BLAB:”Survivor’s” Russell Hantz told a survivorsucks.com blogger whathappened on the show. The blogger outed Hantz after the site was sued by CBS. (
)
‘Survivor” villain Russell Hantz has been outed for allegedly leaking secret information about the show that was then posted online.
Jim Early, who was sued last year by producer Mark Burnett and CBS, says Hantz was his source for spoiler info about “Survivor: Samoa” and “Heroes vs. Villains” — which Early then posted under the screen name “missyae” on survivorsucks.com.
“When I met [Russell], it all became so easy,” Early told The Daily Beast, which broke the story.
“All I had to do was pick up the phone and say ‘hello,’ and I had anything I wanted.”
All “Survivor” cast members sign agreements that they cannot reveal “the elimination of contestants and the selection of any winner” — and that, if they do, they’re liable for $5 million of “liquidated damages.”
Early claims to have e-mails from Hantz which identify the elimination order of two “Survivor: Samoa” contestants, according to The Daily Beast.
Early was initially sued by Burnett’s DJB Inc. for “misappropriation of trade secrets” and “tortious interference with contract” for posting the spoiler info. The suit was dismissed Jan. 13 when Early agreed to identify his “Survivor” leaker.
Early says he made contact with Hantz — considered one of the most villainous and cunning players in “Survivor” history — after Hantz taped the 19th and 20th installments of the series.
They struck up a phone relationship, and Early gave Hantz his phone number in case he “ever wanted to talk,” according to the report.
After Early posted some of Hantz’s “Survivor” leaks online, Hantz “just started coming out and telling me what happened: who was leaving, who won challenges,” Early says.
Hantz, who was unavailable for comment, has answered back on his Facebook page.
“that missyae is the same person that said kimbo slice and carrie prejean was on survivor 22 lmao!! I never seen them lol,” he wrote on Jan. 22.
“As the show has progressed in years and the Internet has grown in scope, the number of these [spoiler] sites has increased with periodic claims of unauthorized leaks from people connected to the show,” CBS said in a statement.
“We’ve investigated some of these claims. Each time, we’ve peeled back the curtain to find a subculture of the show with fans/bloggers simultaneously networking and competing with each other for spoiler information . . .
“Outwit, outplay, outlast. It happens more than just on the air.”
