There have been many players before that lied and schemed to advance, and they knew Russell was voted top 5 villians of all time. Not to mention most didn't trust him from the beginning. Yet they were powerless to do anything about it.
I think the key to Russell is chaos, which he creates because he thrives in it.
While others get nervous and insecure in chaos, needing desperately to 'trust' someone or something that will help bring order and hopefully a safe haven, Russell exploits that need and vulnerable state.
He reads people very well, and acting on that, he is a bit like a predator. He waits for someone to come up lame, then offers security. As a result, they feel safer and stop playing the game. Why not, he's shown he's not too trustworthy, but now they feel things are under control and things are safe again, and they are getting what they want, security.
That's where they lose. I've come to believe it's their own insecurities that they should be upset and looking at, not Russell for exploiting them. If people wouldn't get so rattled and have such a need to suppress chaos, and 'trust' people so they can feel more secure, they could play Russell or people like him to their advantage.
Yet at some point or another, most grabbed on to him in their time of need, and predictably got chewed up and spit out. They felt foolish and completely embarrassed on nat'l tv, acting like 5 year old's because not what russell did, but because ultimately they are cowards amidst chaos and uncertainty.
That's not to say the Russell should have won the game...the game is what it is. Russell is a master tho, and when you rip someone open so wide and expose their vulnerabilities to so many people, they will lash out to protect their image, to show people they supposedly are 'stronger'.
Truth is, Russell never physically hurt anyone, never cheated, and never broke any rules in the game. Ok, don't vote for him, but pull the stick out of your @ss, jury!