Jon Dalton
Encyclopedia
John Dalton, also known as Jonny Fairplay (born March 11, 1974), is a reality TV participant and former art consultant from Danville, Virginia
. He came in third place as a competitor on the reality TV show Survivor: Pearl Islands
. He also appeared in the sixteenth season of Survivor
, Survivor: Micronesia
, and was the first contestant voted out.
called "the greatest lie in Survivor history." Before Dalton left to compete on the show, he told a friend of his that if the friend were ever invited to Panama
as part of a loved-one-related challenge to tell Dalton that his grandmother had died. There was indeed such a challenge, and Dalton's friend told him, according to plan, that his grandmother had died. Probst has also publicly said:
On January 3, 2008, it was announced that Fairplay was the only pre-All-Stars
castaway who accepted an offer to join the tribe of returning contestants in Survivor: Micronesia
. Fairplay asked his tribe to vote him off so that he could return to his pregnant girlfriend.
Dalton did not participate in the Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains in 2010. When asked about the reason for this, Jeff Probst remarked, "The reason that Fairplay isn't here is that this season is called Heroes vs. Villains, not Survivor Quitters." Dalton acknowledged in a 2010 interview that there is animosity between himself and Probst, stating, "It's no secret that Jeff Probst hates me, and I don't go out of my way to be his friend either."
and his wife. He has also appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown
, Celebrity Fear Factor, and Camp Reality
Dalton is also under contract with Wizard World to appear at its Comic-Con
comic book conventions.
walked up to Fairplay and said, "They're booing because they hate you." When Fairplay subsequently jumped onto Bonaduce, Bonaduce flipped Fairplay over his head, slamming Fairplay to the floor, bloodying his face and reportedly causing the loss of teeth.
In a later interview with website TMZ, Fairplay stated he had filed a police report and that authorities were only waiting for a copy of the video before pressing charges against Bonaduce. On October 5, 2007, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Boxer announced that Danny Bonaduce would not be charged in the incident, stating that there was "insufficient evidence" that Bonaduce committed battery. He also noted that Bonaduce's "actions fell within the realm of self-defense" due to Fairplay having "initiated contact and act[ing] offensively" toward Bonaduce.
At the 2008 Reality Awards, Fairplay and Bonaduce joked about the previous year's altercation, with Fairplay kissing Bonaduce on the lips. Bonaduce then spit out an object that he joked was another one of Fairplay's teeth, before picking him up again, wishing the audience a good night, and carrying him off stage.
in 1998 in North Carolina
, and then moved to Oregon
where, as Jonny Fairplay, he started his own promotion, New Dimension Wrestling (not to be confused with a similarly named Carolinas' promotion with which he claimed to be affiliated). There he served as promoter and commentator. During this time, he also ran his own weekly online professional wrestling radio talk show, having various wrestlers on as guest commentators. He worked as a personal assistant for the professional wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
for a year and a half prior to Survivor.
After his first Survivor appearance, Dalton was signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
, where he appeared under the Jonny Fairplay moniker. In mid January, promo began airing hyping his debut in the company. He made his debut on January 21, but was interrupted by A.J. Styles
. The two feuded for several weeks, and on February 25, Fairplay brought in Lex Luger
to get revenge on Styles and cost him the NWA World Tag Team Championship
. He made brief, non-wrestling appearances in 2005 at both Final Resolution
and Destination X.
On October 7, 2006, Fairplay was defeated by Molly Holly
after a low blow and quick pin fall at a WCWA event. One month later, Fairplay and the Hardkore Kidd
defeated Frankie Kazarian
. Dalton also made an appearance in Ring of Honor
, an American professional wrestling promotion, on March 31, 2007 in Detroit, Michigan
.
On April 1, 2011, Fairplay made an appearance for Dragon Gate USA
, endorsing Jimmy Rave
as the promotion's next breakout star. After Rave was defeated in a match by Arik Cannon
, Fairplay entered the ring, confronted Cannon and got on the receiving end of his finishing maneuver, Total Anarchy.
On May 3, 2011, Jonny Fairplay appeared on the debut televised event of WFX Wrestling
in a backstage scene in which he swindled U-Gene
out of pocket money with a trick reminiscent of his famous Survivor lie. The following week Fairplay convinced U-Gene to sign a contract making Fairplay his 'manager slash best friend' promising to make him the biggest star in reality television. On the third episode of Overload, Fairplay is overheard by U-Gene while bragging about having stole all of his money. After chasing Fairplay to ringside, U-Gene was physically attacked by Fairplay before he revealed he had used his money to help male bodybuilder Jessie Godderz join the roster of WFX, a former Big Brother 11 houseguest.
in Danville, Virginia
, followed by college at Virginia Tech
in Blacksburg.
