Each weekday, EW will post the answers from a different player.
“I feel tremendously proud and humbled by the impact we had on the world,” says Zeke.
Zeke shares a moving example of that impact in action.
Zeke Smith on ‘Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X’.Robert Voets/CBS Entertainment
“One of my favorite stories is of a trans guy in the Air Force,” explains Zeke.
“There was a new commander, and he’d been called in to see him.
Then the commander told him, ‘I saw Zeke onSurvivor.
Zeke Smith on ‘Survivor: Game Changers’.Jeffrey Neira/CBS
Just wanted you to know you have an ally in me.’
How could you ever regret an experience which led to that?”
ZEKE SMITH:AfterSurvivor, I moved to Los Angeles.
Troyzan Robertson, Zeke Smith, and Brad Culpepper on ‘Survivor: Game Changers’.CBS
But most importantly, I fell in love!
About three years ago at the GLAAD Awards, I met my boyfriend, actorNico Santos.
What is your proudest moment ever from playingSurvivor?
It was one of the hardest nights of my life, and it was only day one.
I really started to doubt how long I would fare.
I, personally, needed a win.
We, as a tribe, needed a win.
When it was my turn to attempt the fire with bamboo, I was an animal.
My arms ached, I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t.
I made fire onSurvivor.
What is your biggest regret from yourSurvivorexperiences?
This one is easy.
DuringGame Changers, I regret how much I talked to Probst.
Probst had a major crush on me.
He called on me constantly.
There was one post-merge Tribal where, I swear, he called on me every other person.
I spoke half the Tribal.
The person he called on the least?
I just can’t help myself.
I see those baby blues and those dimples, and my mouth just falls open.
What I’ve learned is that I do not have the right personality to be a successfulSurvivorplayer.
I like to shine all the time, and winners need to be able to control their shimmer.
did not work and B.)
It was a beauty on the outside, but rotten on the inside.
We looked for days.
We were so frustrated.
And then one day I hear Ozzy holler, “I found it!”
They were all disappointed, but I thought the connection from one season to the next was pretty nifty.
And let me take this moment to give a plug for Ozzy.
I got to meet a lot of mySurvivorheroes, and some of them really disappointed me.
However, Ozzy, like Queen Sandra, is just as incredible as you want him to be.
InGame Changers, I lived mySurvivorfantasy watching him fish and climb trees and just be good at everything.
He has a knack to find foodnot fish and coconutsbut real food.
One day, he conjured a can of orange soda, on another, a bag of cookies.
And to his credit, he always shared.
Ozzy is a good dude.
How do you feel about the edit you got on the show?
My edit made me seem FAR more wholesome than I actually am.
I’d often watch episodes and think, “Who is that guy?”
We even came up with a nickname for my character onSurvivor:Little Dude.
What was it like coming back to regular society after being out there?
Was there culture shock or an adjustment coming back?
Coming home was bonkers.
I ate, slept, bought clothes, and did paperwork forGame Changers.
And, as we all now know, a lot happened with me andGame Changers.
To use the clinical mental health term, I came home f’ed the f up.
Once again, I had trouble leaving the apartment.
I was terrified I might be wet, cold or hungry at some point.
Never mind the fact that it was a hot, humid August in New York.
There was no rain coming.
No lack of dollar-slice spots to eat or bodegas with bottled water to drink.
But I was haunted by the memory of aching hunger and bone-shaking wet chill.
I carried my “go bag” with me every time I left my house for months.
Social situations and my anxiety were very overwhelming for almost a year afterward.
My outing hung over me like a time bomb.
Needless to say, it took a while before I fully adjusted to life on the mainland.
I still get anxious when I’m hungry.
I went onSurvivorbecause my life had grown stagnant.
I needed an adventure, a jolt to my system…
I needed to change my life… and oh boy, did I!
Did I get to live my dream of playingSurvivor?Did I get an adventure?
Grow as a person?
Make new friends and enemies?
Beyond the personal, I feel tremendously proud and humbled by the impact we had on the world.
One of my favorite stories is of a trans guy in the Air Force.
There was a new commander, and he’d been called in to see him.
Then the commander told him, “I saw Zeke onSurvivor.
Just wanted you to know you have an ally in me.”
How could you ever regret an experience which led to that?
I’m Neil."
I look up, and holy smokes, it’sNeil Patrick Harris.
I muttered back, “Uh, yeah… We chatted for a bit aboutSurvivoruntil he was pulled away to present an award.
He even made a point to come by and say hello at the after-party.
It made my year.
Whom do you still talk, text, or email with the most from your seasons?
I do gay stuff with Bret.
No, notthatkind of gay stuffget your head out of the gutter!
Or, as Bret would say, “guttah.”
Bret is a really special guy.
He’s so charming and magnetic.
Of course, I’m close with my fiance Hannah.
How dare you!”
I keep up with Adam, Chris, Jay, and, of course, myDarling Sunday.
But most (though not all) of theMvsGXers are welcome to drop by my house at any time.
There’s something really special about our little crew.
Everyone at their core is good.
And I can think of no better companion in this pursuit than Ms. Bracco.
She, too, met a fella and moved out to Oregon to be with him.
I’m not the dedicated viewer I once was.
I don’t believe anyone would begrudge me for characterizing mySurvivorexperience ascomplicated.
For all the positives I took fromSurvivor,I did leave the island with my fair share of scars.
Part of me wonders if the show filmed in different locations if it’d be easier to tune in.
or “I looked for idols for hours there!”
Kind of like my Rubbermaid tub of all my game clothes.
Though, I did watchWinners at Warand loved it.
Give me Parvati, Tyson, Tony, and Sarah on a beach and I’m all in.
Even for this wearySurvivorvet, they make the game seem so magical.
It’s the season that put me over the top on wanting to play.
It all seemed like this noble quest, so much bigger than myself; dangerous and yet destined.
Who’s one player from anotherSurvivorseason you wish you could have played with or against and why?
He definitely goes into the category ofSurvivorheroes you meet and does not disappoint.
Coach is certainly Coach, but he’s far more self-aware than you’d anticipate.
We’ve only had the chance to hang out once, but we hit it off like old pals.
Sure, we’re a combined 0-for-5, but tell me you don’t remember us!
Not the pretty, not the strategist, but the character.
Or maybe I’m just delusional!
Coach knows how to have fun on the beach.
He knows how to make a moment, and I think we could make magic together.
If you could make one change to any aspect ofSurvivor, what would it be and why?
Well, I’m not exactly qualified to comment on any game mechanics.
I think whoopie cushions on the Tribal Council seats would be hilarious.
We’ve got drama at Tribal, but where’s the comedy?
My advocacy for universal aftercare comes from the fact that I got aftercare.
And, as all my friends can attest, I needed every second of it.
I’ve seen a lot of friends who really could’ve used the help that I got.
MostSurvivorplayers get a packet of advice on what it’s like to adjust to going home with quotes fromThailandandMarquesascontestants.
For example, Twitter was invented.
All who tread the beach deserve mental health counseling onSurvivor’s dime.
Finally, would you play again if asked?
No, I won’t play again.
I’ve done ittwice!
I would, however, love to compete onSupermarket Sweep,The Amazing Race, and/or a cooking show!
