‘Survivor 40: Winners at War’: Sandra Diaz-Twine Blocks Russell Hantz on Twitter for Blasting Her
Two-time champ Sandra Diaz-Twine and one time runner-up Russell Hantz haven’t seen eye to eye since she won over him nearly 10 years ago in Heroes vs. Villains. After he blasted her on social media for her performance in Survivor 40: Winners at War, the Queen blocked the notorious villain.
[SPOILER ALERT: This article contains information revealed in Survivor 40: Winners at War Episode 7.]
Sandra Diaz-Twine quit ‘Survivor 40: Winners at War’
After Sandra Diaz-Twine appeared on Season 39, Island of the Idols alongside Boston Rob Mariano, the two returned for Survivor 40: Winners at War to compete against former champions for a $2 million cash prize.
In the first episode, Sandra Diaz-Twine bought an immunity idol from Natalie Anderson on the Edge of Extinction that was only good for three Tribal Councils. Even though Sandra is currently the only player to win twice, she was not on anyone’s radar and never had to use the idol.
Therefore, on the last day it had value, the two-time champ sold it to Denise Stapley for two fire tokens. The Philippines winner agreed to give her one before Tribal Council and one afterward.
Sandra explained that the other four castaways would vote for Denise, and she should write down either Jeremy or Tony’s name. Itching to make a big move, the Philippines champ played Sandra’s idol on herself and saved original tribemate, Jeremy Collins, with the idol she found on the Sele tribe and sent the Queen to the Edge of Extinction.
Sandra Diaz-Twine and Russell Hantz history
After winning Pearl Islands in 2003, Sandra returned for Heroes vs. Villains seven years later. Placed on the Villains tribe, she sided with Boston Rob Mariano’s alliance over Russell Hantz’s, and the two never got on the same page.
Russell won the Final Immunity Challenge and decided to turn on Jerri Manthey at the Final Four, believing he had a better chance to win over the Pearl Islands champ and his closest ally, Parvati Shallow.
However, the jury, consisting mainly of Heroes, did not like Russell’s cutthroat gameplay and associated Parvati with Russell despite her impressive performance.
Therefore, they awarded the Washington-native her second Sole Survivor title. Since her victory, Russell, who has made it to the Final Tribal Council twice in a row and lost both times, has consistently denounced Sandra’s win and doesn’t believe she earned it.
Recently, he called her an “overrated player.”
Sandra Diaz-Twine blocked Russell Hantzon on Twitter
After arriving on the Edge of Extinction, Sandra explained what happened that led to her downfall. Then, the castaways began informing the new arrivals that they had to walk up a mountain to retrieve a small portion of rice for the day.
Upon hearing that, Sandra chose to raise the white flag and quit as opposed to sitting on the Edge with almost no chance of returning as she’s not a physical competitor.
Many fans had mixed feelings regarding Sandra’s choice to quit as some believed she should have stuck it out, and others understood why she raised the flag.
After the episode, Russell Hantz posted a screenshot showing the two-time champ blocked him from her Twitter. He captioned it, “Finally got under her thin skin! Quitting that game bothers her, she just doesn’t want to say it!”
Many people commented their opinions on his post with some agreeing and others claiming Sandra had a point in quitting. He responded to one follower, “I will never respect a quitter! If you sit on the bench the whole game, and then you decide to walk off, and the game is not over, that makes you a quitter.”
Someone explained that Sandra already won twice and has nothing to prove, and Russell replied, “It’s not about her wins; it’s about her character, disrespect, disregard, and outright laziness for the game.” He claimed he’s always noted she’s a “non-deserving winner” because he saw her regularly quit when they played together.
Survivor 40: Winners at War airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.
