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Evil Russell voted out of Survivor

Across 3 seasons Russell Hantz had become a player that viewers loved to hate. Last night he left the show humilated and tearful.

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Australian Survivor fans got a long awaited-reward last night when one of the show’s most celebrated / despised / skilled contestants, “Evil” Russell Hantz, was sent packing in just the fourth episode of the season.

But it wasn’t merely that Hantz was eliminated, so much as the circumstances. The proud, defiant Hantz was reduced to tears by the revelation.

Survivor: Redemption Island was the third season for Hantz, whose skill in Survivor: Samoa and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains saw him dominate by repeatedly finding hidden immunity idols. But his constant lying and betrayal of fellow tribe members quickly saw him become a player that viewers loved to hate. It was a badge he wore with dishonour.

Last night Hantz was blind-sided by his tribe, sent to Redemption Island where he had a final chance to fight for a chance against previously-eliminated contestant, Matt. The angry Hantz continued to vow vengeance on his tribe, determined to win the challenge and return to main game.

But in a stunning twist of fate he lost his shot at glory and unable to bear the humiliation tried to hide his tears.

For viewer who had despised his constant bleatings, it was a jaw-dropping Reality TV come-uppance.

But before he left he managed to betray his tribe one last time, passing information to his ‘rival’ tribe.

On the back of some frenzied tribe councils right from the first episode, Survivor: Redemption Island is certainly reminding us why it is still king of the Reality genre.

56 Responses

  1. Jonathon S – The show did air it’s first 2 episodes on the tuesday night – it was repeated on the Saturday night!!!

    For everyone bagging David about ‘spoiling’ storylines – Knowing that he writes things as they happen, don’t come to the site until after you have seen the show!! I for one jumped on straight away to see what he said and what people thought of the elimination.

    It’s not an up to the minute site if he writes his stories a week after they happen just in case people have PVR’d the show and haven’t seen it yet! Fair go.

  2. @David: I don’t think the issue is how long to delay publishing the headline; it’s the headline itself. I wish you just had of put “Survivor Shock/Come-uppance/Whatever” so I knew not to read the body of the article. I PVRed Survivor and you’ve spoiled it for me too. 🙁 Just don’t spoil in the headline and I think you can publish whenever you want.

    1. Spoiler law for this site is something I have explained (and it seems will continue to explain) before. It’s also on the About page below. This site responds to television news, and it does so while other online media and newspapers rapidly report the winner of MasterChef / Dancing / the end of Lost / death in Rafters / Eurovision winner etc. Suggestions that TV Tonight must shield major television news with a spoiler alert while it is openly discussed by other online media (including Twitter now) overlooks the point it is television news. This would result in headlines such as “Spoiler Alert: MasterChef Winner”, “Spoiler Alert: Survivor shocker”, “Spoiler Alert: Major character killed off in Rafters.” In news and archival, this makes little sense. Yes we have Timeshifting, where the viewer builds their own programming and should adjust accordingly. But I can’t run a site for Jimmy who hasn’t watched last week’s episode of The Amazing Race because he had homework.

      In trying to juggle everything -news, competing media, Twitter, Timeshifting, and the potholes of Aussie programming- I have found the best result is one clear rule. Aired in Australia = Not a Spoiler. If I modify that rule for each show frankly it would only invest more confusion, not less.

  3. Hey mate, I’m not trying to attack you. Just figured that a lot of your readers, like me, can’t possibly watch all the television you write about when it goes to air – timeshifting rules our lives these days, particularly on non-live shows. Personally, I was gonna catch up on Survivor tonight, but you know, it’s just television – I’m not gonna lose any sleep over it!!! Let’s hug?

  4. One thing I’m furious about is how Go has treated this new series of Survivor.

    They showed the first two episodes on Saturday night at 10.50pm with no fanfare that I viewed. I had expected a Tuesday start as publicised by this website

    Then our crappy Brisbane Sunday Mail TV Guide did not list the next two episodes last night 7.30-9.30.

    It’s typical with these shows that unless you get in on the ground floor you won’t watch.

    So why begin in such a late and unexpected time slot?

