Latest / Vegas Revealed / Coin Slots + $2 Shrimp Cocktail in Las Vegas, Spy Ninja HQ Opens, Pitbull Debuts Vegas Restaurant in Wal-Mart, New SpongeBob Ride, New Edition, Carrie Underwood | Ep. 211
Transcript
- 0:00It's episode two 11 of Vegas Revealed.
- 0:03SpongeBob Squarepants makes a splash at Circus Circus and the popular Spy Ninjas open a place right here in Las Vegas.
- 0:11We chat with the creative director behind shows like Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and America's Got Talent. We have his take on the future of entertainment. I.
- 0:19Think that the more we go, people want to have these super unique experiences.
- 0:24Coin slot's, $2 shrimp cocktail, and $2 beers where you can step back in time on the Las Vegas Strip.
- 0:32All that and more coming up on Vegas Reveal.
- 0:41Vegas.
- 0:41Revealed presented by level of law starts now.
- 0:45Welcome to Vegas Revealed, episode two 11, Sean McAllister here along with Dayna Roselli and Dana.
- 0:52We have had some feedback since last episode about our theme song.
- 0:58I know it changed and we forgot to address it.
- 1:00We did, so.
- 1:01We got.
- 1:01To address it, so we're going to address it.
- 1:04We loved our theme song first. Number.
- 1:06One, it was catchy.
- 1:07Two. Yeah. We had a lot of positive feedback about our theme song.
- 1:10As much as people said, it's kind of cheesy, but I kind of like it.
- 1:13Where can I download it?
- 1:15It sticks in your head. It's that kind of a song. Well, here's the deal.
- 1:19We found that song in a music library that we subscribed to.
- 1:27It's a royalty free music library.
- 1:27We came across that song, we're like, oh my gosh, this is great. This is perfect for the Vegas Revealed podcast.
- 1:35And this was four years ago, the beginning of 2020 when we launched the podcast. Well, music libraries make changes to what they offer, and our theme song is one of those changes.
- 1:49They pulled it and we asked, can we not use it anymore? It was on here, and they're like, well, it's fine for the ones in the past, but it's probably best that you don't use it.
- 1:59I'm thinking maybe we brought so much popularity to it that they decided to take it out of the free library.
- 2:05That they're like, we need to reclaim our rights to this song, make some money off of it.
- 2:11So let's go to Vegas Baby, spin That Wheel and the little theme song.
- 2:16Anyway, it's now no longer a part of our podcast and we just decided to do something a little upbeat and instrumental. It's the same song we chose for our new TV show, and we figure we'll keep it same across the board.
- 2:27So if you want to hear the Vegas Baby theme song, you can go back. It's going to stay on our previous episodes, but moving forward, sadly, it's not going to be with us any longer.
- 2:40But you know what? It's a new year, new Energy, new Life.
- 2:45It's.
- 2:46Hey, quickly thinking about our audio podcast listeners, thanks again to our subscribers who help support the show.
- 2:53You help us make time to do this every week. Again, just a big shout out to a bunch of you that give us a little donation every month.
- 3:01Always appreciate you and also a shout out to our sponsor of the audio podcast, Vegas Near Me.
- 3:08And a reminder, you can see our first TV version, our premier TV episode of Vegas Revealed on our Vegas Revealed YouTube channel that is up right now.
- 3:22We have episode two coming out on this weekend.
- 3:26If you're listening right away when this episode drops.
- 3:30So once it airs, we drop it on our YouTube so that everyone from in the United States and outside of the United States can watch it as well. And it's great.
- 3:38We do a lot of stuff with video and sometimes we haven't had the outlet besides social media to put that out there.
- 3:45And now you're able to see some of our videos along with what we talk about every week. We did get a review recently and we loved it.
- 3:52It was a very positive review and we thought it was funny that she or he said, how do you keep your energy up?
