Fans have been pretty loud with their complaints about the Survivor Season 50 cast, but a lot of former players have been pretty forward with their critiques too. By all accounts, it was a grueling, nearly year-long casting process, and a lot of those who were ultimately cut didn't appreciate allegedly being made to believe they would make the show. Others who weren't strongly considered have voiced their own issues too, with many extremely frustrated by the lack of representation from earlier seasons, among other things. I'm not sure any former players have been as forward as legendary villain Russell Hantz was this morning though.

The two time Survivor finalist took to social media to unload earlier today. He retweeted a series of messages from fans saying he should be on the show, then quote tweeted another saying he's not interested in the New Era BS. Finally, he composed his own message where he accused host Jeff Probst of ruining the show. You can read his quote below...

There seems to be some hurt feelings on Russell Hantz's end about not being on the Survivor 50 cast. It's unclear if he was ever even seriously considered, as there weren't rumors about him returning. Given his status as a legendary player, it's easy to see why he'd be bothered. He's probably among the ten most famous players in the game's history and definitely one of the most talked about non-winners ever. It's weird he seemingly wouldn't even be considered for a milestone season.

If you're part of the Survivor fanbase, however, you also know his critique of Jeff Probst isn't exactly shocking. The on-camera personality and producer is the only host the American version of the show has ever known, but over the last five years in particular, his popularity amongst many fans has plummeted thanks to a series of unpopular gameplay changes.

The show moved from 39 days to 26 days, a choice that has near universal fan and player disapproval. A steady stream of advantages, idols and unexpected twists have also become a regular fixture of the game, which can often cause shock eliminations for players who had seemingly put themselves into a good position. There's also a perception that the show is fixated on talking about the trauma and tragic backstories of players and puts a huge emphasis on showing them overcome obstacles, which is a different tone than what the show started with.

All of the fan and former player frustration over these issues has really come to a head the past few days, as the Survivor 50 cast features 12 players from the so-called New Era. That's Seasons 41 through 49, which are the recent entries Probst has loudly championed and which many fans see as products of his desire to move the show into what he seems to view as a more socially conscious and uplifting direction filled with more heroes than villains.

Personally, I agree with some of the complaints about Probst and disagree with some of the complaints. Yeah, the game should be longer, feature less advantages, cast less superfans and stop trying to change the world, but the show is still one of my favorites on television. Many of the changes and new additions over the years like immunity idols and more elaborate challenges have been positive, and it's undeniable that some of the New Era players and some entire seasons have been fantastic. There was also no way to put together a cast of 24 players everyone was going to be happy with. That was always an impossible task.

Ultimately, what matters more than anything else is how Survivor 50 turns out. There have been all-star seasons that have been among the best in the show's history (Heroes vs Villains and Cambodia) and ones that have been... not great (All-Stars and Game Changers). Obviously the cast plays a huge role in that, but it's really more about how the cast fits with each other. If it were up to me, I would have picked Russell, Abi-Maria, Jerri and a few others at the expense of the former winners and some New Era players, but if this season turns out great, all this casting controversy will be forgotten entirely.

As for Russell Hantz, it's unclear what the next steps might be for him. I can't imagine being so direct with his opinions about Jeff will make it more likely he gets cast in future seasons. I've heard a lot of fans talk about how they'd like to see him on The Traitors; so, fingers crossed he goes down that road.