Hes been on two seasons of Survivor. I could not have responded in the manner in which I did had he not held the wheel while I got my bearings. 2023 Gold Derby Media, LLC. They go to bed at 9pm. My gut would tell me to fill someone in, but then panic would wash over me. I sat up straight. All my preparation paid off: I made fire with bamboo I made a fire by rubbing two damn sticks together. Prior to that, the openly gay North Carolina native had worked as news anchor for CBS and Fox affiliates. I needed an adventure, a jolt to my system I needed to change my life and oh boy, did I! said Smith, adding, My outing and the attention it received, and the platform I gained radically changed my lifes trajectory. And mine is a very positive one because subsequent to my outing, my life has only gotten better.. Get a closer look at the Season 34 contestants by clicking through our cast photo gallery. You make it up as you go along, and I struggled with finding the right time to disclose my gender history to those close to me. I needed to calm everyone down. Who Is Zeke Smith? 5 Things About 'Survivor' Star Who Came Out As Playing Survivor well means knowing when to play fast and when to play slow, but deep into the game I was having so much fun playing fast that I laid on the gas. Strategically, I initially found myself the low man on the totem pole. My left leg settled and with it the group. I went from someone who very few people knew to be trans to one of the most visible transgender men in the world (which says more about trans mens visibility than it does about me). 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. Like, you know when youre thinking of your dream boyfriend? She called me right before tribal. The power was in my hands. I couldve made a clean break for it, but I knew there was no running from what had happened. I groped for direction, talking to kill time. 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Smith said the person Probst called on the least was Sarah Lacina and wouldnt you know it, but she won the game. Whether I was conscious of it or not, Survivor player became part of the remodel blue prints. Save. There was no room for failure. Though he was born and raised in Oklahoma City and currently resides in Los Angeles (where he is tremendously disappointed in the food), Zeke will always consider himself a New Yorker. I lifted weights in the morning, swam at night, and in between acclimated to the heat in the sauna while reading books on mental toughness techniques utilized by endurance athletes. Gold Derby is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Stop spreading lies! I am forever grateful that Probst gave me time to collect myself. I give him every inch of every room to feel and experience what hes feeling. When I came home, I immediately went to my trans friends and I sat them down and I said, "Here's what I did. All Rights Reserved. Adaptation of U.K. Late Night Show Mock the Week for Amazon Freevee, Donald Trump to Return to CNN for Primetime Town Hall Event, Gay U.S. Marine Drama From Norman Lear a Go at Netflix, TV Premiere Dates 2022: The Complete Guide, Broadcast TV Unscripted Scorecard 2022: Whats New, Renewed and Canceled, TV Pilots 2022: The Complete Broadcast Guide, The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News. I love Zeke so much. I remember the smell of the kerosene in our torches. Growing up in London, Ontario, Canada, Matthew developed a love for storytelling that he loves to share with others through his writing. I am and always have been the guy who tries to be teachers pet or in Survivors case, Probsts Pet, said Smith. By Zeke Smith. We say things we dont mean. ET) on CBS. But thats not what happened. Id been charmed by my castmates quirks and touched by their stories. To see Smith in the pages of PEOPLE, pick up the latest issue of the magazine, on newsstands now. When he pulled me in for a hug, I felt compelled to reciprocate, both as a sign that I was willing to forgive him and that the shots he had fired missed. "Andrea and I knew each other before we played Survivor together. He really does, and I always keep asking myself, like, How are you a real person? Im like, Hes hot, hes a good cook, he takes care of me, hes amazing I love him so much.. My heart is open to him today and if he is reacting in any negative way I give him the space to do that I deserve that. These Married At First Sight Couples Shocked Fans By Staying Together On Decision Day Despite Knowing They'd Break Up. How well Zeke holds up depends on the boy: it could be a cooler alternative of Zack, or it could prove too close to "geek." He spends most his time writing half-hour and feature comedy scripts (holler at him for samples staff me up! People think trans people are out there deceiving and theyre predators and theyre hiding in bathrooms and stuff thats just not true. There is no deception." Just opening yourself up and being honest and genuine helps wash that shame away and it's just been so beneficial to me. He appeared on both Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X and Survivor: Game Changers. It was not something I ever saw as something that would be part of this game. In Survivor, much is permissible which is typically objectionable, but there are limits, as there should be on a family-friendly reality show on network television. Time Magazine said, "Zeke Smith made a huge impact," and, "educated many viewers that traditional activists cannot reach.". Varner, who. I lost control of my body, my legs bounced up and down uncontrollably, willing me to flee, but the rest of me sat dead as stone. Before my outing aired, if you were to Google trans person is outed, like the first 100 results are all news stories of trans people who had killed themselves after being outed. They are humans, he continued, sobbing. I think I was very clear to the producers who knew I was questioning Zeke's gender that it wasn't something that was relevant in the game. In an interview with Variety, Santos said that they were quarantining together during the pandemic and he is so grateful to have found Smith. But you cannot control the hazards you face, be they repeated misfortune or the harmful actions of others. The message should be clear that hate will always lose.. While I can reconcile the personal slight of him outing me, I continue to be troubled by his willingness to deploy such a dangerous stereotype on a global platform. So I sat blank, almost in a trance, unaware of what happened around me, trying to form a plan. Survivor: Jeff Varner Fired From Job After Outing Zeke Smith - People My prowess became