- 4:00I love listening to all the events you go to. And I'm like, I don't know Viva Las Vegas. We don't know how we do it, but we do.
- 4:06And I think it's because we love Las Vegas and we love what we do.
- 4:09And it doesn't feel like work to go to things sometimes.
- 4:11No, it doesn't. But we do.
- 4:13You and I Dana have different ways about going about these things.
- 4:18You are able to take quick naps to recharge.
- 4:23I am not a.
- 4:2420 Minute.
- 4:24A 20 minute nap will take me down for the count. I'll wake up.
- 4:29Have you ever tried it though?
- 4:29No, I have, but I stayed.
- 4:31But you've done the 10 minutes. This fog. This haze.
- 4:34You can't go past a certain limit though. You can't do a half hour, hour.
- 4:38You've got to do a quick nap.
- 4:40It's like 10 to 20 minutes and you just get to the verge of you're out for a little bit and then your eyes open, but you can't be like, oh, I'm going to then close them again. You got to get up and you feel recharged.
- 4:51See, I can't do that. If it's like a 10 minute nap, I'm going to be laying there thinking the whole time about how the 10 minutes is almost up. I'm going to be thinking and I won't relax and take a nap.
- 5:02So no, I'm a power through kind of guy. Alright.
- 5:06Well good for you. Hey, F1 tickets are going on sale and we just got an update on that, some breaking news as we're recording the podcast.
- 5:15But the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix is coming back here and tickets are going on sale March 25th, so it's coming up.
- 5:25However, for Nevada residents, you will have early access to tickets and the ticket pricing has changed as well. If you are a Nevada resident, you can start purchasing tickets on March 22nd.
- 5:41That's early before the 25th when it goes on sales to the general public.
- 5:46But there is a new general admission area.
- 5:50It's called the Flamingo General Admission area, where tickets start at$150 for a single day pass.
- 6:00There are three day tickets that are $600 plus taxes and fees. So they have adjusted ticket prices.
- 6:09And even in here in the press release that came out, the head of F1 Las Vegas said that they really wanted to make more options available for local Las Vegas residents.
- 6:23And they're doing that.
- 6:27Those general admission tickets that I was just talking about, they're making 7,000 general admission tickets available.
- 6:35At least right now. If it's successful, I have a feeling that they'll release more too.
- 6:39Yeah, listen, it's really fun. Don't knock it until you try it. I mean, if you get a chance and even if you're like, oh, I'm against it, blah blah and all the construction, this and that, and try it one year.
- 6:51Go see if you enjoy it then if you don't, don't go back.
- 6:55But you might really like it. We had a lot of fun.
- 6:57So F1 is returning November 21st through the 23rd here in Las Vegas.
- 7:04Right. Well, speaking of returns, slot machines that are coin operated are making a comeback. Well, at least over at slots of fun now. They always had coin machines over at Circus.
- 7:15Circus. Slots of fun is just kind of like a wing, a little separate building that has been there forever and it's a part of Circus Circus or affiliated.
- 7:23So now they've moved all the coin machines that were inside Circus Circus and put them in the slots of Fun Wing and there are 85 coin operated machines there. It's so much fun. You get the bucket, the whole nine. So if that's your thing, I mean listen, Sean, these new slot machines out there today, I just cannot attach.
- 7:44They're over my head. They're complicated. I don't get the whole thing.
- 7:48So I am all for this old school kind of slot.
- 7:53Machine. So what you do, you go in with your cash, you feed it into a token machine, you get the circus, circus tokens, there are a dollar each, and then you sit down at your slot machine, pop those tokens in and you hear the clink of the coins. You have the three reels going.
- 8:17It's just a simple win line.
- 8:19It's not all of the bells and whistles that these electronic games give you.
- 8:23Yeah, when we were there, we went over to visit on, it was like morning time and there was a woman there, she had her gloves on, she had two machines working, her coins sitting in. I mean we were like, she is on. And then a guy next to her doing the same thing.
