Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders episode 2 recap: Flawed

Russell Hantz only knows how to play the game one way, and he’s put himself into the spotlight on Australian Survivor: Champions vs Contenders episode 2.

With a game like Survivor, you never know what lies in waiting. One day you could be sitting pretty; the next day you could have your head on the chopping block. It works in the opposite way, as well, as keeping cool might help cool down the heat that’s on you from others. Australian Survivor carries the same mentality while beating down on its contestants with brutish challenges.

We return to the action with a bit of a nude stroll among the bromance and Steve K. He’s keeping calm, cool and collected as he drops trou with the boys, with it all being a ploy to undergo his secret Chinese military tactics of … making friends with the biggest men on the Contenders tribe. You do you, Steve!

Before the first challenge, we get to see few of the players’ backstories here and there, helping to solidify the group and make each of the 23 remaining Australian Survivor players distinct. The Champions’ athletes regale us of their accomplishments, while accomplished poker player Jackie Glazier undersells her accomplishments by making up a speed-cubing profession. The Contenders are made up of young mothers and fathers here and there, including Tegan.

Then we get to the player we know; Russell Hantz. He feels like he’s going to be the easy first boot of his tribe, so he forces everyone else’s hand on the Champions tribe by showing them he found the Hidden Immunity Idol on Day 1. Insisting he could have played it in secret, he’s presenting it as a chance for the rest of his tribe to start playing the game.

It seems like “making an issue where there wasn’t one” is the early theme of Australian Survivor, and it’s odd that a seasoned player like Russell feels like he needs to make big moves so early in the game. He set the stage for the Sumo reward challenge, where the first team to score seven victories in a “push off the platform” format.

The Champions vs Contenders format has served the show well so far, as you can sense both tribes really showing their best at the challenges. The Contenders started out strong, winning three straight, but were quickly pushed back by the Champions, whose women really held their own and carried them to victory punctuated by Russell Hantz dispatching Steve for a decisive final point.

Even in defeat, the Contenders rally like a heroic tribe of their own; as a unit. The Champions need to rely more on individual gamesmanship, however, due to Russell’s earlier idol play. He even hands his “wedding ring” to Jackie in order to solidify trust, telling her she can throw it in the jungle if he votes her out. Of course, Russell isn’t married at this time, and has two rings to boot, offering Mat the other.

Though this is a first for Australian Survivor, it’s not a first for the game. In Game Changers, Sarah Lacina had a similar pack with Brad Culpepper, but it was with real rings to promise their shared safety. It was a baller move that didn’t make the cut, probably because it looks as villainous as it does with Russell Hantz.

The Immunity Challenge showcased even more of the Australian Survivor grit we’ve come to love in the first two episodes. Teams ran out to the water to boost up someone to retrieve four buoys. After climbing a gigantic tower, players would then dive into the water on the other side to retrieve four more submerged buoys. Once all are retrieved, players would then shoot them into a basket several meters away.

With Samuel falling and struggling to unknot the first four bouys, it helped give the Contenders a huge lead early. The challenge was no joke; the players were jumping something like 20 feet into the water and diving up to 12 feet under the water to retrieve the final buoys. The Champions caught up after the Contenders bricked their first series, but Heath beasted his shots in securing an 8-4 victory.

As soon as the Champions headed to camp, everybody started scrambling. Russell threw out Shane and Jackie’s names out to everyone in order to spread chaos so he could not use his idol and retain it for another round. However, Moana’s been keen to “Texas'” plans after overhearing a nighttime conversation between him and Damien, so she starts getting to work on putting his name down.

As the tribe sits down at Tribal Council, it becomes clear that it’s Russell’s world and everybody else is living in it. As Sam assauges concerns about his playing hard, Moana calls him out on the fact he hasn’t won yet. Jackie addresses the room, says her strategic interactions have been misinterpreted, while Damien is worried about being close to Russell and what others think of that.

The seeds of chaos were planted, but it did not work out in Russell’s favor. By trying to split the other votes for Shane, Jackie and Damien, it produced an unpredictable result. 4-4-2-2 went the first vote, with Jackie and Russell tying up. On the revote, the inevitable became the truth; the “greatest Survivor player of alll tiiime” was voted out almost unanimously, save for Damien’s unread vote for Jackie.

With no mention of Redemption Island being presented to the players (despite its inclusion), it’s become clear that the producers of Australian Survivor want to keep Russell Hantz in the game as long as possible. When will he return to compete for another shot? That remains the mystery of the moment.