Liberal outrage at veteran CBS castaway show Survivor is off the charts right now.
Contestant Zeke Smith was outed as transgender by a rival contestant Jeff Varner on Wednesday night. Varner- who had already been voted off the island- told Survivor host Jeff Probst, “There is deception here, deception on levels, Jeff, that these guys don’t even understand.” He then addressed Smith: “Why haven’t you told anyone you’re transgender?”
Controversy duly ensued among the contestants as to the ethics of Varner’s behavior were discussed. This was another effective page out of the Reality TV playbook and just as contrived and scripted as usual- the episode was shot some months ago and CBS had already decided to air the footage.
The transmission of the ‘shock’ outing was accompanied by a feature by Smith for The Hollywood Reporter, an interview with People and ‘heartfelt’ apologies by Varner on his social media account for the “worst decision of his life.”
He wrote in The Hollywood Reporter, “In calling me deceptive, Varner invoked one of the most odious stereotypes of transgender people, a stereotype that is often used as an excuse for violence and murder” while he told People, “The message should be clear that hate will always lose.”
Smith has a right to be offended though that’s part of the Reality TV package. But the outrage has now formed a life of its own online with many not only opposing CBS’s decision to air the footage but calling for a boycott of Survivor:
Boycott Survivor .
— deborahJane (@DevorahAnne) April 13, 2017
@zekerchief many LGBT friends are saying they will boycott Survivor from now on. What are your feelings on this. It matters what you think.
— Christina WatkinsFox (@mamafox) April 13, 2017
@survivorcbs @JeffProbst If Jeff Varner ever comes back I will boycott Survivor for good. Absolutely disgusting #SurvivorGameChangers
— Melyssa Prindle (@Melsy4477) April 13, 2017
“So if you vote against her from now you will be labeled as transphobic,” said one devotee of Zeke Smith. “That was truly the worst, most cruelest moment ever on Survivor. I was crying & I’m still upset just thinking about it,” wrote another Twitter user.
Liberal media predictably piled on. Decider declared it was “shockingly ugly” while the Daily Beast wrote: Zeke Smith didn’t want to be known as the “first transgender Survivor star.” Now, another contestant has taken that choice away.”
Survivor has been on air since 2000. But it seems many of those who watch and write about it are behaving like they were born yesterday…
