Dirk van Duijvenbode is known for his hilarious antics, but one particular story takes his madness to a whole new level.
Anecdotes about his escapades were recently shared on the podcast, ‘Darts Draait Door.’
Former PDC Tour Card holder Vincent van der Voort recounted a moment when his peaceful evening was flipped upside down by none other than ‘Titan’ Van Duijvenbode after he was knocked out of a tournament.
Van den Voort said of his Dutch compatriot: “He was out of the tournament, and within a minute, he was changed and standing on a chair with us.
“He was boxing in the air, and it got noticed. Everyone came up to us, and before you knew it, you were in pictures all evening.
“And then at some point, you think it’s over. Suddenly you see someone walking by with a mega-sized pylon on his head.”
That wild man sporting the gigantic pylon was none other than former Tour Card holder Martijn Kleermaker, affectionately dubbed ‘The Dutch Giant.’
Van den Voort continued: “Of course, you could see that walking throughout the room. Geez, man. I hope there was a cozy drink in there with him because if you do that sober…”
Niels Zonneveld, another guest on the podcast, chimed in with his own funny tale about Van Duijvenbode, who has advanced into the fourth round at the UK Open.
He remarked: “I think it was that same night. A couple of guys wanted to take a picture with him.
“One of them had an open top on, with lots of chest hair underneath. Just for fun, Dirk grabbed his lighter and held it to that boy’s chest.
“But he lit that hair, which scared him terribly and knocked him on his chest. He was completely on fire.
“The guy thought it was beautiful and was laughing heartily, but of course, it stank tremendously, and all his chest hair was gone. Hilarious.”
Dirk’s shenanigans even extend to bringing an aubergine with him every time he steps up to the oche.
This quirky habit comes from his second job, as he also works as an administrative assistant at the Van Onselen aubergine farm in the Netherlands.
The 31-year-old has been with the farm since he was just 15-years-old, and his love for aubergines has earned him the nickname “Aubergenius.”
Van Duijvenbode recently shared: “I began working here at 15. I’d come before school to pick just another row of eggplants, then I’d end up being late for class.
“We take a professional approach to training, and I try to get the best out of it. The company recently automated some things, so I work fewer hours.
“Everybody should eat eggplants. It’s part of my image. Eggplants are an unfamiliar product, so all the attention might make more people aware of them.”
Van Duijvenbode has claimed six ranking PDC titles and was a runner-up at both the 2020 World Grand Prix and the 2022 World Series of Darts Finals, narrowly losing to Gerwyn Price on both occasions.
He began his professional darts career in the early 2010s, steadily climbing the ranks of the Professional Darts Corporation.
Dirk’s 2023 began strongly with a European Darts Open final and three Players Championship wins.
He set a 180s record at the World Championship against Ross Smith, but an injury during the Dutch Darts Championship affected his performance.
Despite reaching European Tour quarter-finals and a Matchplay final, early exits in major tournaments hurt his ranking.
In 2024, he rebounded, reaching a Players Championship final and semi-finals while qualifying for and advancing to his first Players Championship Finals semi-final.
And he now has UK Open glory on his mind, with victory over Michael van Gerwen to see him advance into the fifth round on Saturday.