Russell Hantz

Russell Hantz (born October 10, 1972) is best known as a contestant on the reality TV show Survivor. He was the runner-up in Survivor: Samoa, and second runner-up in Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. He was also a fan favorite among Survivor viewers, winning the “Sprint Player of the Season” award and the $100,000 prize that went with it both seasons he was on. After applying to compete on the show Pirate Master, Hantz was called by casting two years later to appear on Survivor: Samoa, the nineteenth season of the show. After being assigned to the Foa Foa tribe, he quickly demonstrated his preference to play through lies and deceit. After making alliances with every person in his tribe, he also attempted to sow discontent by causing havoc whenever possible. However this approach is believed to have contributed to Foa Foa's constant losses in challenges. In an early interview, he stated his belief that if he could control how his fellow survivors felt, he'd be able to control how they thought. In episode 2, Hantz had a feeling that the Hidden Immunity Idol was already hidden within the Foa Foa camp, even before any clues were given. After looking in the roots of a large tree, Hantz