Survivor's Notorious Villain Russell Hantz Says The Show Cost Him His Marriage

Highlights

• Russell Hantz blamed his divorce on Survivor, admitting his villain persona took over his life and negatively impacted his marriage.
• Hantz wanted to prove he was a multifaceted person on Australian Survivor, aiming to show he could still be a good father.
• Despite the negative impact of his past behavior, Hantz and his ex-wife maintained a positive relationship after their divorce.

When new Survivor fans are at the stage when they are figuring out what the best seasons to watch first are, competing on the show seems like a dream. However, the sad truth is that loyal Survivor fans know that some of the show's stars have gone on to struggle a lot.

Two notable examples of that are the first Survivor to be medically evacuated and Phillip Sheppard since his life went through incredible turmoil because of the show. Russell Hantz says he also is an example of that, since he once blamed his divorce on Survivor.

This article will reveal why Russell Hantz blamed his divorce on Survivor. Then, the article will look at another relationship of Hantz's that at one point seemed to be ruined.

Russell Hantz Claims That Survivor Ruined His Marriage

Throughout Survivor history, there have been very few players who took the show by storm the way Russell Hantz did. After making his first appearance in Survivor: Samoa and controlling the game, Hantz was asked to return to the show very quickly. In fact, Hantz began filming his second season before the first one even aired.

During his second season, Survivor: Heroes vs Villains, Hantz yet again seemed to have a lot of control. This was even more amazing since Hantz was playing with an all-star cast the second time around.

Despite how much control Hantz wielded, he lost both of those seasons. During each reunion after Hantz lost, he seemed haunted by the Sole Survivor crown alluding him and obsessed with winning the show. Based on what Hantz later said during an interview, letting Survivor change him ended his marriage.

In 2018, Hantz was interviewed by an Australian magazine called Who. The reason why Hantz spoke to that outlet was because he also wound up competing in the Australian version of Survivor.

How successful was Russell Hantz on Survivor and Australian Survivor?

While talking to that outlet, Hantz admitted that the villain persona he crafted for Survivor took over every aspect of his life. According to Hantz, that behavior took a huge toll on his marriage and ultimately ended it.

“I stayed that person for years after and that is just not a good person in real life. I didn’t go round lying, cheating and stealing, but I went around partying and everything else, so it’s just not a positive thing. I went home and pretty much ignored everything, including my relationship with my wife. I lost my marriage.”

Survivor's Dawn Meehan Was So Traumatized By The Show That She Had A 'Literal Breakdown' And Was Hospitalized

Survivor's Dawn Meehan was open about how suffering a "literal breakdown" and being hospitalized after playing the game the second time.

While talking to Who in 2018, Hantz explained how he wanted to play Australian Survivor differently because of what happened to his marriage. Instead of just wanting to be the villain he'd previously been on television, Hantz wanted to prove he was a multifaceted person.

More specifically, Hantz told Who that while he would “get in character” as his villain he'd been in the past, he wanted to “prove to [his] kids that I can still be Dad after all that”.

On the bright side, Hantz painted a much more positive picture of the state of his personal life in 2018. In fact, Hantz explained to Who that he had a positive relationship with the person his negative past behavior previously affected.

Who are Survivor's biggest villains, according to The New York Post?

• Russell Hantz
• Jesse Lopez
• Colton Cumbie
• Abi-Maria Gomes
• Jeff Varner
• Jonny Fairplay
• Richard Hatch
• Tony Vlachos

Survivor: Thailand Competitor Ghandia Johnson Looked Back On Arguably The Show's Darkest Chapter Roughly Two Decades Later

Survivor: Thailand's Ghandia Johnson spoke out about how the show handled one of its darkest chapters many years later.

According to what Hantz told Who, the fact that he got divorced because of his negative behavior didn't mean he was on bad terms with his wife. In fact, Hantz told the outlet that he and his ex-wife had a positive relationship.

As Hantz explained to Who, he and ex-wife got "along great". In fact, Hantz claimed that he'd called his wife before the interview and she was very supportive. “I called her up before I came here; she said that she’d pray for me.”

According to a People article that focused on his comments to Who, Hantz and his ex-wife got divorced in 2014. That means that Hantz's marriage ended after his third appearance on Survivor.

Russell Hantz Also Lost His Relationship With His Nephew Brandon Hantz

After Russell Hantz competed on Survivor, his nephew Brandon Hantz went on the show and wound up competing twice. Before Brandon Hantz second Survivor season, he spoke to Entertainment Weekly in 2013. During that interview, Brandon Hantz made some incredible claims about why he was estranged from his uncle, Russell Hantz.

Survivor Star Jaime Huffman's Romance With Husband Erik Huffman Comes To A Crashing End With Her Damning Allegations

Survivor stars Jaime Huffman and Erik Huffman fell in love on the show but their marriage fell apart amid disturbing allegations.

During the reunion for Brandon Hantz first season, Russell Hantz was sought out in the audience and asked how his nephew played. After Russell Hantz gave Brandon Hantz the opportunity to tell him not to comment, he stated that his nephew did a bad job on the show.

During their 2013 Brandon Hantz interview, EW brought up how harshly he'd been criticized by his uncle. EW then asked if the critique ruined their relationship and Brandon Hantz claimed he and Russell Hantz were on great terms after that. "It actually was wonderful."

However, Brandon Hantz went on to claim that after he got back together with his wife, his relationship with Russell Hantz was ruined. Brandon Hantz clarified that Russell Hantz' jealousy is what caused that rift.

"Because when you're lonely and sad, you want to be lonely and sad with someone else. And I'm being straight-up. I want him to see this. I want him to read this. Maybe it will hit him in his head. When something good happens for somebody and nothing good has happened for you, you get a little bit bitter. And I feel like that's what it is right now. I feel like he's very sad and hurt and it kinda sucks because we had a really good time together when I wasn't with my wife."

Fortunately, Russell Hantz and Brandon Hantz seemed to repair their relationship after that interview. After all, the Survivor stars appeared in several social media videos together and have spoken about their bond.

Survivor

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiqrqqmnsOwvoyvoKWkkZ67br7UrKqepJxitaK607NknaGmpL%2BksY4%3D