Each weekday, EW will post the answers from a different player.
Getting voted out ofSurvivorfirst sucks.
But you know what sucks even more?
Ronnie Bardah on ‘Survivor: Island of the Idols’.Robert Voets/CBS
When it is insult being added onto injury.
Kellyn and I went to Thailand for a meditation/yoga retreat.
We hadn’t even heard of COVID.
Ronnie Bardah on ‘Survivor: Island of the Idols’.Robert Voets/CBS
Soon after we arrived in Asia, word of COVID began to spread.
Our parents, worried about our safety, urged us to return home.
My trip was cut short due to COVID, and I returned home to Vegas in early March.
Ronnie Bardah on ‘Survivor: Island of the Idols’.Robert Voets/CBS
During this pandemic, the sports card market has experienced a major boom.
I got back into sports card collecting, which is a passion of mine for nearly 30 years.
I would love to see aSurvivorseason filmed in Hoh Rain Forest in Washington State.
We live in such a beautiful country.
As for my poker career, the casinos reopened in August.
Obviously, I didn’t do so well onSurvivor, so I needed to pay the bills somehow!
Anyway, poker is going well.
What is your proudest moment ever from playingSurvivor?
Unfortunately, my time was cut short on the island.
First and foremost, I am proud that I was selected to be cast.
What is your biggest regret from yourSurvivorexperience?
Hands-down, my greatest regret is being the first boot.
I was unable to show my personality, strategize, and have a real opportunity to play the game.
I had really high hopes going in.
Never did I imagine being voted out first; nevertheless, it was a humbling experience.
A very brief encounter with Chelsea may have led to my downfall.
There was a moment on Day 2 where Chelsea approached me to discuss strategy.
However, as a poker player, I know how to endure losing and bounce back from those lows.
Although it wasn’t so painful, it looked terribly gruesome.
Elaine kept calling me “Bloody Mary,” which I thought was corny.
I’m a pretty decent beat-boxer.
It was a small, fun moment of tribal bonding.
How do you feel about the edit you got on the show?
What was it like coming back to regular society after being out there?
Was there culture shock or an adjustment coming back?
As for culture shock: Not really.
I’m used to disconnecting and traveling worldwide.
I’ve been to Thailand, Israel, and Australia for long stretches.
Well, guess what?
Word leaked on the internet that I was a player on the upcoming season ofSurvivor.
During the World Series, many fans approached me and asked if the rumors were true.
I had to keep a straight poker face and deny them.
I felt terrible knowing that people lost money betting on my success!
I don’t like to live life with regret.
A couple of months after casting finals occurred, I started feeling lower-left pelvic pain.
I went to a few different doctors, and none of them could figure out the problem.
They treated the symptoms as Prostatitis and other urinary issues.
I was given an array of different antibiotics to treat my questionable diagnosis.
After three courses of antibiotics and other forms of treatment, no doctor could tell me what was wrong.
I also conducted an eight-day water fast, which I figured would help me prepare forSurvivor.
Unfortunately, that did not ease the pain either.
Domenick Abbateand I have grown close over the last couple of years.
Getting the correct diagnosis was a grueling process.
Today, I’m feeling great.
Here’s a bitmore of my story here(link below).
Even since I wrote this story upon my return from Fiji, I have improved greatly.
Whom do you still talk, text, or email with the most from your season?
The great thing aboutSurvivoris it’s like a fraternity.
From my season: Missy Byrd, has become a close friend.
Jason Linden and I bonded on the pre-jury trip.
Jason and his wife Alexa just had a baby girl named Rory Bea.
Chelsea and I became friends on the pre-jury trip.
Lauren and I have also become friends.
She lives in L.A., and she’s an awesome girl.
Dean and I occasionally chat on the Instagram DM’s.
He’s become too popular and is hard to get a hold of.
Jamal will occasionally call me for poker lessons.
We’ve played in some online poker games together during this pandemic.
And then there’s Molly!
The first boot from her own tribe, Molly and I spent the most time together at Ponderosa.
Of course, only one season since mine has aired,Winners at War.
I enjoyed that season immensely.
My favorite season and one I would have liked to have played on wasCagayan.
It was a fun season with a cast of all newbies.
The battle between Tony and Spencer was fantastic.
Kass played an excellent strategic villain.
Each episode was unpredictable.
Who’s one player from anotherSurvivorseason you wish you could have played with or against and why?
That said, I do regard Russell as one of the greatest players of all time.
I’m also a huge fan of Jonathan Penner’s.
If you could make one change to any aspect ofSurvivor,what would it be and why?
In making a great season, casting is the Number One ingredient.
I would rather see the show return to its roots and focus on the social elements of the game.
Sometimes great players and characters get knocked out early, but those are the high stakes.
There were no Purple Kellys in theAustralian OutbackorAfrica.
Fans knew a ton about each player, even the earliest of boots.
Today, there are players who go deep into the game and get very little screen time.
For example, we hardly learned much about Angela or Chelsea fromGhost Island.
One aspect of the earlier seasons that has been lost on modern-daySurvivoris the time spent on rewards.
And then we’d cut to camp and see the resentful other players?
So in short, fewer advantages, more character development.
Finally, would you play again if asked?
Dealing with health issues, I did not get to play the game as my true self.
TheSurvivorworld has yet to see Ronnie Bardah at 100% play this game.
My story is left unfinished.
So would I play again?
I’m ready to go, baby!
