OnlyFans teases pickleball reality show

The pickle pro who moonlights as a rapper. Our predictions for MLP Austin.

May 23, 2025

Major League Pickleball brings Premier and Challenger action to the Austin Pickle Ranch this weekend. Storylines abound, but weather will certainly play a factor: Highs in the 90s with a thick layer of humidity. Gross.

Speaking of hot and spicy, a pickleball reality show is coming to OnlyFans TV this June, hosted by two stars from different worlds: tennis icon Nick Kyrgios and adult film actress Rachel Starr.

In This Issue:
— Pickle pro and rapper Alex Crum joins the PicklePod
— Inside Selkirk’s $1M testing lab of the future
— MLP Austin full analysis and predictions

Too hot to handle.

Our Picks ☝️

⬆️ Upgrade: Selkirk LUXX Paddle Drop

Selkirk’s most popular paddle, the LUXX, just debuted a major upgrade: a new honeycomb core, EVA handle and throat, and an InfiniGrit surface texture it says lasts 3x longer than raw carbon. See for yourself.

🌶️ Spicy: OnlyFans’ Pickleball Reality Show

Do with this what you will: Tennis star Nick Kyrgios and adult film actress Rachel Starr are part of a new pickleball reality show coming to OnlyFans TV in mid-June called “Smash City.” Safe for work? You be the judge. 

🔥 Scolding: The Problem with Control Paddles

Are control paddles just a crutch for poor technique? Pro Zane Navratil makes that argument and a few others in the Q&A portion of this week’s PicklePod. Tune in to hear him out.

📺 Watch: Pro Coverage Is Expanding

Pro pickleball might not have a major media deal just yet, but its coverage footprint is expanding: PickleballTV, the official provider for the PPA Tour and MLP, is now live on both AppleTV and Roku.

Popular Pickleball Shots, Ranked by Grip Pressure

As you become a more advanced pickleball player, details start to matter. Minor tweaks in your game can translate to noticeable performance upgrades. It’s time to sweat the small stuff.

Take, for example, how tightly you grip the paddle depending on the type of shot. Pro James Ignatowich walks us through how he approaches grip pressure for a variety of shots—turns out, if you’re holding on for dear life, you’re probably doing it wrong.

Loose Grip

For these shots, you want to let the ball do most of the work. The angle of your paddle face and swing motion of your arm will dictate where the ball goes. Keep a light grip and a loose wrist for best results.

  • Resets: 2/10

  • Forehand dinks: 2/10

  • Backhand dinks (one-handed slice): 3/10

  • Backhand dinks (two-handed roll): 4/10

  • Dropshots: 4/10

  • Lob: 4/10

Medium Grip

These shots require power, but that comes from a loose, whip-like swing motion that starts in your legs, moves through your torso, and explodes through your arm to the paddle face. A death grip on the paddle will only choke out the potential for full power.

  • Serve: 5/10

  • Overhead smash: 6/10

  • Forehand drive: 6/10

Tight Grip

When the ball is coming at you fast, a locked wrist and controlled paddle face will help you counter speed with speed. You’ll need a tighter grip to be effective here, but make note: you’re still not squeezing as tight as you can.

  • Backhand flick: 7/10

  • Forehand flick: 7/10

  • Backhand drive/counter (two-handed): 8/10

That’s Not Just a Friday Smile

See Mari Humberg in the photo? That grin’s not just because the weekend’s close. That’s the face of someone swinging the adidas Metalbone.

It’s engineered with a perforated grip for sweat control, Spin Blade Grit for extra bite on your shots, and Octagonal Structure tech that keeps the feel solid and the pop crisp.

This paddle is all feel, no fluff — and the pros are clearly into it.

Tennis Coach, Rapper, King Slayer: The Positively Electric Alex Crum

Alex Crum is coming off one hell of a week. In his first-ever PPA Tour event since last year, he beat world #1 Federico Staksrud in Atlanta. A few days later at the APP’s current stop in New York City, he beat another powerhouse in 1-seed, Chris Haworth. Now he’s played himself into the APP final tomorrow against Armaan Bhatia.

Amidst the madness, Crum joined the PicklePod for a lively back and forth with Zane Navratil. It turns out, the two have more in common than hitting a pickleball hard, like their shared love of zoo animals.

Crum is electric, and we hope to see more of him on Tour. Here are a few things we learned about the Louisville, NY, resident:

⚡️ He’s been rapping since he was 10 and has even released an album under the name AC Baby called “Just For Fun,” which currently has more than one million views on Apple Music.

⚡️ He’s a full-time tennis coach in Jupiter, FL, and picked up a pickleball paddle for the first time less than two years ago, at age 31. He’s never drilled a day in his life, but plans to take the next year to pursue pro pickleball full-time.

⚡️ He’s gunning for a PPA contract. Crum is all-in on making pickleball a profession, while still leaving time for his music career and coaching gig. “I had one good week,” he told Zane. “I want to play every PPA on planet Earth for the next few years.”

Hear more from Crum—plus Zane’s latest Q&A segment—on this week’s PicklePod.

Behind-the-Scenes: Selkirk’s Futuristic $1M Paddle Testing Lab

Since 2019, Selkirk has seen its revenue skyrocket 1,900 percent, thanks to a massive spike in U.S. pickleball participation and the universal appeal of popular paddle models like the LUXX and Halo.

But founding brothers Mike, Rob, and Tom Barnes aren’t resting on any laurels—they’re looking to shape the sport’s future with the help of a $1 million testing lab at their headquarters in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

The lab is packed with high-tech equipment, like a bank of 3-D printers used for rapid prototyping, a CT scanner to look at how a paddle’s core changes over time, and a ball-cannon that can mimic intensive game-play in a controlled environment.

It used to take upwards of nine months to build, test, and iterate on a paddle prototype–now it can be done in as little as a week.

For the consumer, that means new paddles with industry-first technology are on the near-horizon.

Chew On This

A few of you have been asking how to avoid those brutal mid-match cramps. So here’s a tip worth stealing from the endurance sports world.

SaltStick FastChews are like sweet tarts... but for hydration. No mixing. No water bottle juggling. Just chew and move on.

Each chew hits your system in under 45 seconds and helps with cramps, dehydration, and that lovely heat stress we all pretend isn’t real.

You can try a free sample pack right now. That’s 10 servings. Just toss in $5 for shipping. Worth it.

Heavy-Hitters: Our Predictions for MLP Austin

Major League Pickleball’s third event of the season gets underway today at the Austin Pickle Ranch. We’ve got a full preview, including our predictions, but here’s a quick look at what you should know:

✅ The Premier field is stacked. Just five Premier level teams will compete, but four of them are title contenders: Dallas Flash, New Jersey 5s, Orlando Squeeze, and Texas Ranchers. All teams play each other once. It could be a tough outing for the Miami Pickleball Club.

✅ All six Challenger teams will be in attendance: Las Vegas Night Owls, Nashville Chefs, Florida Smash, California Black Bears, DC Pickleball Team, and Bay Area Breakers. This should set the tone for the rest of the season, so we’re expecting some fireworks.

✅ It’s going to be hot. Scorching, really. The forecast calls for high 90s with a thick side of humidity. The venue built two new outdoor courts just for this event, and the plan, as far as we know, is to use them. If that’s the case, the Vulcan ball will be playing slow, and so will anyone who skipped cardio in the offseason.

The Championships will be held on Monday, Memorial Day, and aired on PickleballTV. Check out our full predictions.

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