Survivor villain Russell Hantz keeps calling himself the greatest player, but Down Under he just suffered another humiliating defeat, and it could cost him another shot at the million.
Hantz is a 46-year-old oil company owner, Donald Trump backer, Ted Cruz lover, and anti-choice crusader, who has become infamous in the world of Survivor.
The stout, bald Texan whose backstabbing strategy and devious behavior has been both loved and hated by fans ever since he first appeared on Survivor Samoa, was invited to play in the latest Australia Survivor.
A decision he admits was probably a mistake.
As usual, prior to the Aussie game he huffed and puffed about how easy it is for him to play the game.
“I’m going to show you Aussies how to play the game. There’s no damn way they’re putting my name down!”
Then, at the second tribal council, on day 5, they damn well put his name down.
And Hantz was wearing an idol around his neck.
Legends don’t get voted out with idols around their necks, right?
Speaking on WHO’s podcast, Russell confessed his ill-fated choice to appear on Australian Survivor likely means he will now not star in the upcoming (rumored) Legends season, which will mark its 40th season.
“The Aussie show has jeopardized so much,” said Hantz. “I know for a fact that I was going to get called for the next Legends.”
A fairly bold statement from the guy who allegedly leaked results for season 20, and made aggressive and demeaning comments to fellow cast members.
When questioned about whether his notorious past on the program meant his future prospects on the show were already highly dubious, Russell conceded he would always be an immediate target for other contestants.
“They’re just so jealous of me, I don’t know what it is, but they’re so not wanting to be my friend,” he told Binge List. “The legends…. I remember getting off the bus for the Heroes vs Villains season, and everyone gets off – Boston Rob gets off, Coach gets off, Rupert gets off – and everyone starts yelling for me, and the ‘superstars’ don’t like that.”
Besides being the runner-up on Survivor: Samoa in 2009, and the second runner-up on Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains in 2010, he also competed on Survivor: Redemption Island in 2011.
For the record, that’s an 0-4 record on the reality TV show, with the runner-up accomplishment now almost a decade old.
CBS has not confirmed that season 40 of Survivor will feature a “legends” only cast.
Network CEO Les Moonves, facing a mountain of sexual assault allegations, is no longer in charge, and casting director Lynne Spiegel Spillman was fired earlier this summer.
Host Jeff Probst has said that season 40 will be a landmark in television history.
“I will admit that 40 is the next big goal,” said Probst to Entertainment Weekly. “I can’t believe a third of my life has been spent doing this show. At one point it was like, ‘Oh, I have this job Survivor,’ and now I’m realizing, my career will be defined by Survivor.”
Many Survivor fans seem anxious to see some of the best players return for the 40th season.
If not invited to play, as he predicts, perhaps Hantz can exit reality TV and instead enter into a political career.
He once famously proclaimed that if Donald Trump could do it, so could he.
Hantz now tweets often his ultra-conservative views. From anti-abortion posts, to backing Brett Kavanaugh, to retweeting attacks on Stormy Daniels, to defending his favorite candidate Sen. Ted Cruz.
It’s a fact that reality TV personalities can launch successful political careers (Besides Trump, see Rep. Sean Duffy, from Real World).
But there’s no guarantee voters wouldn’t snuff out his torch too.
Survivor has not defined and does not define Probst; Probst defines and has defined Survivor.