Many of Kevin Martin’s fans know him from the poker world and his YouTube content, but he made his start in the entertainment realm as a reality television star. All in all, Martin has popped up on two different reality competition series and three separate seasons. What were they, and how did he do?
Martin is Canadian and lives in Calgary, Alberta, meaning his stints on TV have all been in series north of the U.S. border. He debuted on reality TV in 2015 as one of 16 houseguests battling it out on Big Brother Canada season 3. He was 22 at the time and already in the poker space, and from the jump, it was clear that Martin was a triple threat — strategic, social, and competitive. He staved off elimination early by winning the Power of the Veto in week 2 and Head of Household in week 3. Martin spent most of his time in the house getting close to Pilar Nemer, a showmance that turned into marriage in 2022. The two have since split.
Martin won one more Head of Household and Power of Veto before being shown the front door on day 49. He was a victim of the season’s triple eviction night and finished in ninth place. Despite his early exit, Martin wasn’t done with the franchise — not by a long shot. He returned in 2017 for Big Brother Canada season 5, an iteration that featured eight fan-favorite veterans and eight beginners. This time, Martin was all business. Instead of focusing on a showmance that painted a big target on his back, he forged relationships with several houseguests and, bolstered by seven competition victories, the then-24-year-old was crowned Big Brother Canada 5’s champion.
Martin was a force to be reckoned with in all realms of gameplay. He held off from winning competitions during the first four weeks, making way for his allies in “The Core Six” to keep him off the block. Week 5 is when he really ramped things up, winning key Head of Households and Power of Vetos, including four of the final five competitions. He never sat in front of his fellow houseguests as a nominee on eviction night, and the jury unanimously awarded him the trophy and grand prize over runner-up Karen Singbeil.
That was the last we saw of Martin on reality TV until he joined the inaugural cast of The Traitors Canada in 2023. It was another roster with only Canadians, half of whom were from reality shows ranging from Survivor to The Amazing Race Canada while the other half was new to the limelight. Martin was a Faithful, and his job was to suss out the secret Traitors among the cast. Before his demise, Martin was one of the show’s main narrators, and he flexed his perceptive chops by clocking one of the Traitors — Melissa Best — from the get-go. But, he was ultimately banished in episode 6, placing 11th overall.
That’s the last show Martin’s been on. If fans follow him on social media nowadays, they’ll see that the 31-year-old is all in on his poker and content creation career. Is another reality show in the cards for Martin? Only time will tell.
