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Old 26-05-2017, 05:57 PM #13
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Braden Braden is offline
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Join Date: Jun 2008
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Braden Braden is offline
Too glam to give a damn
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 21,521


Default #20 Zeke Smith

#20 Zeke Smith




11th voted out ~ 4th jury member


I understand that Zeke may be a better real-life person than what this placement exhibits, but I can’t deny that I enjoyed watching him the least this season. I want to begin by saying that I think it’s brilliant that there’s finally trans representation on Survivor–it only took 32 seasons, but it happened. If I were ranking solely on respect and admiration, Zeke would’ve been higher. However, his flaws as a character overshadow that particular aspect of his life, which was only brought to light due to a hideous outing and was kept quiet about after Zeke explained the situation to NuNuMana once the tribes merged.

I was open-minded about Zeke’s return, as I mildly liked him after Millennials vs. Gen-X despite the fact that Probst’s hype for him was far too much. Trust me, to any Zeke fans, I was one of those people who didn’t understand the obsessive hatred towards him (at the time). There were glimpses of entertainment to Zeke that made him interesting, aside from his super-fan and game-bot ways. His irrational outburst at Hannah, his hatred for Adam and David, his reaction to Bret coming out to him, etc. These were all moments that prevented a general dislike towards Zeke. Also, I thought it was cool that 3 gay men were competing on the same season together, and I’m glad the editors showed that when they all ended up on the same tribe after the second swap…even though the dynamic went terribly wrong in fruition.

Zeke started Game-Changers just fine, and my feelings towards him were completely the same. I still didn’t understand the vehement dislike, and he was pretty much a middle-of-the-pack/not really bothered about him one way or another, kind of person. On Tavua, he ended up near-invisible, so there’s not much to say there. On the contrary, his stint from NuNuNuku was where Zeke would become the person I rank last on this ranking. Low and behold, game-bot and boring strategy galore. I was not happy the Queen of Survivor seemed to be voted out at the hands of some pompous dork. I’m unsure as to whether Sandra’s demise was purely him, but my god, the edit definitely made it seem so. There’s such a smug condescension when Zeke talks in his confessionals, and ultimately, I began to find him obnoxious and unlikable.

The less said about his outing the better, but it’s too significant to ignore. What Varner did was wrong, plain and simple. However, I honestly found it hard to emphasise with Zeke because of the lack of human reaction to his outing. I couldn’t believe (well, idk, maybe I can) he took the opportunity to apply his outing to the game of Survivor. Even down to the detail where made use of the word ‘metamorphosis’, which was embedded within the puzzle-side of the immunity challenge. Idk, I’m very glad that his real-life doesn’t seem to have had a negative influence since the ordeal, but I would be lying if I said his reaction didn’t bother me. The support he’s received is immense, so I guess, who am I to judge?

Anyway, throughout the merge, Zeke ended up being exactly how he was during the episode of Sandra’s boot. It bothers me that Zeke clearly has such a high-opinion of himself and his game-play. It also got the point where it seemed like, in every other moment, Zeke was proposing some terrible idea that I would hate…but thankfully would never happen <3 He ended up having season-ruiner all over him. Especially with his ideal that a big move had to be executed for every. single. tribal. council. All because of the game-changers theme and “evolution of the game”. I don’t even mind ‘big moves’, as long as they’re entertaining and cause drama. Most big moves these days just mean switching the target from person to another for the sake of it.

Zeke ended up being pretty terrible. Even the little things started to get to me. He thought he was voted off being a thread, even though it was obvious that he was a big flip-flopper. He would consequently walk into tribal council with his shoulders hunched, his arms out, and a ‘don’t **** with me’ expression on his face…it was cringe-inducing.

So yeah, Zeke’s #20. There’s no doubt he’s the person I disliked the most, but like I said, I’m sure he’s pleasant outside of the game. I don’t actually think anyone on Game-Changers is a terrible. There were just so many negatives to Zeke and his contribution to the season that make this an easy decision.

edit: Having watched the reunion, I actually warmed to him a bit more. I really enjoyed what he had to say about what he's done for the trans community and the representation of trans people in the media...He's still the worst, as a character, though.

Best Moment: The age-gap references throughout MvG-X were ridiculous, but I couldn’t help but find it amusing when he said he should do a specific part of a challenge because “he played games on his smartphone.” Gotta love it when things come full-circle.

Worst Moment
: Every confessional I had to endure during Sandra’ boot episode.

Still in the running: Ciera Eastin, Tony Vlachos, Caleb Reynolds, Malcolm Freberg, James Thomas, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Jeff Varner, Hali Ford, Ozzy Lusth, Debbie Wanner, Sierra-Dawn Thomas, Andrea Boehlke, Michaela Bradshaw, Cirie Fields, Aubry Bracco, Tai Trang, Troyzan Robertson, Brad Culpepper & Sarah Lacina.
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