Russell started out the game making bold predictions being cocky and condescending about everyone. Most everyone hated him (viewers that is.)
However he won viewers over imo (incl. me) when he backed just about every one of those up. He mastered the game like he said he could, showed how inept strategically everyone else was, and he made it to the final like he said he would.
He unfortunately didn't back up winning tho, and even tho dominating everyone else may not have been popular, I think if he made a different choice for who he took to the final, and had a better speech, he would have won. Not to mention, he worked extremely hard while others did yoga, etc., lol.
The only one Natalie outplayed was the rat, and that was luck because it was one of the few living species around more stupid than she was. She won mostly because of luck, which is important to have in the game......but she was the least bad choice in some people's eyes and that's unfortunate.