Survivor host Jeff Probst has dramatically evicted one of this season's contestants after one of the most shocking situations in 34 seasons of the show.

The latest episode of the Game Changers series, which aired Wednesday night, showed Brooklyn hipster Zeke Smith, 28, getting outed as transgender by one of his fellow contestants.

Southern realtor Jeff Varner, 50, who's twice previously competed in the show, was evicted after his attempt to avoid being kicked off the show backfired.

Shock! Southern realtor Jeff Varner, 50, was evicted after his attempt to avoid being kicked off the show backfired

Heart of matter: Brooklyn hipster Zeke Smith, 28, getting outed as transgender by one of his fellow contestants

Attempting to get the eviction target off his back, Varner encouraged his fellow contestants to cast a more critical eye on Smith. Turning to Smith, he posed a question: 'Why haven't you told anyone you are transgender?'

Smith had kept his gender identity a secret, Varner told his fellow contestants, which proved that he could not be trusted in the game.

'It reveals the ability to deceive,' he told them.

Take your torch: Probst then made an executive decision that there would be no vote and Varner would be the next to leave the island

Speaking to host Probst, Varner soon seemed to grasp that he'd made a terrible mistake, and attempted to backtrack.

'I'm not saying, Jeff, that transgender people are deceptive,' he said, to which Probst scoffed: 'You're saying that by not revealing it, he's capable of deception. That's a giant leap of logic. Do you honestly not see that?'

Probst then made an executive decision that there would be no vote and Varner would be the next to leave the island.

'We don't need to vote, just grab your torch,' he told Varner.

Tactical move? Varner turned to Smith, and posed a question: 'Why haven't you told anyone you are transgender?'

Host: Jeff was not impressed by what he saw from Varner

Getting nasty: 'It reveals the ability to deceive,' he told the other contestants

Accusation: Smith had kept his gender identity a secret, Varner told his fellow contestants, which proved that he could not be trusted in the game

Taking it in! The others looked shocked by what had gone down

Not impressed: Zeke listened to what was being said, as they all sat in surprise and anger

Bye: Varner looked upset when he realised it had cost him his place on the show

Hugged it out: Zeke dealt with the situation graciously as Varner was evicted

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Probst explained that he knew he had to take decisive action when the events unfolded.

'In 34 seasons of Survivor, I have rarely, if ever, personally commented on what is said or done in the game. But this is a unique situation that falls outside the normal boundaries.

'I cannot imagine anyone thinking what was done to Zeke was okay on any level, under any circumstances, and certainly not simply because there was a million dollars on the line,' he said.

'I think the response from the tribe, as it so often does, mirrors what the vast majority of society will feel. You just don't do that to someone.'

Unreal! There were a number of shocked tweets

Proud: This fan of the show was there in support of Zeke

The worst! This Twitter user thought Probst had done the right thing in ousting him

Speechless: Fans of the show said it was 'lower than low'

The current US season of the show, its 34th, is Survivor: Game Changers and brings together a group of popular former contestants in the show to do battle with each other in a bid to win $1 million.

Through this season's six episodes to date Smith and Varner, who both openly identify as gay men, have forged a close friendship.

However, as he left the show after betraying his friend, Varner broke down in tears as he admitted his mistake.

'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. I can't talk. I'm sorry,' he said. He also tweeted a more thorough apology as the episode screened.

Worst decision: Verner wrote an extended apology after shedding tears after the incident

After taking some time to compose himself, Smith spoke to his fellow contestants, explaining why he'd, until that point, kept his gender identity private.

'There are questions people ask. People want to know about your life and they want to know about this and that. It sort of overwhelms everything else that they know about you … One of the reasons why I didn't want to lead with that is I didn't want to be, like, the trans Survivor player. I wanted to be Zeke the Survivor player.'

'It's really not cool,' he said of Varner outing him on television.

'But... I'm fine.'

Several of the other contestants became extremely emotional as they grappled with what he'd done to Zeke.

Horrified viewers took to social media, echoing the sentiments of those on the show.

Fan favourite: Survivor: Game Changers contestant Zeke Smith revealed to People he is transgender

Smith gave a neatly timed interview to People about his history and why he didn't reveal being trans on the show, as he revealed to them that he is transgender.

In order to get ahead of the unexpected reveal, Zeke opened up about his history and why he didn't reveal being trans on the show.

'I'm not ashamed of being trans, but I didn't want that to be my story,' he tells the magazine.

'I just wanted to go out on an adventure and play a great game.'

He says he was open about being transgender with the show's producers in his audition, but opted not to discuss it while filming.

'When you tell people you're trans, you get two reactions: Either they look at you funny and pull back, or they go, 'Aww, that must be so hard,'' he said. 'I'm a goofy, fun-loving guy, so neither of those reactions work well for me.'

In recent months, he has sent his social media followers into a spin by posting very cosy shots with Millennials cast mate Hannah Shapiro.

They regularly post photos suggesting they're more than just friends, but refuse to confirm or deny the speculation to intrigued fans.

It appears they do enjoy fanning the flame, however; they have discussed an 'engagement' and 'wedding' and even created their own hashtag: #Heke.

In his introduction video on season 33 of Survivor: Millennials vs Gen X, Zeke says he came out as gay at the age of 15.

In the new issue of People, it is reported he transitioned from a woman to a man while he studied religion at Harvard University.

He tells the publication he felt depressed during his transition and decided to set his sights on competing in Survivor in the hope of becoming 'the man I wanted to be'.



He did not reveal if he is attracted to men or women.

Zeke was raised in Oklahoma and now lives in Brooklyn, New York where he works in asset management.

He made it to the final nine in Millennials vs Gen X before being blindsided by fellow competitor Will Wahl.

In the current series, he appears alongside an all-star Survivor cast, including Oscar 'Ozzy' Lusth, Brad Culpepper and Cirie Fields.