Australian Survivor: Russell Hantz questioned over champion status

The first 14 minutes of Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders has made its way online, and the honest superfan reaction is immediate and strong.

Looking back at the week that was on our site, it’s clear that there is an interest in Russell Hantz and his fourth time attempting to win the game of Survivor. Far and away, the biggest story readers enjoyed last week was the reveal of the Australian Survivor full cast, including the one player who posited that the game was flawwwwwwed close to a decade ago.

If you wanted to see him in action, the wait is finally over. News.com.au has posted the first 14 minutes of the latest season’s debut episode, showcasing the players from both the Champions and Contenders tribe as they are introduced to Australia and the world at large. While many of the Champions are recruits, the Contenders (especially superfans) give some audible “oh s—” reactions when seeing the most notorious Survivor villain.

It’s in those first minutes that you get some honest reactions from the Australian Survivor players. Some like to see Russell in the game, others are upbeat and would love to give the Champions “curry” (show them a taste of their own medicine). Russell Hantz, quick to give a good soundbite, responds with, “We’re champions for a reason … so they should be worried.”

That’s when Australian Survivor host Jonathan LaPaglia pushes back. “They should be worried? Really? What makes you a champion?” As Hantz responds with, “I’m just a good ol’ guy,” JLP is quick to respond with, “You’re a good ol’ guy? That makes you a champion?”

There are certain elements of this season that will likely tailor to keeping Russell Hantz in the game, but I do like to see the Aussie host push back against the ego of such a character early. We know Jeff Probst has shared back and forths with contestants before (especially Penner), and the Australian version seems to have the right kind of host to handle this group.

Still, he asked the same question we had asked before; what makes Russell Hantz a champion? He’s one of the most aggressive players and definitely changed the game, but he’s not even the first player to reach the Final Tribal Council in back-to-back seasons and hasn’t won the game once. Could this finally be his time? We’ll know for sure on August 1 at 7:30 p.m. AEST.