Vladislav Gavrikov, a defenseman for the New York Rangers, recently fulfilled a childhood aspiration by participating in a Russian reality television competition. His episode of "Fort. Vozvrashchenie legendy," a modern take on the classic French game show "Fort Boyard," aired in Russia on Sunday.
Gavrikov spent a single day filming the show during his offseason, an experience he described as "f—king amazing." He had watched the show frequently growing up and was eager to participate.
"When I grew up, it was so popular, I was watching it every single weekend," Gavrikov said. "Like, so many actors there, athletes, just famous people around. And then we got invited there, I was like, ‘This is f—king amazing.’ Obviously, I’m going."
Gavrikov's primary concern before agreeing to appear was the potential for injury. "My biggest concern was can [I] get injured somehow? Because I do know sometimes you have to climb and everything, sometimes it can be dangerous. So I reached out to them and was like, ‘Are you going to make sure it’s not going to be crazy?’ They said it’s going to be fine."
During the competition, Gavrikov and his fellow contestants were reportedly required to eat a platter of insects. He helped his team win 350,000 rubles for charity.