    Treating the show like this only encourages downloads…

  5. OK, so I’m a Russell fan, but love him or hate him you have to acknowledge that he really didn’t to deserve to go out like this. He is a legend of the game, and, whilst not totally likeable for many, he was definitely entertaining. Now the viewers have been robbed of a chance to see a real Boston Rob-Russell match-up after the merge by a bunch of nobodies who think Survivor is about making a bunch of friends. Even those who hate him love to watch him!

    Personally, I think losing the challenge on purpose just to vote him out was pathetic. Loved the way Russell managed to outsmart Ralph after being eliminated – he’s gone but he’s still playing the game!

    I thought it was a nice surprise at how humble his speech was to the camera once he was defeated, it showed Russell in a much better light than many see him.

  6. Re: spoiler alert- David, for someone so ‘in’ with the tv world, one would assume you’d have heard of time shifting. Despite how you regard yourself, you are not writing for an actual newspaper, so your headlines don’t have to be sensational to sell copies. Wouldn’t a ‘shock survivor exit’ with a logo for an image had the same effect? Then people who hadn’t watched could have avoided the story- now we’ll just have avoid your site. You know how passionate your readers are about this show.

  7. @ bh….ppl like u who live on mars must get your tv shows a week late to everyone else here on planet earth!… so i can understand your comment toward David…But I think u fail to understand that we live on earth and last night ep (please take note Last Night!!) was aired in the US a few weeks ago…. so how can u say that David needed to spoiler alert??? I think we would love to have an answer on why u need a spoiler alert!!
    are u related to Russell??? hahahahaha!

  8. David , i agree a bit with BH , a spolier alert wouldnt go astray as alot of people Timeshift record and watch it later , im not having a go at you or anyone about this just a thought.

  9. Bloody hell, David – didn’t occur to you to give a Spoiler Alert instead of a headline that is the spoiler in itself???? Though you, of anyone, would understand how annoying that is.

    1. BH: As with all stories on this site, once a show has aired it is no longer a Spoiler for a site that reacts to television news. I did not write this after it aired in the US some weeks ago. Can I ask what date you think it would be ok to write the same headline please?

  13. On the one hand I was so glad to see Russell sent packing because he’s so damn smug but on the other hand because he’s so damn smug he makes for wonderful viewing…… maybe Phillip will replace Russell as the most annoying player this season.

  14. Best thing that has happened? No! Every season of Survivor should have a Russell. While I don’t like him as a person, he just makes the show a little more interesting. I wanted Boston Rob to go not Russell. I’m the biggest Survivor fan around and I can’t stand Boston Rob.

  16. i think it was the way he got out – his tribe losing the challenge on purpose to vote him out

    any other way, fair game

    looks like he gave his heart and soul into survivor

  17. To put Russell’s performance into more context, Samoa and Heroes vs. Villains were shot back to back, so none of the contestants in Heroes vs. Villains knew who he was or how he worked. That gave him a massive advantage in a show featuring returning contestants – where everyone knew everyone else’s game strategy.

    His game was a one-off (like Johnny ‘Fairplay’) that worked in Samoa and crashed/burned in Redemption Island. He was a jerk, but an entertaining jerk. He will be missed.

  18. I think Rusty should be in every Survivor series until he wins one. By the way it is a game show with a big Cash prize at the end masquerading as a so called reality series. To me a reality series is something like Border Security, which isn’t a one off doco, isn’t a game show but is a genuine fly on the wall reality series. OK they ramp it up a bit with editing etc…but it is real.

  20. you are totally wrong- it was the worst thing to have happened …..this was definatly no reward for viewers…long live russell..hes brilliant for the show..the series is poorer now he has gone..ps saw this weeks ago…………

  21. The show will not be the same without you Russell….. So bummed he’s gone! The way you never knew what was going to happen next in an episode is gone now that Evil Russell is out.

    If anyone has seen more episodes that haven’t aired on GO! does it still have the same excitement without him??? Cheers

  23. LOL, glad to see him gone! I’ve had enough of seeing him over the past 3 seasons. Leave it now to the best player ever to play the game, Boston Rob to WIN!

  25. I think it’s also important to note that his tribe purposely lost the immunity challenge just to vote him out. The producers would have been filthy he got voted out so early.

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