He Was Awarded the PURPLE HEART and Now He's Generating MILLIONS of Views

PicklePod 2.0 is presented by Marek Health. Use our code THEDINK for 10% off your $299 Intake Assessment at https://MarekHealth.com/

The funniest guy in pickleball has a story you probably didn’t see coming.

This week on the PicklePod, we sit down with Evan Slaughter (@fit2serve1) — creator, comedian, CrossFit athlete, and Purple Heart recipient — to unpack the journey behind the viral videos.

Before the stinky dinky… before the shirtless skits… before the millions of views… there was Afghanistan.

Evan opens up about:

- Serving as an infantryman in Afghanistan

- Surviving an IED explosion and receiving a Purple Heart

- Struggling with opioid addiction after returning home

- Learning pickleball in rehab

- How humor helped him heal

- Turning TikTok videos into a full-time career

- Creator vs pro influence in the paddle world

- The business side of brands like Volair Pickleball

- The future of pickleball in pop culture (including Apple TV+’s upcoming pickleball movie)

This episode goes way deeper than social media clips. It’s about resilience, recovery, and how pickleball can literally change a life.

If you’ve ever laughed at a Fit2Serve video, this is the story behind it.

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Follow Evan at https://www.instagram.com/fit2serve1/

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0:00 The only 8.0 player in the world

3:33 When will Anna Leigh steal Big H?

5:59 The greatest motivator in pro pickleball

10:23 Women’s doubles matchup we’ve been waiting for

15:10 Is Anna Leigh bad for the game?

19:36 Evan Slaughter joins the podcast

22:04 Purple Heart heroics

32:32 He discovered pickleball in rehab

38:37 Who moves more paddles, pros or creators?

46:10 Evan should be the lead in The Dink movie

56:17 Pickleball marathon and the 11 beer challenge

1:03:37 Evan’s new signature shot

1:09:03 Is celebrating after the dome shot bad etiquette?

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