WSOP Bracelet Winner Ronnie Bardah Rumored for Next Season of 'Survivor'
The hit CBS show Survivor wrapped its 38th season on Wednesday, and it was at that time the theme for the fall season was revealed. Survivor: Island of the Idols will see two legends of the game return — two-time winner Sandra Diaz-Twine and "Boston" Rob Mariano — to coach 20 new castaways.
According to Inside Survivor, a site known for sharing behind-the-scenes information about the show, professional poker player Ronnie Bardah will be a contestant on the new season.
If the rumor proves true (the official cast has not been released by CBS), Bardah would join Jean-Robert Bellande and Garrett Adelstein as former poker pros who have competed on the show. Jackie Glazier also recently appeared on the Australian version of the show, one of a few examples of poker players appearing on Survivor outside the U.S.
However, Bardah would arguably be the biggest poker name to appear on Survivor as both Bellande and Adelstein mainly rose to poker prominence after their time on the show. Bardah has more than $1.3 million in lifetime earnings including $182,088 for winning the 2012 World Series of Poker Event #40: $2,500 Limit Hold'em for a gold bracelet.
Bardah, a renowned beatboxer, also made his mark by cashing the WSOP Main Event a record five years in a row from 2010-2014.
The Boston Rob Connection
If Diaz-Twine is the queen of Survivor, then "Boston" Rob Mariano is the king. He's played four times starting with Survivor: Marquesas way back in 2002. While he didn't fare well in his debut, he returned for Survivor: All-Stars where he finished second to Amber Brkich, who would become his wife and to whom he is still married.
Mariano came back for Survivor: Heroes vs. Villians in 2010, but it wasn't until his stint in 2011's Survivor: Redemption Island that he'd finally win and capture a $1 million prize.
Interestingly, Mariano has a poker background, which begs the question if he'll recognize, and possibly work with, Bardah.
Mariano has amassed $145,070 in lifetime poker winnings and is a regular at Jason Somerville's Run It Up Reno. It was there back at RIU Reno II that he took down an $85 All In or Fold tournament for $5,051. In 2016, he also won two side events at the PokerStars Festival New Jersey. On top of it all, Mariano is friends with Daniel Negreanu, a fan of the show himself.
The new season of Survivor, which has already filmed, won't premiere until September. Fans will have to wait until an official CBS announcement to see if Bardah will actually be on the show as all Survivor contestants are barred from discussing the game.
That said, it's probably no coincidence that Survivor Season 39 filmed for 39 days from late March until late April. As it happens, Bardah's Twitter account went radio silent for that exact period of time.
PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
