Former Atlanta Braves closer John Rocker will be one of the new contestants that will compete for big money on CBS’s reality show Survivor: San Juan del Sur — Blood vs. Water.
Rocker and his girlfriend Julie McGee are two of the players announced by Entertainment Weekly earlier Wednesday.
Rocker pitched for the Atlanta Braves in the 1999 World Series against the Yankees. He is best known for his controversial comments regarding New York.
He was asked in a Sports Illustrated article whether he would ever consider playing in New York and was quoted as saying, “I’d retire first. It’s the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 train to the ballpark looking like you’re [riding through] Beirut next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It’s depressing… The biggest thing I don’t like about New York are the foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?”
According to Entertainment Weekly, Rocker is not worried that other contestants will hold his comments against him, “I see these folks that I’m getting ready to play this game with as very similar to the 13 years of professional baseball that I played, and the teammates that I played with. Some of my biggest supporters after that SI debacle were my current and past teammates.”
Survivor: San Juan Del Sur kicks off with a 90-minute premiere on Thursday, Sept. 24.
