The poker player got played.
But the professional cards player never saw the bluff coming.
Why did it all go wrong?
Ronnie Bardah on ‘Survivor: Island of the Idols’.Robert Voets/CBS
Whats his biggest regret?
And how much does it sting the competitor to be the first one out?
Read on to see what Ronnie had to say.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I know youre a competitive guy.
The thing about poker is you have many chances to win and to play the game.
you’re free to get knocked out and you could make up the next morning and play again.
Well, inSurvivor95 percent of us only have about one shot, one time to play.
So it really stunk.
Of course it hurts.
Same with Tom., We call them Tell Boxes in poker they just couldnt hold it.
They just really gave it away in their facial expression.
And I kind of knew something was going on.
I wasnt a hundred percent sure, obviously, but my radar was on.
I just looked at both of them and they really couldnt look me in the eye.
No excuses, but I didnt develop the relationships I needed to make in those few first days.
And its really crucial.
Things go by pretty quickly.
Although, you know,Survivortime, three days feels like a month.
But I just didnt get it done.
You seemed focused on getting Elaine out but then it switched to Vince.
Why?Well, Tom wasnt really budging.
I remember that that conversation actually lasted a lot longer and she had a lot to say.
So we just directed the votes on Vince.
Basically the opposite of me.
My whole life Ive been well received in the poker world and my community everywhere.
But out there in those first few days I felt that I knew what the perception of me was.
She was able to win over the crowd and I wasnt.
She won the race out there in those first couple of days.
So to answer your question: No, I didnt believe it.
I wish they showed that because that was really the turning point.
Also, we had a lot of fun out there.
We were chatting it up one night of the first night we were out there.
I was beatboxing and everyone was rapping and we also just cracked a lot of jokes.
I mean, there was a lot of good times, a lot of funny moments.
But they never showed me really smiling at all.
I looked pretty menacing and pretty mean to be honest.
I was laughing a bunch that night and there were some cool conversations.
They only have a certain time.
Now youre watching on TV maybe getting to see some other things.
When I was speaking to her, I actually meant what I said to her.
I wasnt pulling a fast one on her.
When I said, Listen, I got your back, it was the truth.
And she had a really, really bad read on me.
But watching me saying it to her, it did look a little disingenuous.
It looked a little off.
My reputation in the poker world and life alone is literally the polar opposite of a weasel.
Im the most trusted, outgoing, nice, friendliest person you’ve got the option to meet.
And people literally trust me with their first newborn.
I mean its insane how I was framed and how the tribe viewed me.
But I really came off that way.
And thats how the cookie crumbled at that point.
I had to really mend the relationships, especially with the women in the tribe.
And, unfortunately, I just didnt have time to do so.
You never got to make it to Island of the idols.
But did you know Boston Rob from poker circles at all?Ive seen Boston Rob.
And Im from Brockton.
And Sandra is from Stamford, Connecticut.
My first girlfriend was from Bridgeport and she had family in Stanford that was Puerto Rican.
I know the Puerto Rican culture.
I grew up in it for seven years.
Its unfortunate and it would have made for great TV.
Before coming out, I got pretty sick.
I saw a few doctors and there was no proof of any illness or whatever.
And I took antibiotics that were prescribed that I wasnt sure that would help.
And they really wiped me out.
It is with no excuses.
I dont want to sound like it was excuses, but it was a real thing.
I felt pain all day.
It was a threshold 10 and I wasnt able to be my genuine self.
You cant really change that.
So timing is everything.
But if I could change anything, I guess I wouldve smiled a lot more.
So it was really me, Karishma, and Aaron versus those three.
But to touch upon the sickness thing, I wasnt completely myself out there.
The timing was just off.
I dont live with regrets.
Im a guy who if something happens.
I own it and thats all it is.
But to be honest, thats what the real truth is.
Check out an exclusiveSurvivordeleted scene above.
Also, verify to alsoread our full recapas well as premiere episodeQ&A with host Jeff Probst.
And for moreSurvivorscoop, follow Dalton on Twitter@DaltonRoss.
