"I've got bad luck": Battle Camp's Louis Russell reacts to surprise elimination

Battle Camp, the latest reality competition series on Netflix that premiered on April 23, 2025, brings together contestants from different shows across the platform in a summer-camp-style setting, complete with physical challenges and strategic gameplay. One twist in the show’s format is the elimination wheel, which adds a game of chance element to the otherwise competitive structure.

In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant published on April 24, 2025, Too Hot To Handle and Perfect Match alum Louis Russell opened up about his experience on the show and his unexpected exit. Louis was eliminated early in episode 5 of the Battle Camp after the wheel landed on his name, despite not receiving any elimination votes himself. Reflecting on the moment, he shared:

“I’ve got bad luck. So when I heard that wheel, I was like, ‘there’s nothing I can do.’”

Louis was joined by Cheer star Gabi Butler, who was also eliminated by chance. The two spoke about how the random element affected their game and how they felt about being voted out by their own teammates.

---

Battle Camp stars Louis and Gabi reflect on their early elimination

Louis Russell and Gabi Butler joined Battle Camp from different types of shows, Gabi came from a cheerleading background, while Louis was known from dating reality shows. Even though they used their physical and social skills in the beginning, both were taken out because of the wheel, not because they lost a challenge or were voted out by the group.

“The way I got voted out as well is crazy because I didn’t vote. Getting done by your own teammate is even worse,” Louis said in the interview.

Louis later found out that Trey Plutnicki, who had helped him earlier in the game, was the one who voted for him.

“Trey taught me how to juggle! He put intelligence in my brain and then used it against me,” he said.

Gabi also shared how the wheel changed everything, saying that it took "one bad spin" and she was out. They both felt that getting eliminated had nothing to do with how well they played. Gabi shared that it was hard for her to vote out team members. She said she would have rather voted for herself than for someone else.

---

Would they return to Battle Camp?

Even though Gabi and Louis were eliminated early, both said they would return for another season of Battle Camp if some parts of the game changed.

“I would do it all over again with that same group… but without the wheel,” Gabi said.

She felt the format didn’t give her enough time to compete or connect with others before she had to leave. Louis also said he would come back as well. He explained that Too Hot To Handle didn’t help much with the physical parts of Battle Camp, but he still liked being part of the show and trying something new.

Louis added that the show was very different from what he had done before, and he couldn’t use some of his usual strengths, like flirting, which made the game harder to predict. Both shared that luck had a big role in the game. Louis talked about how Gabi had a feeling she might be voted out.

"I remember she was like, "I'm going." I'm like, what? She's like, don't worry. I've got this brave face, but I just got a feeling...... She went, well, got put up once on the wheel. One name. One.” he said.

---

Fans can watch the latest episodes of Battle Camp streaming on Netflix.