Ronnie Bardah

Ronnie Bardah, Self: Survivor. Ronnie Bardah is an actor, known for Survivor (2000), Shark Cage (2014) and Live at the Bike (2004). Ronnie Bardah has won 1 bracelets and 0 rings for total earnings of $831,664. See all events where they placed in-the-money.

Ronnie Bardah has won 1 bracelets and 0 rings for total earnings of $831,664. See all events where they placed in-the-money. Sep 26, 2019 Ronnie Bardah used the powers of observation he learned on the poker circuit to guide his gameplay on Survivor: Island of the Idols. But the professional cards player never saw the bluff coming.

Table Of Contents

On Wednesday night, Season 39 of the CBS reality show Survivor premiered. For poker fans, the highlight of Survivor: Island of the Idols, was the casting of World Series of Poker bracelet winnerRonnie Bardah. Unfortunately, his time on the show was short as he was the first player voted off after three days in the game.

To put that in perspective, in his record five-year run Bardah spent more time in the WSOP Main Event than he did on Survivor.

“I was blindsided pretty hard,” Ronnie said in his exit interview. “I did not expect that.”

The 35-year-old poker pro was voted out 7-2 with fellow castaway Aaron Meredith the only member of the Lairo tribe to side with Ronnie.

“I thought I was contributing to my tribe and it just sucks. It’s pretty embarrassing to be voted out first,” Ronnie continued. “It’s a pretty big disappointment to the poker world and to myself. But hey, I made some mistakes and in the game of poker you gotta learn from your mistakes.”

Where’d He Go Wrong

In the 90-minute premiere, Ronnie wasn't shown much until he crossed paths with Kentucky factory worker Elaine. Ronnie stated that a tip he likes to give poker players is to sit and watch the competition, which he employed on Survivor and before coming to the conclusion that Elaine was super likable and therefore the biggest threat.

Even so, he and Elaine had a private conversation on the beach in which the two discussed working together, though it turned out they were only bluffing one another.

“I don’t trust Ronnie. He’s got to go,” Elaine said after the meeting.

After the Lairo tribe lost the immunity challenge – one in which Ronnie proved his prowess with a grappling hook – the politicking began. Ronnie and others campaigned against Elaine, and it looked as if either her or Vince, the show’s first-ever Hmong player, would be the first to go.

However, by the time tribal council rolled around the tide had turned against Ronnie. Earlier in the episode, the females of Lairo formed an all-women alliance, which appeared to remain intact as all the females on the tribe, excluding Elizabeth (she lost her vote in a side story of the episode) cast their vote for Ronnie.

Speaking of the tribal council, the show’s edit poked fun at Ronnie by highlighting a speech in which he recounted his past jobs which included:

• McDonald’s
• Layaway manager at Walmart
• Sears Automotive
• Bartender
• Bickford’s
• Newspaper delivery
• Stock market
• Crypto currency
• Casino game dealer
• “Attempted to kickbox in Thailand a few different times”

Playing Too Fast Too Early

Ronnie’s exit was atypical of the first Survivor boot. Usually, tribes elect to vote off weaker players. In Season 39, the Lairo tribe obviously went the other way and instead targeted a “weasel,” as Elaine described Ronnie.

He played too fast too early and paid the price by having his torch snuffed.

“Ronnie is a sharp guy and if we started over and played again he might have a very different result.'

In regards to his short time on the show, long-time host Jeff Probsttold Entertainment Weekly’sDalton Ross the following:

“Ronnie is a sharp guy and if we started over and played again he might have a very different result. But if there is a general lesson about first impressions and first moves, maybe it’s this: You can’t win the game on day one, but you can definitely lose the game.”

Despite his early exit, Bardah ended on a high note: “Coming on ‘Survivor’ definitely wasn’t about just the money. You know, a million dollars is great, but you can’t put a price on an experience like this.”

Bardah's exit continues the streak of poker players having a rough go on the US-version of Survivor. Both Anna Khait and Garrett Adelstein were voted off early, while Jean-Robert Bellande continues to hold the distinction of going the furthest making the jury in Survivor: China an ultimately lasting until Day 24.

Survivor: Island of the Idols airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c on CBS.

_{Photo credit: CBS}

• Tags

  Jean Robert BellandeRonnie BardahPoker on TVSurvivor

• Related Players

  Ronnie Bardah

Table Of Contents

Poker fans tuning in to the season premiere of hit reality show 'Survivor' on Sept. 25 will get to see a familiar face: Ronnie Bardah. While Bardah's participation has been all but confirmed for months since a May leak, news officially hit the wire last week that he's a contestant.

Reached through a CBS executive, Bardah agreed to an interview. While he's forbidden from revealing particulars of his time in Fiji for 'Survivor: Island of the Idols', he did fill PokerNews in last week on the process of becoming a contestant, how things have been in the intervening months after filming, and what his plans are once the season starts.