Dalton and his wife, Michelle Deighton, a contestant from WWE's Tough Enough
2011 and a fourth season contestant from America's Next Top Model
, had a daughter born in 2008, and lived in Providence, North Carolina
. Dalton announced that he was separating from Deighton on June 28, 2011 via Twitter
.
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
. He came in third place as a competitor on the reality TV show Survivor: Pearl Islands
Survivor: Pearl Islands
Survivor: Pearl Islands is the seventh season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2003 and debuted in the United States on CBS on September 18, 2003....
. He also appeared in the sixteenth season of Survivor
Survivor (TV series)
Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...
, Survivor: Micronesia
Survivor: Micronesia
Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites is the sixteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, being the show's third to include contestants from past seasons, after the all-returning contestant pool from Survivor: All-Stars, and Survivor: Guatemala in which...
, and was the first contestant voted out.
Survivor
On Survivor, Dalton constructed what host Jeff ProbstJeff Probst
Jeffrey Lee "Jeff" Probst is an American game show host, executive producer and a reporter. He is best known as the host of the U.S. version of the reality show Survivor.-Biography:...
called "the greatest lie in Survivor history." Before Dalton left to compete on the show, he told a friend of his that if the friend were ever invited to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
as part of a loved-one-related challenge to tell Dalton that his grandmother had died. There was indeed such a challenge, and Dalton's friend told him, according to plan, that his grandmother had died. Probst has also publicly said:
- "... [then] you have Jonny Fairplay, who's completely despicable. It was actually fun to work with Fairplay on the show because he's a producer's dream. When he shows up drunk or flips somebody off, he's bringing you gold every time. I wish we had a Jonny Fairplay every season. Personally, however, he's an absolute jackass whose actions at the Vanuatu finale after-party pissed me off so much that he's banned from any event that I'm at from now on. I'm done with Jonny Fairplay."
On January 3, 2008, it was announced that Fairplay was the only pre-All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars
Survivor: All-Stars is the eighth season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2003 and debuted in the United States on CBS on February 1, 2004 after Super Bowl XXXVIII. It was set on the Pearl Islands of Panama, where the previous Survivor: Pearl Islands had just finished...
castaway who accepted an offer to join the tribe of returning contestants in Survivor: Micronesia
Survivor: Micronesia
Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites is the sixteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, being the show's third to include contestants from past seasons, after the all-returning contestant pool from Survivor: All-Stars, and Survivor: Guatemala in which...
. Fairplay asked his tribe to vote him off so that he could return to his pregnant girlfriend.
Dalton did not participate in the Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains in 2010. When asked about the reason for this, Jeff Probst remarked, "The reason that Fairplay isn't here is that this season is called Heroes vs. Villains, not Survivor Quitters." Dalton acknowledged in a 2010 interview that there is animosity between himself and Probst, stating, "It's no secret that Jeff Probst hates me, and I don't go out of my way to be his friend either."
Other appearances
Dalton and his wife Michelle, appeared on The Celebrity Newlywed Game, on which he beat the Monkees' Davy JonesDavy Jones (actor)
David Thomas "Davy" Jones is an English rock singer-songwriter and actor best known as a member of the Monkees.-Early life:...
and his wife. He has also appeared on Celebrity Poker Showdown
Celebrity Poker Showdown
Celebrity Poker Showdown was a celebrity game show on the cable network Bravo. It was a limited-run series in which celebrities played poker, and ran eight tournaments during its five-season run....
, Celebrity Fear Factor, and Camp Reality
Camp Reality
Camp Reality is a reality show that appeared on Fox Reality Channel. It was hosted by Burton Roberts. Contestants included former reality stars Toni Ferrari, Adam Larson, Scott Long, Michelle Deighton, Jonny Fairplay, Coral Smith, Brennan Swain, Tammie Sheffield, Rebecca Cardon, John "JP" Palyok,...
Dalton is also under contract with Wizard World to appear at its Comic-Con
Comic-Con
Comic-Con, Comic Con or ComiCon may refer to any of the following Comic book conventions, none of them affiliated to any other:*San Diego Comic-Con International, annual fan convention in San Diego held since 1970, also known as Comic-Con or San Diego Comic-Con*Dallas Comic Con, annual fan...
comic book conventions.
