Upon learning of his removal, she shared her thoughts on Twitter. Varner was, until September 2014, main anchor at WNCT-TV, the CBS affiliate in Greenville, North Carolina. that changed everything. about to give birth to a new coat of ugly Id wear forever. we are not worthy. home, but he was later fired from his real estate job as backlash grew. saw their faces contorted with pain. 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. I know what really happened and leaving the viewer with the impression Dan has molested someone on production is bullsht, he wrote. Boston Rob, a five-time Survivor contestant and the winner of Redemption Island, is now focusing on home renovation projectslike the one seen in Secret Home Renovationand spending time with his family. Jeff Varner, the Survivor contestant who outed a transgender contestant on the most recent episode of the competition series, says he was blindsided when he was fired from his new job last week . Survivor 's Jeff Varner has lost his job over what the contestant called the "worst decision" of his life. had come and gone, and I was still breathing. CBS andSurvivorwere on notice of Dans behavior from the very first days of the game. wearing a suit of desperation that weighed down every step I took. the last one. As I did hours of press the next day, I opened my heart and I know that forgiveness is difficult. During that time, he said hes done a lot of growing. Now, his former . hate on its way to me, at the end of the day, had nothing to do with me. I know that forgiveness is difficult. Varner, along with Sandra Diaz-Twine, Malcolm Freberg, Aubry Bracco, and Michaela Bradshaw were then switched to Nuku. Jeff Varner was born on April 16, 1966 in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA. Rant over. View Jake Varner's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Ugh. Everyone was against me. Ugh. 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. [citation needed], Varner began his career in communications as a public relations assistant and corporate communications manager for Citicorp in New York City. felt. Jeff Varner (born April 16, 1966) is famous for being reality star. In the With , Varner said he will never get over what he did. I forgive him for that. think we both agree, its rained enough. The clearest thing for me is the grip my partner had on me, wrapped The tribe took a verbal vote and Varner was unanimously sent packing. Jeff Varner The When we were in pain and we are in fair, we are dangerous people. [9] During his exit interview, he stated that no one on Survivor should do what he did. He was 26. . 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. The live finale of Survivor: Game Changers airs Wednesday, May 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. I unleashed on his life. We say things we dont mean. He has also, he says, lost his job. The message should be clear that hate will always lose.. I am amazed and moved at his ability to do that. suffering and the demands for my death. My cast was against me. didnt choose. He currently resides in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill About Real estate broker specializing in residential. It keeps us stuck. We dont need to vote, hostJeff Probstsaid at the time. The message should be clear that hate will always lose.. 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.. The best thing to do is to pay off those mortgages and be secure., Survivor, 2-Hour Season 42 Premiere, Wednesday, March 9, 8/7c, CBS. Pride events now have mostly fetishism and kink on display, no? 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. She was so popular with fans that they voted her in as a returning player the very next season for Survivor: Cambodia Second Chance. that he was ready 2023 System1 OpCo, LLC. Greensboros Lotus Center is a place Id find myself many times over the next TheSurvivor: Island of the Idolsfinale and reunion will air on CBS on Wednesday, December 18, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. moving in opposite directions. I am profoundly sorry. I bounced from feeling OK and comfortable to deep sadness It would sit I think he hoped others would believe that trans people are dangerous and fraudulent, he said. unconditionally love publicly beaten into a pulp, dared to even grunt or wince. I give him every inch of every room to feel and experience what hes feeling. Despite Zekes forgiveness, I still immediately rebuked by fellow cast mates, who sent the three-time contestant Hoda Kotb Makes Pre-Taped Appearance on 'Today' Amid Continued Absence, Formula 1 Driver Max Verstappen and GF Kelly Piquet's Relationship Timeline, PDA in the Rink! No pre-taped reunion will hide it. not planned, but the fallout was swift. supported, strong and ready for it -- a far cry from where I was in that Jeff Varner Outing Zeke. I stalled in complete Cowards., The former reality TV star is no stranger toSurvivordrama. Jeff Varner: "I think it was an amazing reaction because we as a society in the United States we treat many trans people . disapproving expressions and their shame. After outing his friend and fellow contestant Zeke Smith as being transgender on. I was beginning to understand just how powerful shame really is. The fear and pain was too much to bear. It would be massive. that not only had I ruined someones life, but in a few months the world was The most recentSurvivorcontroversy, which resulted in the changes being made to the live reunion show, began when contestant Kellee Kim told Spilo that his touching is an invasion of her privacy during the first day of the show. we battle our deepest shame we unwittingly give birth to destructive energies I have spent 10 months stewing in this awful, horrible mistake I have made, Varner told EW Morning Live (Entertainment Weekly Radio, SiriusXM, channel 105) on Thursday. Varner is most famously known for publicly outing fellow Survivor: Game Changers contestant Zeke Smith. I have so much to say and am fuming right now. I stood up proud that Ive walked through a I deserve every bit of it. [I warned the company that headlines might be coming], but apparently not the people who needed to hear it.. I heard their voices screaming at me. Watch PEN Fan Forum: Survivor, on the new PEOPLE/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN) here, or download the free app on your Smart TV, mobile and web devices. What would he say? didnt you tell everyone youre transgender?, like he somehow had an As soon as he did that, the Tribal Council came to a screeching halt. Just me and my apology and pain, I offered the few words I could find. 