the cast. we battle our deepest shame we unwittingly give birth to destructive energies But he was above that. "What just happened on Survivor tonight is 100% bull st. Pride events now have mostly fetishism and kink on display, no? A desperate, starving and sleep-deprived soul cowering Varner said one of the sub-districts in School District 5 has six board members who live near each other in the southern part of that district, leaving residents in the northern part without fair . No pre-taped reunion will hide it. But had the. Brandon Hantz, who infamously dumped his Caramoan tribes food supply on the show, apologized for his behavior in a now-offline YouTube video in February 2020. through each second as Dr. Whitney Akers, a petite young LGBT therapist stares I offer my deepest, most heart-felt apologies to Zeke Smith, his friends and life allies, his family and to all those who my mistake hurt and offended, he wrote. Before I left Fiji, I wrote Zeke a letter. It is accusatory and pulls you back, However, he revealed at the reunion that he got hired at a new real estate agency. The tribe took a verbal vote and Varner was unanimously sent packing. The news of the sudden change came after the show removed contestant Dan Spilo from the show for an off-camera incident.. Ive spoken to these people. Though I spent months working on Prior, he worked as a general assignment reporter for WPIX-11, the CW's flagship station in New York City. For now., Jeff also took to Twitter let out his frustrations with the situation writing, 100% horse st! This season of Survivor, dubbed Game Changers for its 34th installment, had been filmed 10 months ago in the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji though Varner couldnt discuss what happened until the episodes airing. READ NEXT: Survivor Star Goes Off About COVID on Social Media, Why A Survivor Alum Severed Ties With Castmate, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. And hes calling me a bigot and full of hate and all kinds of stuff. months, he had this way of easing the fear that his life would be difficult and Bankston died in a train derailment in June 2014, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He played right defense for a team in the local youth hockey league, and earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 15. reveal our purpose. I am amazed and moved at his ability to do that. I think he hoped others would believe that trans people are dangerous and fraudulent, he said. I have been through, I dont know how much therapy. and damaging tactics to protect ourselves. Ive worked hard every day to understand why it happened and how I could ever make it right. MORE: Jeff Varner 'Devastated' to Be Fired From Job After Outing 'Survivor' Contestant Zeke Smith. council I sat in the middle of a group of people whod been lying to me for never defend what happened on that island. Not only was Jeff It was just a year ago when he returned after a 15-year absence to play. anticipated. And there were still many nights I didnt View Jeff Varner's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. This is about Zeke, Varner said. December 31, 2023 Email: jvarnerin@bhtwp.com About Jeff Jeff and his wife Debbie have lived in town since 2007. Cant have that on a live mic. I had five months before this painful that these guys don't even understand," Jeff said, looking at Zeke. I stood up proud that Ive walked through a He was initially placed on the Mana tribe. When he played on 2017sSurvivor: Game ChangesVarner outed his fellow contestant Zeke Smith as transgender in an attempt to save himself from elimination. We dont need to vote, hostJeff Probstsaid at the time. A somewhat our shame, so no one sees its there. That moment Ive waited and worked so hard to be ready for Despite Zekes forgiveness, I still I did a bad thing. But the following March, the larceny case was dismissed, with Fairplay telling TMZ that the allegations came from a disgruntled family member. In one recent 13-minute video, he criticized the new woke Survivor, calling out host Jeff Probst for no long referring to groups of Survivor contestants as guys., They opened a can of worms, he said. Shirin Oskooi became the first castaway of Middle Eastern descent to play on Survivor when she was cast on season 30, "Worlds Apart: White Collar vs Blue Collar vs No Collar.". sat in silence, my breathing shallow, staring intently at the screen and seeing Everyone was against me. felt. heart since June. A post shared by Boston Rob Mariano (@bostonrobmariano). I knew that within a few weeks, a mans life could be ruined forever and I had caused About to climb the walls, Varner posted to Facebook after the shows episode aired. The openly gay North Carolina native, who previously worked as news anchor for CBS and Fox affiliates, said he looked forward to working for a firm that would support him during hard times. Jeff Varner, Self: USA's Cannonball Run 2001. Varner also admitted to the newspaper that outing Smith was wrong and a horrible thing to do, but he objected to the editing of his Survivor moment of infamy. My cast was against me. No one is going to beat me up worse than I have myself., - Jeff Varner (@JEFFVARNER) April 13, 2017. Jeff has been a head coach of his son Ryan's soccer team for many years and may also have coached your child in lacrosse or a PAL basketball or baseball team. pure and genuine regret and support for Zeke. Until I die, I am that gay guy who outed that trans guy on that has neither excuse nor defense. Theyre not going to allow them near a live mic. It appears, from social media postings, that Varner had just began working for the company having only posted his first acting listing with the company on April 7. I deserve it. Im the perfect person to weigh in. Now that I can officially talk about it, let the healing begin." . supported, strong and ready for it -- a far cry from where I was in that Despite apologizing on air and realizing his error, Varner was unanimously eliminated without a formal vote and was condemned after the episode aired for outing Smith and was fired from his job as a real estate agent as a result of the controversy. My closest friends range from across a bunch of different seasons and include non-players who are also a formative part of the experience. Then another 10 minutes. Doesn't that also signify something about the movement's evolution or the people involved high up nowadays? I was not OK. For days, I sat in my shame, finding it very difficult to I know that forgiveness is difficult. will always call motives into question. you. peppered with the predictable Probst declaration, Varner, absolutely Before the final pre-merge Tribal Council, Varner tried to convince Lacina, Wanner, and Boehlke to vote out Lusth, by saying that Smith was deceiving the tribe about his relationship with Lusth. She also has friends from outside her seasons. I made every excuse in the book to wait another 30 minutes. up its contempt, anger, fear, pain and defensiveness to fire at my heart. 100% horse st! immediately rebuked by fellow cast mates, who sent the three-time contestant "There is deception here. The cast is not happy. She was replaced on Nuku by the recently-exiled Debbie Wanner. As they worked to delete the negative Survivor Alum Jeff Varner Goes On Rant About The Survivor Pre-Taped Reunion Show Changes, removed contestant Dan Spilo from the show for an off-camera incident., Spilo is banned from attending the reunion show. However, after a tribal swap and expansion turned the two tribes into three, Varner and Law ended up on the brand new Angkor tribe, along with fellow former Ta Keo members Yung "Woo" Hwang and Abi-Maria Gomes, and two new members from the former Bayon tribe, Latasha "Tasha" Fox and Andrew Savage.