Portrait of Russell Hantz

Russell Hantz

I plan on making it as miserable as possible, making it hell for everybody, to get what I want. Survivor 19, E1

Played on

86 days played

Game record

Vote alignment93%of 28 ballots

96th percentile of 423 castaways

Immunity record3career immunity wins

94th percentile of 751 castaways

Idol impact2of 4 idol plays canceled a vote

57th percentile of 45 idol players

Occupation at casting Oil Company Owner Hometown Dayton, Texas

Beyond Survivor
International Survivor Big Brother
Played with 54 castaways across 3 seasons See every connection ↓

Hantz has shared a beach with fifty-four castaways, more than all but fourteen players in the show's history.

Biography

Russell Hantz exploded onto Survivor as a self-styled villain, a Texas oil tycoon whose scorched-earth style redefined aggressive play. On Survivor: Samoa (Season 19), he found idols without clues, sabotaged his own tribe's camp to create chaos, and orchestrated blindside after blindside, reaching the final three, only to lose the jury vote, a pattern that would come to define him.

He returned almost immediately for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (Season 20), again dominating strategically and again losing at the end to Sandra Diaz-Twine, then played once more on Survivor: Redemption Island (Season 22).

Brilliant at seizing control but unable to win a jury's respect, Russell Hantz became one of the most polarizing and influential figures the show has ever produced, the villain whose relentless game changed how Survivor is played.

Get to know Russell Hantz

Born in Vinton, Louisiana The hometown on their cast bio, Dayton, Texas, is where they were living when they were picked for the show.

Russell Hantz's own answers from the pre-game cast profile CBS published before the season aired.

Claim to fame
"Starting my oil tankering service."
Inspiration
"My grandfather."

Alliances fans have named

Survivor never names an alliance on screen. These names, and who counts as a member, are how the fan community records the game rather than an official record of it.

Birthplace, pre-game profile and alliance facts adapted from Survivor Fandom and Wikipedia, retrieved 2026-07-21. Licensed CC BY-SA.

Fan poll Hot take

Is Russell Hantz the best player to never win?

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Seasons

Season Result Days Tribes Votes against Confessionals
Samoa Season 19, 2009 Foa Foa Aiga 2 108
Heroes vs. Villains Season 20, 2010 Villains Yin Yang 5 68
Redemption Island Season 22, 2011 3rd voted out Zapatera 8 16

Castaway network

Russell Hantz’s connections

The strongest overlaps are surfaced first; every castmate is organized by season below.

54
castaway connections
26
tribemates
1
repeat castmate
3
other-show overlaps

Connections worth exploring

Repeat pairings, other-show overlaps, tribe overlap, winners and Survivor veterans rise to the top.

Every castaway, by season

Open a season for the complete cast list and the context behind each connection.

Samoa Season 19, 2009 19 castaways 1 winner 3 returning players View cast

Explore the full Samoa cast →

Heroes vs. Villains Season 20, 2010 19 castaways 6 winners 19 returning players View cast

Explore the full Heroes vs. Villains cast →

Redemption Island Season 22, 2011 17 castaways 1 winner 4 returning players View cast

Explore the full Redemption Island cast →

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