If he wants to take swings at me, I'm the one who will hand him the bat. Varner: (Long pause.) Thomas. However, this backfired when it was revealed that Smith had never publicly revealed his gender identity. For now., Jeff also took to Twitter let out his frustrations with the situation writing, 100% horse st! I'm involved in doing stuff. Everything horrible. Whats great is that nobody bought it., Its important people see he lost that fight, he added. Zeke Smith Talks About His "Work in Progress" Relationship With Survivor Co-Star Jeff Varner Recently voted-off contestant shared his thoughts after being outed as transgender during Tribal Council Cowards., The former reality TV star is no stranger toSurvivordrama. Richard appeared on season 1 of "Survivor," where he was crowned. I couldn't even think about me and my life for months after it was over with. Ricard Foye, the Washington based flight-attendant, stepped forward and expressed his discomfort, and therefore the phrase was changed to come on in.. Cant have that on a live mic. I deserve every bit of it. No one is going to beat me up worse than I have myself.. He was part of the first team in the corporate world to utilize the internet to communicate project information in Citicorp's "Product Design and Development Division. Varner, along with Sandra Diaz-Twine, Malcolm Freberg, Aubry Bracco, and Michaela Bradshaw were then switched to Nuku. Current Age: 49 At the fifth Tribal Council, Varner joined Diaz-Twine and Bradshaw in blindsiding Thomas. So pissed. On Day 7, a Tribe Switch occurred that split the tribes from two to three. When asked by a cohost if we will see Edge of Extinction again, Probst responds, "Yes, absolutely. When you know what really goes on then you can tell me your opinion., Varner then responded to another Twitter users response repeating his right to weigh in on the news. There are no excuses for what I did. Varner's actions were immediately condemned by his fellow contestants, culminating in Varner's tearful admission of shame and guilt, Zeke's calm explanation of his own journey, and a parting hug between them. Its so painful to see what is happening with this show. However, he revealed at the reunion that he got hired at a new real estate agency. I hurt him. During that time, he said hes done a lot of growing. I know that forgiveness is difficult. Because Keith Famie and Tina Wesson were aware of this, and Tina had no votes against her previously while Keith had several, Keiths request to Tina after they had both lasted for hours in the Immunity challenge and were the last two players standing resulted in Tina ending her run, ensuring Keiths safety, and leaving Kucha with no one to vote for who had more votes than Varner: Jeff had two but was unaware of one, and Colby had zero. . For the first time in 39 seasons, Survivors reunion will be pretaped four hours before it airs on Wednesday, December 18, Entertainment Weekly reports, due to the sensitive material of this season and security concerns. However, when Tai accidentally told him Sandra was the target, Jeff became suspicious. He is an avid rollerblader, spending many afternoons skating through Manhattan's busy streets. I have so much to say and am fuming right now. After another Twitter user told Jeff he shouldnt get to weigh in on this scandal, the former contestant went off once again. Days after Don . (function(d, s, id) { I know that you're fair and honest, so I'm going to just let it out to you. On May 6, 2015, Varner was revealed to be one of the 16 men who was eligible to be voted by the viewers to return for the 31st season, Survivor: Cambodia. [] He joined the majority in voting out Survivor: Cagayan winner Tony Vlachos at Manas second Tribal Council. After a long discussion, Jeff apologized, expressing shame and remorse for what he had done. None of that's there. May 1, 2022. But if my competition doesn't, their loss. Just grab your torch.. We dont need to vote, hostJeff Probstsaid at the time. Threats of boycotts. Varner reached towards Smith for an emotional hug before picking up his torch and walking over to Probst. Sends us all back 20 years. As much as I was dreading my emotional breakdown I melted down for an hour, and all of that was edited out. I know what happened. In April 2017, Jeff spoke to Entertainment Weekly about season 34 contestant Jeff Varner outing Zeke Smith as transgender. Im the perfect person to weigh in. It was a horrible thing. I own responsibility in what is the worst decision of my life.. I make mistakes, but I'm a good person with a good heart. Survivor alum Richard Hatch recently shared his opinion on Jeff Probst and Survivor 41 on the Drop Your Buffs podcast. Its so painful to see what is happening with this show. Varner and Diaz-Twine stayed on Nuku after the second tribe switch, but were left out of the alliance formed by newcomers Ozzy Lusth, Andrea Boehlke, Tai Trang, Sarah Lacina, and Zeke Smith. It was an awful thing to do. Deception on levels, Jeff, that these guys dont even understand theres more., Host Jeff Probst asked Varner to explain himself, at which point Varner turned to Smith in front of the entire group and demanded: Why havent you told anyone youre transgender?. It all went down during the tribal council, when Varner, 50, outed Smith, 29, in an attempt to paint the Brooklyn-based asset manager as deceitful and therefore worthy of being voted out. Us Weekly has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. The Survivor Game Changers season is officially upon us, and every week, Parade's Josh Wigler will bring you interviews with the castaways as they're voted off the island. The message should be clear that hate will always lose.. Going too hard, too soon. When Mana lost the first two Immunity Challenges, he joined the