If you’re a fan of poker and the TV show Survivor, then we just made your weekend. Bracelet winner Ronnie Bardah is swapping the hoody and shades for a pair of swimming shorts and… well, nothing much else.
The 37-year-old, who won a World Series of Poker bracelet in Six-Max in 2012 for $182,088 is probably most well-known for finishing in the money in the Main Event for five years in a row from between 2010 and 2014, which still remains a record.
Poker players are well known for spreading their wings and enjoying their experiences on ‘reality TV’, such as Kevin Martin, who this week revealed that he has quit Twitch. Martin won Big Brother back in his native Canada, so will Bardah ‘survive’ long weeks of endurance, sun, sea and… segregated living quarters?
Bardah, who hails from Boston, is one of 20 participants in the show, and will be shooting for the million-dollar prize. The show, titled Survivor: Island of the Idols promises to push Bardah to the limits. Known to be a fan of hiking and kickboxing, those physical skills are nothing compared to the mental acuity he’ll need to outwit his opponents.
Putting himself on the show as a “poker pro”, Bardah is not the first poker player to take part in the show. Jean-Robert Bellande took part – yes, really – when he travelled to China to last three weeks before being voted out.
Another poker pro to take part in the show was Garrett Adelstein, who was part of Season 28 (!) of the show, Survivor: Cagayan. If Adelstein was a flop, then others ‘survived’ with plenty of credit. Finnish pro Ilari ‘Zigmund’ Sahamies came fourth in the series back in his home country of Finland, and Jackie Glazier followed suit in Australia, being the tenth competitor to be voted of the island back in 2018.
Here’s how Bardah announced his participation as he took to Twitter:
Yes!, the rumors are indeed true. I’m happy to announce that I will be on season 39 of @survivorcbs Island of the Idols! Premiering on Sept 25th! Let the games begin 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/BJFfZk0R0f
— Ronnie Bardah (@RonnieBardah) September 9, 2019
Someone will be opening a sportsbook on this at a casino near you very soon. For the rest of us, you can tune in via CBS from September 25th. How long you’ll be watching Ronnie Bardah in his speedos on Survivor: Island of the Idols just depends on how well he gets on with the other 19 players in the game.
