Will Jeff Varner Ever Play Survivor Again?

After an episode of Game Changers that saw him in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, will Jeff Varner ever come back to Survivor?

Survivor: Game Changers represents a risk for those who came back to play the game. After all, each of the three winners, for example, ran the risk of not making the jury. None of them did, but we don’t have the sense that J.T. Thomas, Tony Vlachos, or Sandra Diaz-Twine are necessarily done with Survivor. (You may think they are or should be, but that’s different.) But somehow, we get the feeling that Jeff Varner may be done with Survivor.

From a gameplay perspective, Varner has played three times and has never made the jury. He only made the merge in Survivor: Australia. Survivor brings back pre-merge players, though usually not as quickly as finalists or even jury players. The show has even memorably brought back Redemption Island‘s Francesca Hogi only to see her eliminated first (again) on Caramoan.

Those who play four times, though, are players whom we speak of when we mention some of the biggest names for either their gameplay or their popularity: “Boston Rob” Mariano, Rupert Boneham, Cirie Fields, and Ozzy Lusth are all four-time players. A three-time pre-jury boot doesn’t quite fit that same mold.

But what of Varner’s abilities to entertain viewers? Their perspective of him may have changed as well. When The Hollywood Reporter publishes a guest column from Zeke Smith, that shows how much the episode of Game Changers penetrated the popular consciousness. Although Survivor no longer rules the ratings, it can still pull in millions every week. This is a fanbase that remembers things. It likely won’t forget his behavior. After seeing the response in public that included Varner losing his job, according to USA Today, Survivor may not want to bring him back again.

Smith’s guest column mentions that Varner’s time on Game Changers was “likely his last” attempt at the game. That seems telling, doesn’t it?

Next: A Deeper Look at What Happened on Exile, Stays on Exile

Survivor: Game Changers continues this week.