Russell on 'Survivor: Redemption Island': "This is My Last Time Playing This Game"

On March 9^th, 2011, Russell Hantz's was voted off "Survivor: Redemption Island," officially ending his legacy of always making it to the final two. Russell, who had been voted out by his tribe during episode 2, made his way to Redemption Island for a final showdown which would either allow him to remain on the show as the king-of-the-hill on Redemption Island, or leave the competition for good.

Unfortunately for Russell, this is the end of the road for him on "Survivor: Redemption Island."

His reign as the king of the runner-up position began during his first "Survivor" appearance, just a few years ago in "Survivor: Samoa," and was confirmed with his participation in the more recent "Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains." The latter season made Russell an official villain, a title he has worn with pride ever since. "The image that I have as a villain, that's fine with me because this is how I play the game," he told CBS.

However, Russell met his match with his third tribe on the CBS show, who threw the immunity challenge during the second episode of "Survivor: Redemption Island" in order to vote Russell off. He was sent to Redemption Island, a new feature of the game unique to this latest season, in which voted off contestants have an opportunity to engage in a last-man-standing duel before leaving the show for good; supposedly, the last survivor on Redemption Island will return to the game sometime in the future. Russell found himself going up against Matt, who had previously defeated Francesca to secure his place on Redemption Island as the current survivor. He was very confident going into the duel, saying: "This is [Matt's] house-I'm about to take it from him."

However, Matt managed to defeat the most legendary "Survivor" villain in a challenge in which the pair had to place Domino-like slabs along a path to release a ball. Matt's first attempt at knocking them all down failed, and then Russell's attempt also fell short; the second attempt from Matt sealed Russell's fate with a narrow victory.

The scene quickly turned emotional for Russell as he approached "Survivor" host Jeff Probst, who informed him that his time in the competition was officially over. In contrast to his usual cocky, confident demeanor, Russell broke down into tears in the wake of his defeat and pending departure from the show. Probst asked if his tears were in sadness at leaving the game, or merely embarrassment at finally being successfully voted off the show. "No," Russell immediately replied. "I respect this game too much to go out this way."

He went on to explain his theory about how his tribe threw the challenge just to vote him off, despite the fact that two members of his former tribe and two members of the opposite tribe were there to view the duel and his final confession. Ralph, who was instrumental in the plan to vote off Russell, protest the accusations before informing Russell he found the immunity idol "15 seconds" into the game. Sarita whispered for him to not display the idol, considering Kristina and Phillip were present from the other team, and he recanted his story-but not before royally pissing Russell off. "He has the idol," Russell told Phillip and Kristina, "he's such a good player; he's telling you everything he has right now. Take him out, it'll be easy!" Russell didn't hesitate to hand out tips to the opposing tribe, as a parting gift to the remaining contestants who voted him out of the game and onto Redemption Island. He told them the power players, and the ones in control, in his former tribe. "You see, Jeff, I had to stay in this game somehow. Now, through these two, I can stay in this game."

In his last confession alone on the "Survivor" set, Russell made a surprising announcement: "This is my last time playing this game; that's it. I have nothing left to prove to myself, or my family." According to Russell, one of the most famous "Survivor" players of all time, the situation was intolerable: "It's just terrible when you play with people who didn't really come here to play the game. They just came here-maybe for fame or just for the money."

But did Russell Hantz also leak information about "Survivor: Redemption Island" before the season started? Was that his final attempt at getting back at his tribe, fellow constants, and the crew as well? Back in February, rumors that Russell had leaked spoilers online about the events of this season of "Survivor" started to surface. According to TV Guide, a "Survivor" message board participant named Jim Ealy accused the infamous villain of revealing secret information, when CBS sued him for publishing unaired details. Naturally, Russell Hantz publically denied the accusation-but if he's really done revisiting his "Survivor" legacy, did he really have anything to lose by leaking spoilers?

Only time will tell if Russell, who remains a fan favorite despite his nefarious behavior on the show, will return to the CBS competition. Meanwhile, "Survivor: Redemption Island" just got a little less interesting for many viewers, who were hoping to see another lengthy reign by master villain Russell Hantz. "Survivor: Redemption Island" airs Wednesday evenings on CBS at 8/7c.

Sources:

CBS, Survivor: Redemption Island Cast: Russell on CBS
Kate Stanhope, "Survivor's Russell Hantz Accused of Leaking Show Secrets," TV Guide