Or the immunity challenge, for that matter.
There wont be a lot of strategy analysis.
If thats what you came for this week and now want to bail, thats totally cool.
Credit: Timothy Kuratek/CBS
Itll all be back next time.
Thats pretty much it.
Because I think that really is the only thing to write or talk about in terms of this episode.
But even though it is just one thing, there are many angles to explore in what transpired here.
There are a bunch of places I could start, but let me begin right here.
I was mortified by what I saw happen on my TV screen.
I mean, is that actually necessary?
Allow me to explain.
I am the ultimate separation-between-game-and-real-life guy you will meet.
I had no problem with it because the game is still the game.
(I believe what Dawn did was wrong forstrategicreasons, not personal ones.)
And Ive always believed that pretty much anything that happens in said game is fair game.
How you act outside of the game and inside of it can be and probablyshouldbe mutually exclusive.
But allow me to quote the wise philosopher Meat Loaf when I say, But I wont dothat.
It reveals the ability to deceive.
That is probably the worst answer imaginable he could have given.
I actually thinkthatis the most repulsive thing Varner said all night.
The statement stands as atrocious on its own, no matter whom it comes from.
Varner tried to walk it back soon after.
Thats a giant leap of logic.
Do you honestly not see that?
That was another bad look for Jeff.
Yes, he was apologizing.
Yes, he said he was devastated.
But there were several small qualifiers he kept bringing up along the way.
I assume everyone in his world knew, he said at another point.
So thats my ignorance.
I thought he was just deceiving these people.
It never dawned on me that no one knew.
This is not the jot down of thing you make assumptions about.
Heres the bottom line as far as Im concerned.
But did he really think so low of his tribemates that they would stoop to being offended by that?
Unless they were bigots and completely intolerant, this revelation served zero strategic value.
She doesnt need it).
But still, when Penner did that, it struck me as very mean-spirited.
It also brought to mind when Brenda made Dawn take her fake teeth out at theCaramoanfinal Tribal Council.
But when Brenda did that, it served no function or purpose whatsoever other than revenge and meanness.
And heres the thing: I like Brenda.
And I like Varner.
What he did was horrific.
It was a horrific display.
But I dont think Varner is a horrific person.
Im not emotional like last time, he said then.
This is my time… because in Cambodia, I was a basket case.
Im not at all a basket case now.
I feel like a million dollars.
Im walking around Ponderosa in pre-game like Im on a cloud, like nothing matters.
Ah, but that wasbeforethe game.
Then you get in there.
You start losing challenges.
You watch your alliance members get voted out.
So you try something that you really shouldnt try.
My best guess is this is what happened with Jeff Varner.
He has never struck me as a malicious person.
But desperate people do desperate things regrettable things.
And I am pretty confident Varner regrets what happened out there in Fiji in June of 2016.
You could already see it in his final words.
Nobody on this planet should do what I did tonight ever, he said.
And I am so sorry to anybody I offended, especially Zeke, and his family and his friends.
And then the bawling began.
My full expectation is that he will be remorseful and contrite and horrified by his own actions.
But what Varner did is, thankfully, only part of the story.
I want to save Zeke until the very end, so well get to him later.
Lets start with his tribemates.
Immediately after Varner attacked Zeke, Andrea and Tai began a mixture of yelling and crying.
You fing just outed him!
Nobody have the right to out anybody!
Whats your goal in doing that?
asked a clearly distraught Andrea.
Meanwhile, over on the other side of Tribal, Debbie was serving as another voice of reason.
(Yes, I just used the words Debbie and voice of reason in the same sentence.)
It was for Zeke to decide, she told Varner.
It was for Zeke to discuss when he was comfortable discussing it.
Sarah was pretty silent, but then delivered perhaps the most emotionally resonant moment of the evening.
The metamorphosis Ive even made as a person that I didnt realize until this minute is invaluable.
God, is it possible to be any prouder of this group?
That wasnt the only awesome thing.
I say stealthy because you may not have even realized how great he was.
A lesser host would have pitted people against each other.
He would have poked and prodded and pushed more buttons to get every salacious detail out as possible.
He would have milked the drama while simultaneously makinghimselfthe center of the action.
Probst didnt do any of that.
He let the discussion develop organically.
He didnt attempt to exacerbate a sensitive situation for the sake of drama.
But he also didnt let Varner off the hook.
Thats a giant leap of logic.
Do you honestly not see that?
This is an extremely difficult line to navigate, especially live without a script.
He allowed Zeke to compose himself.
Smart, and considerate.
That was a master class in non-exploitative hosting.
But here, he was even better.
Jesus, give the man another Emmy already!!!
Okay, now its finally time to talk about Zeke.
There are questions people ask.
People want to know about your life and they want to know about this and that.
I wanted to be Zeke theSurvivorplayer.
Thats pretty much the perfect answer and one that everyone can completely understand.
There are a million things all of us would rather not tell people for whatever reason.
That doesnt make us deceptive.
It makes us human.
Zeke would have been well within his rights to curse Varner out right then and there.
Its really not cool, he said.
He hugged Varner on his way out.
It doesnt really matter.
When Varner took the low road, Zeke went high.
This night happened to be all three.
But you cant rewrite the rulebook over a situation everyone was prepared for as a possibility anyway.
And thanks to all for reading this far.
Just for doing so, I have a reward for you that well get into in a minute.
Maybe you feel Varners gambitdidhave some strategic value.
Maybe youdidntlike the way the other tribemates responded and felt they piled on.
If thats the case, by all means kindly share your two cents.
Any community is boring if everyone feels and thinks the exact same way.
That said, like donotunder any circumstances use any offensive or hateful languagetowards anyone.In essence, be cool.
Feel free to disagree, but not disrespect.
Okay, heres the reward.
To enter for a chance to win Jeff Varners vote for Tony, just answer the following question.
What season ofSurvivordo I have ranked dead last when I do my twice-a-year rankings?
Email your answer tosurvivor@ew.com.
For instance, if your name is Carey Megan, congrats!
You won Sandras vote last week!
Okay, you heard what I thought, but what about Jeff Probst?
you’re able to find out his reaction to everything inour weekly Q&A.
And for moreSurvivorupdates, follow me on Twitter@DaltonRoss.