majority in voting out Ciera Eastin and Tony Vlachos respectively. He was assigned to the Mana tribe at first. Wigler: Did the Tribal you watched last night align with the Tribal you remember? When you know what really goes on then you can tell me your opinion. His favorite television show is Sex and the City while his favorite feature films are Coal Miner's Daughter and The Matrix. I support you., Jeff, you cant unring the bell, said Probst. In the game, no matter where I was, talking strategy with everybody, Zeke was always popping up. It's just been so difficult. When we're laying on the beach talking, he was lying to me about what they were doing. He chose to side with the latter duo to avenge Malcolm, hence blindsiding J.T.. Jeff and Sandra remained on Nuku after the second tribe switch, but were joined by original Nuku members Sarah Lacina, Andrea Boehlke,Zeke Smith, Ozzy Lusth, and Tai Trang, leaving Jeff and Sandra on the bottom. Varner eventually recognized that what he did was wrong, but it didnt really matter at that point. Jeff's lying. Tribal Council S34E06 (1 of 4) Survivor: Game Changers, Jeff Varner outs Zeke, Please support me by installing my Puzzles from Survivor app: apps.apple.com/us/app/puzzle-cluster/id1460284314 Alliance Tracker for Survivor app: apps.apple.com/us/app/alliance-tracker-for-survivor/id1486051580 #Survivor #SuvivorSuperFan #SurvivorGeek Twitter: twitter.com/rrTenz survivor.fandom.com/wiki/What_Happened_on_Exile,_Stays_on_Exile Day 18 I don't want to lose Ozzy, because the way I've set it up is to have bigger threats out there than myself. I'm good to people. These are dignified people. But because Tribal was edited down so small, you don't see that. Varner, meanwhile, took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to issue a lengthy apology. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. Russell was working to deceive people. This producer manipulation is 100% bull shit. Ugh. According to Us Weekly, Richard was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for failing to pay taxes in 2006. Cowards. This interview just has to be about Zeke. Jeff Varner is an internet project manager, having most recently worked as Director of People and Process for a Manhattan start-up company. It was one hundred percent about Zeke and what I've done to him and his family. I hurt those who love him. 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. Zeke's hesitance caused Jeff to believe that Zeke and Ozzy had a secret alliance, which he exposed to the other tribe members, causing them to question their loyalties. They joined original Nuku member James "J. T." Thomas, Jr., winner of Survivor: Tocantins. And I am so sorry, Zeke. I love him. Jeffrey Keith "Jeff" Varner is a contestant from Survivor: The Australian Outback, Survivor: Cambodia, and Survivor: Game Changers. If he wants to take swings at me, Im the one to hand him the bat. Alas, he was voted out one cycle short of the merge, thus missing out on the jury for a third consecutive time. Jeff told me at Tribal: "Varner, I've known you for 20 years. Jeffrey Keith Varner (born April 16, 1966) [1] is a former American real estate agent and television personality, a news anchor and reporter, a former entertainment reporter, and a contestant on three seasons of the CBS reality television series, Survivor: The Australian Outback, Survivor: Cambodia, and Survivor: Game Changers. In Game Changers, Jeff aligned with Michaela Bradshaw and Sandra Diaz-Twine early on, with the alliance taking control of the Mana and Nuku tribes. The most-recent scandal in Survivor, which resulted in the reunion format change, started when season 39 contestant Kellee Kim first told Dan, 48, that his touching made her uncomfortable during the first day of the competition. I have action. Jeff told Us Weekly in January 2020 that these incidents impacted his decision to not cast Richard on Winners at War., Given his history on our show, it did not seem appropriate, he told the publication. He was given a formal warning from production at day 22. I honor it and I acknowledge it. None of those Heroes vs Villains knew who Russell was. For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews Subscribe on YouTube! [2], Jeff Varner was raised on a tobacco farm in Greensboro, North Carolina. But the most important thing is Zeke forgave me. We have to stop as a society discriminating against trans people and minimizing and separating from them. It was revealed that Jeff was fired from his job as a real estate agent after the episode where he outed Zeke aired because of all the controversy. And I think stupid bathroom bills and things like that, especially in the state of North Carolina it's not about bathrooms. It was clear to me that this guy is a player. What just happened onSurvivortonight is 100% bull st. Survivor: The Australian Outback Updated: 9:30 PM MDT May 24, 2017. That whole deception card was not about trans. Youre saying by him not revealing it that hes capable of deception. I have so much to say and am fuming right now. While Oskooi doesnt specify what she is referring to, it is most likely what castaway Jeff Varner did on the third time he played the game. While pursuing his degree with UNC, he was Captain of the National Champion Tar Heel Cheer Team (198990). 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. He's continued to forgive me. 