Russell Hantz

Russell Hantz
Born
Russell Dennis Hantz[1]

(1972-10-10) October 10, 1972 (age 52)
Vinton, Louisiana, USA
Occupations
  • Oilfield service company owner
  • Television personality
Television
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2]
SpouseMelanie Hantz (divorced)
Children4

Russell Dennis Hantz (born October 10, 1972)[2] is an American television personality, best known for his appearances on the U.S. reality show, Survivor.[3] He was the runner-up on Survivor: Samoa,[4][5] and the second runner-up on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.[5][6] He also competed on Survivor: Redemption Island and Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders, where he was the second player to be eliminated both times.[7]

Hantz's performance on Survivor was very polarising.[3][8][9] This controversy has resulted in ongoing media attention and appearances, along with acknowledgement that his particular brand of ruthless gameplay can result in wins for those who employ it.[10][11][12] Most have strongly criticized his strategy, naming him one of the biggest villains in Survivor history.[13][14] Nevertheless, on both Survivor: Samoa and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, Hantz was voted by viewers the "Sprint Player of the Season", which came with a $100,000 cash prize.[5] He is one of only eight contestants to ever make it to the finals in more than one season (the others are Rob Mariano, Amanda Kimmel, Parvati Shallow, Sandra Diaz-Twine, Tony Vlachos, Natalie Anderson, and Michele Fitzgerald).

Hantz was nominated in the 2010 Teen Choice Awards for his performance on Heroes vs. Villains.[15] In the CBS Watch "Greatest Castaways" viewers poll, Hantz came in second for "being willing to do anything to win. His villainous nature always made for great TV."[16]

After Survivor, Hantz starred alongside his older brother, Shawn, on the A&E reality documentary, Flipped Off.[17]

  1. ^ "Russell Dennis Hantz". Ancestry Institute. Ancestry. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Russell H." CBS. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Russell Hantz a villain to tribemates but a hero to Survivor viewers, May 13, 2010, Toronto Star article.
  4. ^ Natalie White wins 'Survivor: Samoa,' but runner-up Russell Hantz calls her undeserving, December 21, 2009, New York Daily News article.
  5. ^ a b c 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' finale: Russell Hantz defeats Rupert Boneham for Sprint prize, May 16, 2010, blog.zap2it.com.
  6. ^ 'Survivor' villain Russell Hantz: 'Sandra's not even in the Top 20 of all time', May 17, 2010, blog.zap2it.com.
  7. ^ Gomez, Patrick (March 11, 2011). "Survivor's Russell Hantz: I Let My Fans Down". People. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  8. ^ Dehnart, Andy (January 31, 2011). "Survivor Spy Exposed". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 22, 2013.
  9. ^ Knox, David (March 30, 2011). "Evil Russell voted out of Survivor". TV Tonight. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  10. ^ Stanhope, Kate (May 19, 2010). "Survivor's Russell: I Am the Best". TV Guide. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  11. ^ "Is Russell Hantz the greatest 'Survivor' player ever?". November 20, 2009. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  12. ^ Hutchins, Kathy (December 21, 2009). "Survivor: Samoa's Russell Hantz: 'I Am Really Good At This Game'". People. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  13. ^ Probst, Jeff (April 16, 2010). "Jeff Probst blogs 'Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains' episode 9". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  14. ^ "RUSSELL HANTZ: 'Survivor' VILLAIN Lies About Dead Dog, Sabotages Own Team". The Huffington Post. November 18, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  15. ^ Soll, Lindsay (June 14, 2010). "Teen Choice Awards 2010: First Round Of Nominees Announced". MTV. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  16. ^ "Get Insider Answers in the Survivor 30th Season Extravaganza: What you'll learn in the CBS Watch! Magazine Special Edition - CBS.com". CBS.
  17. ^ "Texas two-step: Russell Hantz takes his Survivor villainy to a new venue". Uncle Barky. April 26, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2013.