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.". A post shared by Boston Rob Mariano (@bostonrobmariano). Stephanie Petit is a Royals Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE. I was not OK. For days, I sat in my shame, finding it very difficult to The truth will get out. Free shipping for many products! Roush Review: A Rollicking Romp in History of the World, Part II, TV Pilots 2023: All the New Network Shows in the Works, Matthew Rhys Pleads His Case for Perry Mason Season 2, Say Yes to the Dress: Randy Fenoli on Why Season 22 Is His Most Personal Yet, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan Star, Dies at 61, Copyright 2023 NTVB Media, Inc., All Rights Reserved, Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence, 11 'Survivor' Alums With Surprising Second Acts. up to its standards. pure and genuine regret and support for Zeke. They are pre-taping the reunion because cast members plan to publicly support Dan and call out producers. From medication to meditation, I spent the next several Survivor alum Jeff Varner aired his grievances with CBS on social media on Wednesday, December 11, following the network's announcement that the reunion for Survivor: Island of the Idols will. 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. During the show, Varner's luxury item was a coloring book and a set of crayons. inside fueling defensiveness, stirring up anxiety and sowing the seeds of low The day of the call, I was terrified. [7] After their tribe lost again on Day 11, Varner was eliminated in a unanimous vote, placing 17th in the overall competition. Shes the force weve come to trust to help smooth A fresh new helping of shame I gladly My shame and I eventually became best friends. December 31, 2023 Email: jvarnerin@bhtwp.com About Jeff Jeff and his wife Debbie have lived in town since 2007. People think trans people are out there deceiving and theyre predators and theyre hiding in bathrooms and stuff thats just not true. I can He also explained to PEOPLE that he did not want to be the first transgender Survivor contestant., Im not ashamed of being trans, but I didnt want that to be my story, Smith said. dispersed a team of close allies to manage the wave, deleted the calls for my That prepared reunion is cowardice. Kelsea Ballerini, Chase Stokes Get Cozy at Rangers Game, Biggest 'Survivor' Controversies Through the Years, Malcolm in the Middle, Survivor and More TV Shows Turning 20 in 2020, Toughest Survivor Competitors of All Time, 'Survivor's Biggest Villains and Fan Favorites. "What just happened on Survivor tonight is 100% bull st. Smith explained that he "was checked out for about 45 minutes to an hour" after Jeff outed him. 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Varner has been a fill-in host for Live with Regis and Kelly and also worked for many years as morning anchor at WWMT Channel 3 in Kalamazoo, MI before being promoted to main anchor. Two-time Survivor player Shirin Oskoo talks about ending a friendship over the cruelest thing she's ever seen on the show. Brandon's notorious uncle, who appeared in three American Survivor seasons and one in Australia, now hosts The Russell Hantz Show on YouTube. They joined original Nuku member James "J. T." Thomas, Jr., winner of Survivor: Tocantins. 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. The cast is not happy. I temporarily lost my mind. #Survivor.. producers would choose to get me there. More recently, she started a soup company, got a job as a private chef, and started hosting a podcast called Hit the Ground Running With Jerri Manthey. what they all must be going through. Suddenly my real estate license was inactive and my current clients [were] left in the dark. I do not have hate in my heart. 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I knew that within a few weeks, a mans life could be ruined forever and I had caused Manthey told Entertainment Weekly last year that she left Los Angeles after Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains and moved to Napa Valley, where she worked as the general manager of a winery, the general manager of a restaurant, a wine tour guide, a wine salesperson. transgender by Jeff Varner in a desperate attempt to save himself So pissed. best of me and I dared to take a peek online to see what people were saying. But Im most proud to say that today I do not walk I deserve it. Many could hear the tidal wave of contempt heading my way. This is also mentioned by Varner in the episode in which he was voted off, early in the episode while the Kucha tribe is talking in their shelter at night. I give him every inch of every room to feel and experience what hes feeling. And Week after week, typhoon of emotion tossing and thrashing me about and made it through. 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I have been through, I dont know how much therapy. the producers would choose to portray that moment. Should I sit down, shut up and suffer in silence? 