When people opt for plastic surgery, whether it takes the form of breast enlargement, tummy tucks or butt lifts, there is often a story behind it.
These stories are often quite personal, very meaningful and symbolise a change in their lives.
In other cases, it is not about making a major change but trying a new look after careful consultation with an expert.
In other cases, however, the story is significantly stranger, as was the case of a man who decided to settle an argument and win a bet by getting himself fitted with breast implants.
Anything For A Bet
Brian Zembic is a magician and high-stakes gambler nicknamed the Wiz, who by the age of 35 had built a reputation as a man who would do just about anything to win a bet.
He lived a high-stakes life, specialising in backgammon and blackjack, which are both games that rely on a distinct mix of chance and daring to succeed.
However, whilst he was known as a very accomplished blackjack player, he also took part in several other major bets.
The most mundane of these was challenging Doyle Brunson, a highly accomplished poker player, to a game of ping pong for $14,000, which he won.
He also lived in a bathroom for a week, spent the night living on the street with $20,000 on his leg and lived in a box for a week to win $25,000.
However, none of these bets compare to the biggest bet he would ever make, one that would make him a celebrity.
The Breast Bet
The origins of the bet begin in the summer of 1996 when Mr Zembic and some of his friends are playing a high-stakes game of backgammon in Manhatten, and the discussion between him and fellow gambler Jobo turned to breast augmentation.
Jobo is confused about why women would get them, whilst Brian is far more understanding, to the point that he laughs at the idea that they would be an issue to live with.
This angers Jobo, and he lets slip a proposition that would change Brian Zembic’s life forever. If he got a set of breast implants, size 38C and kept them in for a full year, he would get $100,000.
Seeing it as easy money and after an arbitration panel of gamblers make Jobo honour it, the next step is for Brian to find a suitable plastic surgeon.
This does not take long, and after a few games of backgammon, the doctor agrees to do the surgery for him.
Jobo, shocked that he went through with it, offered to buy him out of the bet, but ultimately he kept them in not only for the length of the bet but also for another 19 years. He enjoyed having them, and it did not affect his life in any negative way, according to later interviews.
At one point he said that he would only get rid of them if his son Mika was teased, but in 2016 he appeared on a television show to have them removed.