undeniable and, as is the fate of most who are considered the leading threat to win, I was voted out. In the following exclusive column for The Hollywood Reporter, Zeke one of very few players in show history to compete on back-to-back seasons shares hisside of the journey, his experience as a trans man, the reasons why he pursued Survivor, the thrill of that adventure, and what it was like on the night he was outed on national television and how he powered through it. I just wanted to go out on an adventure and play a great game. But, if were being perfectly honest with one another, Ive struggled with that forgiveness in the months following. I have been reading and working a lot with Dr. Bren Brown, who is the shame expert in the world, and she's helped me understand that vulnerability is the antidote to shame. During Wednesday night's episode of Survivor: Game Changer . Then, a single word appeared, the word I couldnt find earlier in the day, the word that encapsulated my 50-plus days on the island: metamorphosis. respond to this tweet with a gif of your fave LGBTQ television character In response, Zeke Smith posted a gif of his Nico Santos character from Superstore. But now her family is sitting down and they are talking about it and they are sympathizing with trans people. Was Camille Lamb's Below Deck Salary Worth The Endless Drama She Endured On The Show? On top of that, once Survivor fans learn that Zeke Smith from the show and Superstores Nico Santos have dated, they want to know if they are still together. Wednesday's (April 12) episode of Survivor was dramatic and surprising for both . Zeke Varner talks to Zeke, Survivors Jeff Probst Reveals How He Spent Quarantine. Getty Survivor airs Wednesdays (at 8 p.m. My rookie season, Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, instantly proved challenging. He admitted that he just cant help himself around Probst, he just could not stop talking I see those baby blues and those dimples, and my mouth just falls open.. [Sobbing] My God, I'm crying. During Zeke's senior year in high school, he ranked at the top 16 in High School Debater. I just wanted to go outon an adventure and play a great game.. Everyones best move was unquestionably to get rid of Varner. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Zeke -- who was voted out of Survivor: Game Changers on Wednesday night -- revealed he first met Andrea several years ago while playing a day-long game called Survivor: Brooklyn in a New York City park. I just sat down and wrote it one day. I love him. I never resumed leaping. Even Probst, the most neutral of arbiters, had my back. He reveals, Ididnt discuss my trans status in my initial video because I wanted the show to desire me as a game player and an eccentric storyteller, not as The First Trans Survivor Player. They did. You don't see all of that and I understand why you don't, I'm not complaining about the editing at all, but that's what my thinking was: there was no thinking. This happened to be the moment in my life when I began watching Survivor. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. I listened to Hamilton. If he didnt make the jury, hed forever be remembered as the only three-time player to never do so. He also said that it took a lot of self-love work to get to the point of true self-acceptance with his new life, but he feels tremendously proud and humbled by the impact he has had on the world. What were you feeling after watching your actions on TV last night? Though Im not particularly religious, I feel passionately that people of faith should not be denied religious ritual or spiritual community because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and shared what Id learned with Varner over long conversations on the beach. I remember the smell of the kerosene in our torches. Now I could just play. Deep into the 39-day adventure, players reach a crossroads where they must decide between starving or eating a handful of coconut and enduring severe gastrointestinal distress. See, when I got on a plane to Fiji last March, I expected to get voted out third. There was one post-merge Tribal where, I swear, he called on me every other person. When Probst snuffs that flame, your life is over. Zeke Smith is known formaking some big moves on 'Survivor,' but the bravest thing he's done wasn't so public. While working for all of those websites, Matthew has been able to cover a variety of subjects he is very passionate about including movies, TV shows, comics, and wrestling. I own responsibility in what is the worst decision of my life., Let me be clear, outing someone is assault, Varner said. I'm really angry at myself and I'm profusely sorry to everybody I offended, to Zeke, all the people out there who are hurting because of me. Though Varner has been openly gay for many years, he chose not to discuss his sexual orientation during his first two stints on the show. Oh, haaayyy @nicosantos. In response to Zeke Smiths tweet, Nico Santos published a tweet of his own that played into the joke that they were one of those celebrity couples with a big age gap. Not then savvy enough to think about the impact my monologues would have on my tribemates egos, I soliloquized and Jeff beamed, and the rest of the cast glowered., He added, Probst had a major crush on me. ET) on CBS. I think they did a good job with what they had to work with, but it's just very difficult. Survivor season 41 begins filming soon with an expected premiere date of late September 2021. Survivor Contestant Zeke Smith Outed As Transgender - Women's Health He was outed as a transgender individual by fellow Survivor contestant Jeff Varner during the competition. All About Veronika Khomyn, Christina Hall's Husband Josh Reveals He Was a Police Officer for 16 Years Before Being Injured in Line of Duty, 'We're Here' Drag Star Eureka O'Hara Comes Out as Trans: 'I Know Who I Am Without Question', Ricky Gervais Slammed for 'Bigot Comedy' About Trans People in New Netflix Special, unanimously voted out of the game by his tribemates. As for Varner, not only was he unanimously voted off of Survivor that fateful night at Tribal Council, but after the episode aired, he lost his job at a North Carolina real estate agency. It was from my heart and as genuine as it could possibly be. I like to shine all the time, and winners need to be able to control their shimmer., Interestingly, Probst said something very similar about Smith in a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly conducted four years ago during Game Changers., I met Zeke in casting and loved him.
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