Fox Reality Awards
On October 2, 2007, at the Fox Reality Really Awards, Fairplay was booed while speaking on stage, and when he asked the audience about this, actor and political commentator Danny BonaduceDanny Bonaduce
Dante Daniel "Danny" Bonaduce is an American radio/television personality, comedian, professional wrestler, and former child actor...
walked up to Fairplay and said, "They're booing because they hate you." When Fairplay subsequently jumped onto Bonaduce, Bonaduce flipped Fairplay over his head, slamming Fairplay to the floor, bloodying his face and reportedly causing the loss of teeth.
In a later interview with website TMZ, Fairplay stated he had filed a police report and that authorities were only waiting for a copy of the video before pressing charges against Bonaduce. On October 5, 2007, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Boxer announced that Danny Bonaduce would not be charged in the incident, stating that there was "insufficient evidence" that Bonaduce committed battery. He also noted that Bonaduce's "actions fell within the realm of self-defense" due to Fairplay having "initiated contact and act[ing] offensively" toward Bonaduce.
At the 2008 Reality Awards, Fairplay and Bonaduce joked about the previous year's altercation, with Fairplay kissing Bonaduce on the lips. Bonaduce then spit out an object that he joked was another one of Fairplay's teeth, before picking him up again, wishing the audience a good night, and carrying him off stage.
Professional wrestling career
Dalton started in professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
in 1998 in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and then moved to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
where, as Jonny Fairplay, he started his own promotion, New Dimension Wrestling (not to be confused with a similarly named Carolinas' promotion with which he claimed to be affiliated). There he served as promoter and commentator. During this time, he also ran his own weekly online professional wrestling radio talk show, having various wrestlers on as guest commentators. He worked as a personal assistant for the professional wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
for a year and a half prior to Survivor.
After his first Survivor appearance, Dalton was signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
, where he appeared under the Jonny Fairplay moniker. In mid January, promo began airing hyping his debut in the company. He made his debut on January 21, but was interrupted by A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. The two feuded for several weeks, and on February 25, Fairplay brought in Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
to get revenge on Styles and cost him the NWA World Tag Team Championship
NWA World Tag Team Championship
The National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship is the professional wrestling world tag team championship within the NWA framework.-History:...
. He made brief, non-wrestling appearances in 2005 at both Final Resolution
Final Resolution (2005)
Final Resolution was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on January 16, 2005 from the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the first annual event under the Final Resolution chronology...
and Destination X.
On October 7, 2006, Fairplay was defeated by Molly Holly
Nora Greenwald
Nora Kristina Greenwald , better known by her ring name Molly Holly, is an inactive American professional wrestler. Greenwald is best known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .Greenwald began her professional wrestling career in WCW, where she...
after a low blow and quick pin fall at a WCWA event. One month later, Fairplay and the Hardkore Kidd
Aaron Aguilera
Aaron Aguilera , is a Mexican American professional wrestler and actor best known as Jesús and Uno on World Wrestling Entertainment and MTV's Wrestling Society X...
defeated Frankie Kazarian
Frankie Kazarian
Frank B. Gerdelman is an Armenian-American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Frankie Kazarian or simply Kazarian. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. Dalton also made an appearance in Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
, an American professional wrestling promotion, on March 31, 2007 in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
On April 1, 2011, Fairplay made an appearance for Dragon Gate USA
Dragon Gate USA
Dragon Gate USA is an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2009 as an international expansion of the Japanese promotion Dragon Gate.Gabe Sapolsky, former head booker of Ring of Honor, serves as the promotion's Vice President....
, endorsing Jimmy Rave
Jimmy Rave
James Guffey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Jimmy Rave. He is best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
as the promotion's next breakout star. After Rave was defeated in a match by Arik Cannon
Arik Cannon
Arik Cannon is a professional wrestler known for competing in companies such as Chikara, Dragon Gate USA, IWA Mid-South, All American Wrestling and Wrestling Society X.-Career:...
, Fairplay entered the ring, confronted Cannon and got on the receiving end of his finishing maneuver, Total Anarchy.
On May 3, 2011, Jonny Fairplay appeared on the debut televised event of WFX Wrestling
WFX Wrestling
Wrestling Fan Xperience is a Canadian Professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2007. WFX specializes in producing live pro wrestling events that strive to provide a distinctive fan interactive experience as well as innovative concepts...
in a backstage scene in which he swindled U-Gene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
out of pocket money with a trick reminiscent of his famous Survivor lie. The following week Fairplay convinced U-Gene to sign a contract making Fairplay his 'manager slash best friend' promising to make him the biggest star in reality television. On the third episode of Overload, Fairplay is overheard by U-Gene while bragging about having stole all of his money. After chasing Fairplay to ringside, U-Gene was physically attacked by Fairplay before he revealed he had used his money to help male bodybuilder Jessie Godderz join the roster of WFX, a former Big Brother 11 houseguest.
