‘Survivor’ Star Brandon Hantz Apologizes to Philip Sheppard and CBS to Get Back on the Show
After his tribemates voted him out during an immunity challenge on Caramoan, Brandon Hantz has not returned to Survivor since. In a YouTube video, he apologized to CBS and rival Philip Sheppard in an effort to return for a third edition of Blood vs. Water.
Brandon Hantz says his life is back on track
In 2011, then 19-year-old Brandon Hantz, the nephew of notorious villain Russell, premiered on Survivor: South Pacific. He wanted to change the “Hantz name” and play with integrity as opposed to his uncle, who had a ruthless approach.
The decision to give up immunity at the Final Five and the overall way Brandon played the game upset the Hantzs, and no one except his furious uncle showed up to the reunion to support him.
When the Survivor star returned for Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites only a year later, he had an infamous mental breakdown and dumped out all of the tribe’s food.
His actions resulted in his tribemates forfeiting the challenge and immediately voting him off. In a YouTube video posted in February 2020, the now 27-year-old claimed he was a child and had “an undeveloped mind” in Caramoan.
However, he recently got his life together, became more financially stable, and has a wife named Erica. The couple also parents a four-month-old son, Noah, together.
Brandon Hantz apologized to CBS and Philip Sheppard
During Caramoan, Hantz got into a heated confrontation with a former federal agent, Philip Sheppard. During his video, he tried to apologize to his former tribemate a few times but couldn’t do it because the “sincerity part is tough for him.”
He did admit he took things too personally as a “silly kid” and apologized to CBS for the altercation. Hantz also acknowledged the other former tribemates and apologized for dumping the food, but clarified he never urinated in it because “they wouldn’t let me.”
Additionally, he gave a shout-out to executive producer and showrunner Jeff Probst for the conversation they had off-camera where the showrunner told Hantz he wasn’t a good Survivor player.
Brandon Hantz wants to return for ‘Blood vs. Water’ 3
The South Pacific star explained he, his uncle Russell, another uncle named Willie (of Big Brother 14 fame), and his father, who appeared on Flipped Off, are all reality show stars.
He also called them the first reality television family before the Kardashians. The young Hantz admitted his family used to take the shows too seriously, and it ruined their relationships with each other.
However, after nine years of estrangement, the family are on talking terms again. He explained they learned reality television is “temporary” and “something you add to your life.”
Now that he’s financially stable with a family, he wants to “fulfill Jeff’s promise of him playing alongside Russell” and come back for another Blood vs. War-themed season.
Hantz is out for “real redemption” and promised he would not have a physical altercation with anyone. Additionally, he shared that he and his wife are both concealed weapon owners and passed an FBI background check, which, in his eyes, should suffice for Survivor.
The Texas-native concluded by admitting he’s not sorry because he was 19-years-old at the time and has grown up since then. It’s possible viewers could see the notorious Hantzs on Survivor again unless Probst and his team decide they aren’t a fit anymore.
