A new episode of the On Fire Podcast with Jeff Probst broached many topics this week.
Jeff discussed the fan request for a season with no challenges and later spoke about why there are fewer endurance challenges.
Co-host Jay Wolff and Survivor 47 winner Rachel LaMont were on hand for the podcast.
At one point, the chat shifted to what can impact whether or not a player wins Survivor, and that’s when Ruseel Hantz came up.
Russell first appeared on Survivor: Samoa and was invited back for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains.
On Survivor: Samoa (Season 19), Russell was the runner-up to Natalie White after a 7-2 vote. He returned quickly for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains (Season 20) and finished as the second runner-up to Sandra Diaz-Twine and Parvati Shallow.
Russell also returned for Survivor: Redemption Island (Season 22), finishing in 17th place that season. Boston Rob Mariano won, and Phillip Sheppard was the first runner-up.
Jeff Probst reveals why Russell Hantz never won Survivor
“For the most part, jury votes don’t simply go to the player who they objectively feel played the best game,” Jeff Probst stated on Season 5, Episode 7 of On Fire.
“It’s usually way more complex than that,” Jeff added. “Gameplay is a big factor, but so are the relationships that were developed throughout the game. And they can work for you or against you.”
Jeff is correct in his statement. Just because someone dominates at every challenge doesn’t mean they will win the $1 million prize. Bitter jurors exist in the world of reality TV.
“It’s very hard for a player who is not liked by the jury to ever win this game. You see it with Russell Hantz. I mean he played, arguably, a very good game. He was persuasive. He hustled. You know, he did all that stuff. But when you got down to the final three, people didn’t like Russell. So, he got two votes. Then he came back and played again. Got to the final three again. But he didn’t get any votes,” Jeff elaborated.
“Fans watching have told me they would have voted for Russell to win,” Jeff also revealed. “But they weren’t on the jury. They didn’t live with Russell. So they didn’t have that extra layer of insight about [it].”
Do you think Russell Hantz should have won Survivor 19 or Survivor 20? Leave us a comment below!
More important news and notes from Survivor
Sai Hughley revealed she would have been a bitter juror. She got blindsided at Tribal Council and became the last person sent home before the jury phase.
Boston Rob Mariano teased a return for Survivor 50. The Survivor legend has fans hoping he will return, but he may have just been joking around.
Survivor alums are on a “dream cast” for The Traitors 4. Peacock will soon film a new season in the Scottish Highlands, with folks from Survivor, Big Brother, Bachelor Nation, and The Real Housewives.
Previous seasons of Survivor are streaming on Paramount+. That includes the seasons featuring Russell Hantz as a player (S19, S20, and S22).
Survivor airs Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.
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