At first blush, it looks like a crisis for CBS: broadcasting an episode of its hit reality show “Survivor” on Wednesday in which one contestant outs a rival as transgender during an elimination round — a violation of privacy as well as a cultural flash point.

But in fact, CBS and the producers of “Survivor” have been preparing for months for just the kind of uproar that ensued Thursday over the outing of Zeke Smith.

From the moment the episode was filmed nearly 10 months ago, the “Survivor” producers had been consulting with Mr. Smith about how best to handle airing the incident, which included a strategic media rollout and working with Glaad, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights group, before the episode’s broadcast.

“The idea of not airing this never came up,” Jeff Probst, the show’s longtime host and an executive producer, said in an interview. “Zeke never asked for that. While he certainly did not have a hand in editing the show, Zeke and I have talked for nine months.”