Russell Swan

Russell Swan is a contestant on and.

A charismatic leader, Russell led the Galu tribe to dominate the tribal phase of the competition, though he was abruptly pulled from the game in one of the show's scariest eliminations.

Profile
At 5’11” and 220 “semi-solid” pounds, this attorney spends his working hours suing companies and individuals who violate environmental laws. In addition to practicing law, Russell enjoys spending time with his wife and five-year-old daughter and watching independent films.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Russell’s father fell victim to layoffs at a local steel mill and struggled to support his family. Forced to move into Section 8 housing, his parents eventually divorced but the separation did not weaken any of his relationships, including the one he shared with his parents. Russell’s hero is his dad whom he says, “really loved his family and was a perfect example of what a husband should be to his wife, and what a dad should be to his child.”

Despite tumultuous circumstances (or as a result of), Russell has been attracted to jobs with responsibilities ranging from environmental protection, minority youth education advocacy and representation for homeless individuals. He is a dedicated father and a loving husband and describes a perfect day as spending time with his daughter and ending the day by “talking” privately with his wife.

A passionate man, Russell cannot stand hearing over-generalizations about specific groupings of people and avoids discussing topics relating to race and sexuality because he feels that others usually have a hard time dealing with his conversation style.

Always prepared to joke and laugh at himself, Russell is willing to go to drastic lengths for a million dollars in order to win including making a vow to cut off his dreadlocks if he wins the title of sole SURVIVOR.

Survivor: Samoa
Upon arriving to Samoa, Russell was placed on the purple tribe of Galu. Russell was elected leader by his tribemates, but was reluctant to accept the position. At camp, Russell's managed to lead his tribe quite well despite being faced with many difficult decisions he had to make and his leadership skills encouraged Galu to win challenge after challenge. Seeing Shambo's dismal performance around camp and in challenges, he sent the already alienated Shambo to be the observer of the Foa Foa tribe twice in a row and making her miss out on reward. When the downpour came in the second quarter of the game, Russell began to increase his work quota. This proved to be almost fatal when Russell was evacuated and almost died during a challenge when his heart rate plunged. He was sad to leave but knew he couldn't die because his family needed him.

Trivia

 * Russell is the eighth Survivor contestant to be removed due to injury or medical condition, following Michael Skupin, Bruce Kanegai, Gary Stritesky, Jonathan Penner, James Clement, Joe Dowdle, and Mike Borassi.
 * Russell's evacuation was so severe, this incident marked the first time a challenge has cancelled while underway, with neither tribe winning.
 * Russell currently holds the record as a returnee who lasted the least amount of days (15) in his debut season.
 * Russell is one of five castaways (the others being Rob Mariano, Shii Ann Huang, Bobby Jon Drinkard and Michael Skupin) that returned for a second season despite not being a member of the merged tribe or the jury in their original season.