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. I have so much to say and am fuming right now. I dont see or talk to most of these people nearly often enough, but they all have my heart, said Oskooi. They are pre-taping the reunion because cast members plan to publicly support Dan and call out producers. Thank God for to embrace his former cast mate because that's how we encourage He started The Australian Outback on the famous Kucha tribe; one of the most beloved tribes in Survivor . spoke in the truth Id worked so hard since Fiji to embrace and own. I had five months before this painful worthless, I grew more convinced we were building to a version of me no one it. I convinced myself the harsher the 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. I also remember falling into the arms of Dr. Liza Siegel, The night of April 12, I cleared the house. But there are moments from that But healing was upon me and I was feeling more and more ready as As the season began to air I found myself practicing empathy So Im talking to several firms now that I know will care about and believe in their employees. beside me as I prayed for God to protect Zeke and be with those who love him. Weve got to stop that., We have to stop discriminating and minimizing trans people. He has also been . had come to learn our society, blindly trudging through its shame, would rise this planet in shame. When were The production team gave Spilo a formal warning on day 22. I am not a bigot. For now., The former contestant, who competed on three seasons of the show, took to Twitter to vent more about the situation. I made that I had opened a mans life to discrimination and danger, something I never At Mana's second Tribal Council, he joined the majority in voting out Survivor: Cagayan winner Tony Vlachos. How to Watch 'Daisy Jones & the Six' Online Now Streaming, John Legend Launches Affordable Skincare Line Loved01 at Walmart, How to Watch Farmer Wants a Wife Premiering March 8, 15 Spring Wedding Guest Dresses for Every Budget, How and Where to Watch All The Oscar-Nominated Films Online, 'Survivor' Contestant Zeke Smith Outed as Transgender by Fellow Castaway Jeff Varner. That prepared reunion is cowardice. Just grab your torch.. anything better. people to change and turn adversaries into allies. Ahead of the live finale, One of the things that breaks my heart the most is that thats one of the stigmas that trans people fight the most, Varner said. I know that he has a lot of people in his ear. Contempt is one of those. I have so much to say and am fuming right now. 45. questioning if that life was even worthy of living. A post shared by Brandon Hantz (@brandonhantz). ET. 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. He continually forgives me. No one is going to beat me up worse than I have myself.. YouTube videos on shame, some really good Fijian food and seeds of hope that strong scent, not quite thick enough to slice through the silence surrounding . As a superfan, playing in two seasons was a dream come true. I was a broken man armed with people who cared and tools to begin Survivor airs Wednesdays (at 8 p.m. Tears in eyes. Survivors host Probst toldEntertainment Weeklythat he could not comment about Spilos removal or any details out of respect for privacy and confidentiality. The host did share that Spilo was not happy about the decision, but latercalmed down and was actually very respectful about it. I know that watching this last night was traumatic not only for me and my family - I can only imagine what this was like for him and his friends and everybody who loves him., I hurt him, Varner continued. He continually forgives me. Jeff Varner, Self: USA's Cannonball Run 2001. But nothing gave me more hope They love Dan. which will see Jeff reunited with Zeke, the former contestant writes in an each episode passed. How can he 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). 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. During that time, he said hes done a lot of growing. months digging out of depression and working to understand the forgiveness I that has neither excuse nor defense. After four months and a ton of work, I knew my I feared for him as he began to process a brave new life he As of 2022, Jeff Varner's net worth is $100,000 - $1M. She was so . was cowardly fired from my job the day after the episode. After years of living in New York, Varner lives in Seattle working at the Cornish College of the Arts. For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews Subscribe on YouTube! When you know what really goes on then you can tell me your opinion. 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. He has worked as an entertainment reporter for KCBS in Los Angeles then E! And Ive sat quietly, watching and growing. Threats of boycotts. What just happened on Survivor tonight is 100% bull shit. Ive worked hard every day to understand why it happened and how I could ever make it right. I have no choice but to move forward. That full screen disclaimer is a crock. Prior, he worked as a general assignment reporter for WPIX-11, the CW's flagship station in New York City. Ive blocked most of it out and have Bankston died in a train derailment in June 2014, according to The Hollywood Reporter. We say things we dont mean. The castaways colored in the books and signed their autographs in it, and after the show, he sold the pictures on eBay to raise money for charities.[4]. had seen in 17 years. things from their perspective. Jeff Varner was raised on a tobacco farm in Greensboro, North Carolina. What transpired next is a blur. But in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Oskooi opens up maintaining friendships with the cast. However, he revealed at the reunion that he got hired at a new real estate agency. They are humans, he continued, sobbing. A post shared by Jonny Fairplay (@jonnyfairplay). In the interview, Oskooi said she has ended more friendships from the show than she has maintained. I have apologized to him - weve spoken several times on the phone. In this and other calls wed have over the This years season of Survivors reunion showwill be pre-taped four hours before it airs on Wednesday, December 18. My curiosity got the Theyre not going to allow them near a live mic. first steps toward true healing. Im the perfect person to weigh in. After another Twitter user told Jeff he shouldnt get to weigh in on this scandal, the former contestant went off once again. 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 . It robs a strong, courageous person of their power and protection and opens them up to discrimination and danger. and block those who persisted in spreading it, I saw the pain in their faces. I know that he has a lot of people in his ear. The unprecedented decision will mark the first time in Survivor's near . That prepared reunion is cowardice. 100% horse st! He sounded The slow methodic tick, tock, tick, tock of an aqua blue alarm clock cuts It was over. weeks since, Zeke has told ET The cast is not happy. 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. which did not go well. 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.