Why does this guy even play poker?

I was reading the latest CardPlayer magazine and their coverage of the recent Bay 101 WPT tournament and came across this:

"Half an hour after the dinner break, 46 players remained in contention, and the action, on the tournament money bubble, switched to hand-for-hand.

While players often tighten up right outside the money, Ed Pellegrini's play attracted attention from both fellow participants and fans. In an effort to cash, Pellegrini folded pocket aces preflop twice, playing the hand (and winning) only after being dealt rockets for the third time."

What is the deal with this guy and why does he even play? If you are not going to play pocket aces preflop, you ought to just stay home. Can anyone give me an excuse for this?