Barstool Sports Running It Back With Season 2 of ‘Baldstool'
Donnie Does didn’t set out to be an emotional support buddy for those seeking a life-changing hair transplant.
Little did he know he was perfectly suited for the role.
Does, better known as The Wonton Don to his hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of Barstool Sports fans, is a Foreign Correspondent and popular personality for the Dave Portnoy-founded digital media company. His title makes it abundantly obvious that he travels the world to find the best stories. In fact, he was filming a travel series in Turkey a few years ago when, on his flight back to the States, he noticed a handful of men wearing headbands to help with their hair transplant recovery. But you might be surprised to learn that Season 1 of Baldstool — filmed in Istanbul, Turkey — was actually born in the Dominican Republic.
Wonton Don visited the Country of Smiles a few years ago with his friend and colleague Dave Williams, known to his legion of fans as White Sox Dave, who, while on this trip, joked about his debilitating hair loss. But like every true comedian will acknowledge, there’s truth to every joke, and Dave knew he desperately needed help.
Knowing Dave wanted to explore the world more after finally getting his passport, Wonton Don suggested making the trek to Istanbul, home to more than 5,000 hair transplant clinics, the global destination for such procedures. The trip would allow Dave to immerse himself in a new culture and, finally, do something about his balding dome.
Win, win.
"And then, once people heard about that around the office, there was a bunch of other co-workers that wanted to come," Wonton Don tells Men's Journal.
Then he took things to another level.
Wonton Don issued a social media callout asking Barstool Sports’ most ardent fans, better known as Stoolies, to submit a video and make their case for the chance to tag along for the ride and the experience. Nine Stoolies were ultimately selected along with five Barstool Sports employees, including Eddie, a founding member of Barstool Chicago.
The trip was a resounding success.
Wonton Don shot so much footage that he turned the entire experience into an entertaining and equally informative six-episode season, culminating with an eye-popping reunion in Chicago nine months after they — sans Wonton Don — underwent hair transplants at the renowned EsteNove Hair Transplant Clinic in Istanbul.
For Season 2 of Baldstool, Wonton Don had bigger plans.
Much bigger plans.
Earlier this year, Wonton Don embarked on another trip to Istanbul. This time, the planning was methodical and purpose-driven. The stakes were also higher.
Wonton Don brought 23 Stoolies, along with five Barstool Sports employees, all of whom descended upon EsteNove’s state-of-the-art clinic and underwent hours-long hair transplants. The production value also got a boost, with two hosts and a four-person camera crew.
Wonton Don didn’t set out to host a travel show centered around hair transplants. But from the outset, the Stoolies chosen for Season 1 got along so swimmingly that they forged a lifelong friendship, and it had Wonton Don thinking about what could be possible for Season 2, which premieres May 6 on Wonton Don’s YouTube channel.
For Season 2, the two dozen-plus Stoolies and Barstool Sports employees took turns visiting EsteNove's clinic, under the care and direction of Dr. Zafer Çetinkaya, Dr. Ahmet Azak, and Dr. Emin Guler, all of whom, before the trip, had virtual consultations with everyone interested in a hair transplant. Once deemed qualified, Dr. Çetinkaya meets with them individually at the clinic, where he carefully inspects the hairline and informs them of the number of hair grafts required for a successful procedure.
Wonton Don says many of the Stoolies who attended were oblivious about what the procedure fully entailed. It wasn't until they sat with Dr. Çetinkaya that they fully grasped the heavy lifting required. But Dr. Çetinkaya's knowledge and expertise, coupled with his easy-going demeanor, put all the Stoolies at ease. The staff's friendliness was a constant theme in Season 1. Ditto for Season 2.
"He's very reassuring," says Wonton Don of Dr. Çetinkaya. "I did see a lot of people comforted after sitting down with him and talking about what the goal is for this transplant."
The special care Stoolies get comes before, during, and after the procedure. One of the most popular hair transplant packages includes a two-night stay at a five-star hotel and VIP transportation to and from the airport and clinic. After the two-day procedure, EsteNove stays in touch with the Stoolies to guide them with the recovery process. It's why the clinic bills itself as "Confidence Architects" and "Life Transformation Partners."
EsteNove has fully embraced Baldstool: a baseball cap emblazoned with the series' name proudly sits in Dr. Çetinkaya's consultation office.
"They weren't super familiar with [Barstool Sports], but they were willing to trust us," Wonton Don says. "And it worked out for everybody."
The crew hit the ground running for Season 1. They were instructed to abstain from booze, but they all got hammered the night before the procedure. This time around, for Season 2, many of them spent as many as 10 days in Turkey, taking part in a meet-and-greet at a bar, a boat tour with a belly dancer, visiting the Grand Bazaar and the Galata Bridge, and even a trip to Cappadocia, where windy conditions did not afford them the chance to hop on a hot air balloon; a little R&R before undergoing the two-day procedure.
The Stoolies who attended and underwent hair transplants paid out of pocket, except for one, courtesy of EsteNove. The freebie went to a Stoolie who is dealing with a hardship and prior health issues. He also has a wedding planned later this year.
"We were like, 'This is perfect,'" Wonton Don says. "So now he'll have gotten the hair transplant nine months before the wedding, which is great timing. He'll actually have hair in his wedding photos."
As for a possible Season 3? That's still up in the air, but the interest is at an all-time high.
"I've had some celebrity friends who saw Season 1, and they were like, 'If it ever worked out with my schedule, I'd like to come,'" Wonton Don tells Men's Journal. "Some popular comedians and things like that. So, it would be awesome to get a couple of them involved just because they'd be so entertaining."
In the end, whoever takes part in this experience, Wonton Don knows can't oversell that it's a life-changing experience.
"When it plays out that way where everyone gets along, and it's fun, and it's a life-changing experience, I mean, that makes it even better, right?" he says. "Having a trip of this magnitude now becomes a lifelong journey because they're all gonna be friends forever because they went through this together."