Russell Hantz

Russell Dennis Hantz
Born	(1972-10-10) October 10, 1972 Vinton, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Reality TV personality, businessman
Years active	2009–present
Known for	Multiple appearances on Survivor franchise

Russell Dennis Hantz (born October 10, 1972) is an American TV figure and proprietor of an oilfield service business, primarily recognized for his multiple participations in the reality competition Survivor. He finished as the runner-up in Survivor: Samoa and secured third place in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Additionally, he took part in Survivor: Redemption Island and Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders, where he was eliminated early in both seasons.

Hantz's style of play on Survivor provoked strong reactions, attracting extensive media coverage due to his assertive and cutthroat tactics. Although often criticized as one of the franchise’s most notorious antagonists, his methods have been recognized for their effectiveness in achieving victories. He earned the "Sprint Player of the Season" honor twice, each time receiving $100,000, placing him among a select group of eight contestants to reach multiple final stages.

His fame extended beyond Survivor, resulting in a Teen Choice Awards nomination in 2010 for his appearance on Heroes vs. Villains. In CBS Watch's "Greatest Castaways" poll, Hantz ranked second, highlighting his relentless determination to win and emphasizing his significant influence on reality television.

After his Survivor tenure, Hantz appeared alongside his brother Shawn in the A&E reality documentary series Flipped Off, broadening his presence in the entertainment industry beyond competitive shows.

Samoa

Initially applying for Pirate Master, Hantz was eventually cast on Survivor: Samoa and placed on the Foa Foa tribe. His strategy revolved around deception, including fabricating a narrative about being a firefighter who survived Hurricane Katrina and deliberately sabotaging fellow tribe members’ supplies. He described this tactic as a means to mentally destabilize competitors for easier manipulation.

Early in the competition, Hantz discovered the hidden immunity idol before any hints had been revealed. Following the merge of tribes, he attempted to leverage his idol to build an alliance against Laura Morett but was unsuccessful when she secured immunity and his possession of the idol became public knowledge. He played the idol at Tribal Council despite not receiving any votes. Subsequently, he uncovered a second idol without any clues and used it to vote out Kelly Sharbaugh. His alliance grew to include Shannon "Shambo" Waters and John Fincher, which led to Morett’s elimination followed by Fincher’s departure.

Confronted with a jury largely composed of Galu tribe members favoring Brett Clouser, Hantz won a pivotal immunity challenge and orchestrated Clouser’s elimination by a narrow margin. Despite being heavily favored to claim victory, Hantz lost the title of Sole Survivor to close ally Natalie White by a jury vote tally of 7–2–0. Host Jeff Probst attributed this result more to jury resentment than support for White. Hantz challenged White’s victory and offered her $10,000 and later $100,000 for the title during the live finale; both offers were declined. Although he did not win, he was awarded the "Sprint Player of the Season" prize along with $100,000.

Nine days prior to the airing of the Samoa finale, Hantz launched a website expressing gratitude to his fans while promoting T-shirt sales and soliciting donations for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Heroes vs. Villains

Hantz made a return appearance for Survivor's 20th installment, Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains, stepping in for Shane Powers on the Villains tribe. Filmed consecutively with Samoa, none of the contestants had viewed their prior season before filming, though producers identified Hantz as one of the "five most infamous male villains ever."

A prominent conflict developed between Hantz and Rob Mariano. Early fractures within alliances targeted both Hantz and Parvati Shallow; in a strategic move, Hantz handed Shallow an immunity idol, which led to Tyson Apostol’s departure. Subsequently, Jerri Manthey aligned with Hantz, assisting in Mariano’s elimination.

The Heroes tribe grew suspicious of an all-female alliance among the Villains, spearheaded by Shallow. James "J.T." Thomas entrusted Hantz with an immunity idol aimed at removing Shallow, but instead, Hantz voted out Courtney Yates. Post-merge, Hantz passed his idol to Shallow, who shared it with Manthey and Sandra Diaz-Twine, resulting in Thomas’s exit. Discovering another immunity idol himself, Hantz attempted to enlist Candice Woodcock against Diaz-Twine and orchestrated the removal of Danielle DiLorenzo to disrupt Shallow’s coalition.

Winning the final immunity challenge, Hantz voted out Manthey, anticipating her jury vote. Nevertheless, he was unanimously rejected by the jury; Diaz-Twine secured her second Sole Survivor victory. Despite this outcome, Hantz once again earned the “Sprint Player of the Season” accolade along with $100,000.

Redemption Island

Hantz returned for Survivor: Redemption Island, confronting Rob Mariano once more. He was placed on the Zapatera tribe through a random draw but quickly found himself targeted by his alliance; after being voted off, he was sent to Redemption Island. Losing the Redemption duel sealed his fate and eliminated him from the game. Although he initially declared this would be his final season, he later suggested he might reconsider.

Following the season’s conclusion, Hantz threatened legal proceedings against fellow contestants whom he accused of deliberately losing an immunity challenge, alleging contractual violations. He also disparaged Mariano by labeling him a "Survivor whore."

Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders

Hantz expanded his reality TV presence internationally by competing on Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders, joining the Champions tribe after CBS acquired Network Ten in 2017. While initially thriving, he became frustrated with his tribe’s laid-back attitude and discovered a Hidden Immunity Idol. He forged alliances with Samuel Hinton, Monika Radulovic, and Damien Thomlinson.

After their tribe lost the second Immunity Challenge, Hantz attempted to divide votes between Jackie Glazier and Shane Gould; however, a counter-move orchestrated by Moana Hope resulted in a tie. Choosing not to use his idol at Tribal Council led to a revote where he was unanimously eliminated in 23rd place.

Information leaks

In 2011, allegations surfaced accusing Hantz of leaking Survivor spoilers through a fan website. This prompted a lawsuit against the site operator that was later dropped after evidence implicated Hantz as the source of leaks. Despite potential liquidated damages reaching $5 million for breach of contract, no legal action has been taken against him. Hantz denied these accusations during an interview with USA Today.

Other television appearances

In 2010, Hantz appeared alongside other Heroes vs. Villains contestants on The Late Show with David Letterman. For Redemption Island, he graced the cover of TV Guide together with Rob Mariano.

In 2012, he starred in A&E’s reality series Flipped Off, which focused on house flipping in Houston following the subprime mortgage crisis. The show featured his brother Shawn and a local real estate agent across seven episodes airing from April through June 2012. Expressing ambitions to become Houston’s top house flipper, Hantz declined an opportunity to host Boston Rob’s Around the World in 80 Ways in order to concentrate on this venture.

He also showed interest in participating on Celebrity Apprentice.

Personal life

Residing in Dayton, Texas, Hantz co-owns an oil enterprise called Hantz Tankering Service alongside family members and operates Bootleggers bar located in Lafayette, Louisiana. He hails originally from Vinton, Louisiana.

Hantz lives in Dayton with his ex-wife Melanie; together they have four children including twins. His brother Shawn’s son Brandon appeared on both Survivor: South Pacific and Survivor: Caramoan. Another brother named Willie competed on Big Brother 14.

Arrest

In April 2010, Hantz faced arrest on charges of misdemeanor battery following an incident near his Lafayette establishment, where a woman suffered minor injuries. He was released without posting bail and was scheduled for a court appearance.

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Survivor: Samoa	Contestant	Finished as runner-up
2010	Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains	Contestant	Achieved 2nd runner-up position
2011	Survivor: Redemption Island	Contestant	Eliminated; placed 17th
2018	Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders	Contestant	Eliminated; ranked 23rd