See Full List On Pokerdb.thehendonmob.com

From Fan to Player

While Bardah counts himself a 'Survivor' super fan at this point, it hasn't always been that way.

The long-running series first aired way back in 2000, when it helped kick off the reality TV craze. Bardah remembers watching the first few seasons before 'life and other things' pulled him away. When fellow poker player Anna Khait was cast in Season 32, which aired in 2016, Bardah dove back into the popular show.

'I would consider myself a huge fan,' he said. 'I really started watching it again. I went back in the archives and watched almost every season.'

Around Season 35 or Season 36, Bardah applied to be a contestant. He submitted a tape and 'Survivor' executives liked what they saw. They gave Bardah a buzz and told him he'd been selected for final auditions in Los Angeles.

'You're not allowed to talk to anybody.'

Ronnie Bardah Net Worth

There, Bardah went through a rigorous, multi-step selection process. It began with interviews, with Bardah explaining why he wanted to be on 'Survivor'. The secrecy starts right away.

'You're not allowed to talk to anybody,' Bardah said. 'You can look at them, but you can't speak.'

Would-be survivors who pass the initial interviews undergo psychological and physical testing. The culling continues day after day until the seven-day trial is finished. Even if you complete the entire process, Bardah said, you're still in the dark, waiting months until you find out if you're selected.

Preparing to Survive

While he waited over the next several months, the longtime grinder said he continued playing poker, about 30 hours per week at the limit and no-limit tables in L.A.

Ronnie Bardah Poker

'You can't just say, I'm going on 'Survivor', I'm gonna stop life,' Bardah said. 'I had to keep grinding, of course.'

Despite the lack of clarity, he felt good about his chances. He began doing a bit of light prep. For instance, he began learning how to make fire with flint and a machete. He engaged in an eight-day fast consuming only water to see how he'd do with no food.

He drilled key skills like building a shelter and fishing.

In February, he found out he'd been selected, with filming set for March and April. At that point, he and his family had to sign non-disclosure agreements and the full-on secrecy began.

Bardah signed up for a 'Survivor' camp of sorts in Florida, where he said he got one-on-one lessons in the skills he'd need for the show. He drilled key skills like building a shelter and fishing while getting used to things like sleeping on the ground.

Ronnie Bardah (@ronnie_bardah) • Instagram Photos And Videos

According to Bardah, there was a bit of wink-wink with the camp's mastermind, who'd often playfully ask Bardah what the lessons were for and whether he was going to be on 'Survivor.'

'I don't know what you're talking about, bro,' Bardah dutifully responded.

Bardah also worked hard to get into shape — but not too good of shape.

'You don't wanna be in sick shape,' he explained. 'You want some fat on you.'

A 'Feel Player' in His Element

Shortly after filming, Bardah headed to Las Vegas for his yearly pilgrimage to the World Series of Poker, where he has earned about two-thirds of his $1.3 million in cashes, including his 2012 bracelet win in a six-max limit event.

At that point, the cat was out of the bag regarding his participation in the show, and Bardah said he received plenty of playful ribbing from his fellow players. Many tried getting a read on his success or failure, so Bardah had his guard up at all times.

'I was buying action during the Main, so they said, 'Oh, you must have won,' Bardah said with a laugh. 'People were busting my balls in the hallway. It was tough [to keep it under wraps], for sure.'

Asked how he expected his poker skills to translate to the show, Bardah wouldn't even say whether he informed his fellow contestants of his background. He did, however, explain that being a self-described 'feel player' made him a natural.

'I know all poker players have an advantage because of the life that we live,' he said. 'Being able to perceive how people perceive you...I'm not really a fundamentalist. I don't study sims. I'm a huge feel player so I knew going into 'Survivor' those skills would be huge for me.

'I know what people want to hear. I know how to integrate myself into certain social crowds. I'm friends with all walks of life. I knew that I'd come in and I'd crush.'

Previous poker players to play experienced modest success at best. None of Khait, Jean-Robert Bellande and Garrett Adelstein even made it into the final 50% of their respective seasons. Will Bardah break the mold and show poker players have what it takes to compete in the famed show?

'I know all poker players have an advantage because of the life that we live.'

The 'crush' comment may provide a clue, as could Bardah's plans for watching the coming season, which checks in as the 39th in the long history of 'Survivor'.

'I'm just gonna do it with really, really close friends who are as big of fans as I am,' he said when asked his plans for the premiere. 'We're just doing a thing in L.A. I'm gonna do some parties for the later episodes.'

Maybe that's a hint that Bardah will be in Fiji for a long stay. Then again, Bardah's still a poker player, so perhaps it could be a bluff.

'Survivor: Island of the Idols' premieres Sept. 25 on CBS with a 90-minute episode, starting at 8 p.m. EST. Tune in then to track Ronnie Bardah's progress on the show.

• Tags

  Ronnie BardahPoker PlayersPoker on TV

• Related Players

  Ronnie Bardah