Personal life
Dalton attended George Washington SchoolGeorge Washington High School (Danville, Virginia)
George Washington High School is a secondary school of Danville, Virginia. It is a member of the AAA Western Valley District. The school has approximately 2,000 students and 200 staff...
in Danville, Virginia
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
, followed by college at Virginia Tech
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
in Blacksburg.
Dalton and his wife, Michelle Deighton, a contestant from WWE's Tough Enough
WWE Tough Enough
WWE Tough Enough is a professional wrestling reality television program produced by WWE wherein participants undergo professional wrestling training and compete for a contract with WWE. There were two winners per season for the first three seasons, all of which aired on MTV...
2011 and a fourth season contestant from America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....
, had a daughter born in 2008, and lived in Providence, North Carolina
Providence, North Carolina
Providence may refer to the following places in North Carolina:*Providence, Caswell County, North Carolina*Providence, Granville County, North Carolina*Providence, McDowell County, North Carolina*Providence, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina...
. Dalton announced that he was separating from Deighton on June 28, 2011 via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
Filmography
- WFX OverloadWFX WrestlingWrestling Fan Xperience is a Canadian Professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2007. WFX specializes in producing live pro wrestling events that strive to provide a distinctive fan interactive experience as well as innovative concepts...
(2011–present) - I Love the New MillenniumI Love the New MillenniumI Love the New Millennium, the latest entry into the I Love the... series, is a nostalgia show focusing on the 2000's and premiered on VH1 Monday, June 23, 2008. Each night, from Monday to Thursday, two of the eight episodes premiered, corresponding to the years from 2000 to 2007...
(2008) - Survivor: MicronesiaSurvivor: MicronesiaSurvivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites is the sixteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, being the show's third to include contestants from past seasons, after the all-returning contestant pool from Survivor: All-Stars, and Survivor: Guatemala in which...
(2008) - Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge (2007)
- Judge MathisJudge MathisJudge Mathis is a syndicated television legal reality show produced originally by Black Pearl Productions. In 2008, it entered its tenth season produced by AND Syndicated Productions and Telepictures. It is taped at NBC Tower in Chicago, but includes cases and litigants from other U.S....
(February 2, 2007) - Fear FactorFear FactorFear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
Episodes: Reality Stars: Parts 1 and 2 (2006) - True LifeTrue LifeTrue Life is a documentary series running on MTV since 1998. Each episode follows a particular topic, such as heroin addiction as in the first episode, "Fatal Dose." The show is created by following a series of subjects by a camera crew through a certain part of their lives.-Topics covered:True...
Episode: I'm a Reality Star (2006) - Celebrity Poker ShowdownCelebrity Poker ShowdownCelebrity Poker Showdown was a celebrity game show on the cable network Bravo. It was a limited-run series in which celebrities played poker, and ran eight tournaments during its five-season run....
(2005) - InkedInkedInked is a documentary television series about the employees of the Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The series was created by Jeff Bowler in 2005, and was broadcast by the A&E Network...
, Season One, Episode 15 (Trouble In Paradise) (2005) as himself - The ScornedThe ScornedThe Scorned is a 2005 horror movie. It was the first movie cast entirely with the people from previous reality television series. The movie was filmed during the E! behind-the-scenes reality show Kill Reality....
(2005) as D.Q. - Kill RealityKill RealityKill Reality is a 2005 series which ran on E! Entertainment television about the all-stars of reality television making a horror movie called The Scorned. During the filming of the movie the cast lived together in a house that quickly turned into the real house of horrors...
(2005) - The Daily BuzzThe Daily BuzzThe Daily Buzz is a nationally syndicated breakfast television news and infotainment program. The show is produced by Fisher Communications and is owned and distributed by ACME Communications; it is broadcast every weekday morning from studios at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida...
(October 27, 2004) - 50 Most Outrageous TV Moments (2004)
- Survivor: Pearl IslandsSurvivor: Pearl IslandsSurvivor: Pearl Islands is the seventh season of the United States reality show Survivor. It was filmed in 2003 and debuted in the United States on CBS on September 18, 2003....
(2003)