Russell Hantz is a man who wears two hats in life, he’s the boss of an oilfield service company, and he’s also a famous TV star. You might recognize him from his appearances on the hit show CBS’s Survivor. Russell is like a real-life survival expert on TV!
Russell’s Survivor journey began back in 2009 when he first appeared on the Samoa series. He didn’t quite win, but he came really close, finishing as the runner-up. Then, he showed his survival skills again on Survivor, Heroes vs. Villains, where he made it to the second runner-up position. Russell sure knows how to hang tough!
Even though Russell hasn’t claimed the Survivor crown yet, he’s still a standout player. Surviving on the show isn’t easy, but Russell’s journey is especially remarkable.
During his time on Survivor, he lost a ton of weight, showing just how challenging the game can be.
How much weight did Russell lose?
When Russell was trying to survive on that island, he was having a hell of a hard time.
Hantz lost 60 pounds! Now, losing weight is common for contestants on Survivor. But 60 pounds is a great deal. And nobody has lost that much weight yet.
Other Survivors also lost a significant amount of weight. Check Spencer Bledsoe, Kielyn Marrone, Courtney Yates, and Denise Martin’s weight loss stories.
Why did Russell Hantz lose weight?
The show, Survivor, is all about surviving in the wild without any help coming from outside. Hantz was along with 19 other participants but they all had to take care of themselves
The hardest thing for survivors is finding food and a safe shelter. Now, both things might sound super easy when you are sitting in your luxurious house in a city. But out in the wild on the island, it wasn’t that easy.
Hantz had to eat what he could find that didn’t have any side effects. It included fish, fruits, flowers, and sometimes worms as well. But even these things were hard to find at all. So there were days when Hantz would sleep without even eating anything.
And there was a problem with finding clean and drinkable water too. So these all factors combined affected Russell’s health negatively.
Where is Hantz Now?
As of now, Russell is living a healthy life. He has regained his lost weight by balancing his eating habits. However, his marriage life was affected as well. Soon after he got back home they separated. Hantz has four children with his ex-wife, Melanie.
Hantz says that even though they are separated they have mutual respect for each other and have good terms. Russell said, “I called her up before I came here, she said that she’d pray for me.”
Conclusion
Nature is beautiful but it can be dangerous as well. Make sure that whenever you want to meet nature you’ve got every necessary thing.
However, in Hantz’s case, he lost weight but he gained a beautiful experience with nature. I hope that Russell’s story inspires you.