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. Jeff countered by citing that he had already proven his loyalty to the tribe, while Woo had not. Sorry. The cast is not happy. Im not knocking him., It has nothing to do with the game! cried Boehlke. Ugh. That reasoning is infinitely worse than him outing me because its the same one used to discriminate against, attack and murder trans people. I know what happened that got him removed and Im telling you, 100% horse st. (Choking up.) Theres no question whos going home tonight, he said, briefly checking with each tribemate that they felt the same. Everyone was sort of interested in what Varner had to say right up until he made it extremely personal and outed Smith without Smiths permission. Advertisements How old is Jeff Varner? He's absolutely fantastic. I plan to align myself with the big threats. After Angkor lost the next Immunity Challenge on Day 9, Jeff tried to send a message to Kelly Wiglesworth, but was caught by Tasha, who called him out in front of everyone, placing Jeff in hot water with his tribe. It's very difficult to live with. Season 2: Australia, Finished 10th out of 16 & Non-Jury You don't really get it. ET. I've been called every name in the book. I'm not that horrible person so many are trying to paint me to be today. Thats personal you didnt have to do that! said Andrea Boehlke, starting to tear up. That didn't make the editing. The truth will get out. It's about whether trans people have the right to exist in public. Varner is most known for infamously publicly outing fellow Survivor: Game Changers contestant Zeke Smith. Editing doesn't show any of that. I'll combine my Outback and Cambodia styleshard gameplay with a more subtle approach. He belonged to the Kucha tribe and made it to the merge, but not to the core group of nine, due to a tie with Colby Donaldson. It was a two-hour Tribal that was edited to 20 [minutes]. Part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Powered by WordPress VIP, Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Dan Spilo competes on SURVIVOR: Island of the Idols.. I'm turning this into a positive. It's a hard thing for me to live with. Everyone was horrified at what he did Andrea Boehlke started crying, Tai Trang and Debbie Wanner started yelling at Varner, and even Jeff Probst was visibly upset at what had happened. That full screen disclaimer is a crock. "Survivor" alum Richard Hatch recently shared his opinion on Jeff Probst and "Survivor 41" on the "Drop Your Buffs" podcast. He was originally placed on the Ta Keo tribe, which quickly split between old school and new school players, with Jeff and Peih-Gee Law finding themselves in the middle. Varners luxury item on the show was a coloring book and a set of crayons. It's just horrible. Jeff Varner is a former American real estate agent and television personality who has worked as a news anchor and reporter, an entertainment reporter, and a contestant on three seasons of the CBS reality television series Survivor: The Australian Outback, Survivor: Cambodia, and Survivor: Game Changers. READ NEXT: Survivor Star Goes Off About COVID on Social Media, Why A Survivor Alum Severed Ties With Castmate, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. - Age 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. Though Jeff and Sandra stuck together in voting for Tai, the Nuku alliance succeeded in voting out Sandra, leaving Jeff as the odd man out. It's going to be an awful day. Not at all. On May 20, the results revealed that both Varner and Kappenberg from The Australian Outback were voted to return. (Choking up.) Horrible. I was wrong and make no excuses for it. I need to get my tissues here, because it's horrible. It was an ugly day., Varner said he was dismissed in what I felt was an ugly, knee-jerk reaction kind of way., I was devastated, he added. With Abi-Maria, Andrew, and Tasha still in control, the vote was narrowed down to Jeff and Woo, who argued that Jeff should be voted out because of his deteriorating physical condition and his poor challenge performance. No pre-taped reunion will hide it. Ive spoken to these people. Enjoy reading!! That full screen disclaimer is a crock, he tweeted at the user. That full screen disclaimer is a crock, the real estate agent tweeted back. I think he hoped others would believe that trans people are dangerous and fraudulent, he said. Wigler: And where do you want to start with that? Varner asked Smith at Tribal Council, Why havent you told anyone youre transgender? Varner stated that he believed Smith had been open about his identity with everyone back home but was trying to keep it hidden from his tribemates in the game. Zeke apologized for leaving Jeff out of the Sandra vote and promised to be honest with him moving forward, with plans of reaching the Final Tribal Council together. Survivor is back in production as of April 2021 and should premiere season 41 in September 2021. CBS I hope America sees that. She doesnt stay in touch with very many people from the show, and she even stopped being friends with someone whom she says did one of the cruelest things ever done to another contestant in the shows now multi-decade history.. That prepared reunion is cowardice. Theyre not going to allow them near a live mic. Varner tried to persuade Lacina, Wanner, and Boehlke to vote out Lusth before the final pre-merge Tribal Council by claiming that Smith was deceiving the tribe about his relationship with Lusth. [1], Name: Jeff Varner I'm just devastated over that. VisitGLAAD.org to read their transgender FAQ, tips onhow to be an ally to the transgender community, and more. We LGB spent decades proving we weren't trying to convert children. Season 41 caused a lot of controversy among longtime viewers who criticized the new changes made to the game. The former 'CNN This Morning' co-anchor said that while the departure was a surprise, it's behind him now. That's the hardest part for me to swallow today. As best as circumstances allow, I'll manage a swap better. Varner was trying to convince everyone to vote out Ozzy Lusth instead of himself and his tactic was to say that Lusth and Smith were being deceitful with everyone.