- 8:37They sit right in the middle and then they work both at the same time.
- 8:41I love slop players. I just have never, I mean I'm just like my$20 and then I'm done.
- 8:48But they love it.
- 8:50And we talked to the general manager of Circus Circus about the new area and listen up, you're also going to be able to get $2 beer,$2 shrimp cocktail, $2 hot dogs and $2 popcorn.
- 9:04She said people are loving it. So there.
- 9:06Were 45 games originally that we, we moved all 45 games over there and then we purchased an additional 40.
- 9:14So we have 85 games that are all 100% coin games there now.
- 9:19Okay. So much fun. And you can get the food there. It's always the same price.
- 9:24There's no changing.
- 9:25No changing $2 everything.
- 9:28We also just rolled out our $5 table games too with properties having$25 hands and $50 hands slots of fun will always have $5 hands. So yes, we've already had to expand.
- 9:45We've already had to add more games in there because it's just such a great place to be now. Oh my gosh.
- 9:51Sean, we are going there. We.
- 9:53We're absolutely going there.
- 9:53And with such a focus on that, generally the focus is new, what's next?
- 10:01And the nostalgic part of things sometimes gets left in the dust.
- 10:06So how important was the decision making and what demand did you see in order to put this together?
- 10:13So those coin games, when they were inside of Circus Circus, they were always doing well, but I never thought that they were doing what they could actually do and what better thing than to take those games and put it in its own casino and designate that casino for just coin games.
- 10:32Not only do you have that, but you go back to, I'll call it the basic slot machines, right?
- 10:38You play games now and you've got 30 different lines and you never know, did you win? Did you lose if you did win?
- 10:47How I feel you there. I'm always confused.
- 10:49I always am. I never know. And then when I think that I should have won, I didn't win and then I just get mad, right?
- 10:57This goes back to just three reels, simple payouts, simple lines. Either it lands on the line or it doesn't.
- 11:05So it really goes back to simple Vegas gambling.
- 11:08But the coin operated slot machines over at slots of fun and Circus Circus is not all that's new over there.
- 11:15We have a brand new attraction that we're going to talk about still to come here on Vegas Revealed.
- 11:21Well, speaking of throwbacks, we recently sat down with Brian Burke.
- 11:24He is the creative director of so many shows that have been in Las, Vegas and all over really for such a long time.
- 11:32He actually worked Sean on Celine Dion's very first show.
- 11:37A new day, which was, I mean that's what Caesar's Coliseum was built for.
- 11:44It was built for Celine Dion and her show a new day.
- 11:48That was her first residency that opened up here on the Las Vegas strip.
- 11:52Brian was part of that show, part of the creative team, and since then he's gone on to work with a string of top talent, including Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
- 12:05Yeah.
- 12:05And he is responsible for that bridge in the Luke Bryan show that you've heard Sean and I talk about before, and if you go to our socials, you've seen it, that bridge that goes way up in the air and toward the balcony for those folks.
- 12:18And Luke does one of his songs up there. Brian's responsible for that.
- 12:23It's so interesting.
- 12:23He's worked a long time on America's Got Talent and American Idol, and so we decided to sit down with him and discuss entertainment in general, but also what he thinks the future holds.
- 12:36How do you see Vegas being in five years just continuing to evolve with entertainment ideas or getting bigger or.
- 12:45Yeah, I think that the more we go, people want to have these super unique experiences.
- 12:53I absolutely love the sphere.
- 12:53I think it's incredible.
- 12:56I love that we have these iconic venues and these experiences that we can create. So I love to see Fountain Blue went up.
- 13:04I'm excited to see what they're going to do with entertainment.
- 13:08So it excites me to see where they will go with it.
- 13:13But I think another thing that I really love is taking venues that have been in town for a really long time and reinventing how they're used. I love that.
- 13:23This is one example, but I loved going back to the Stratosphere after my first show was there in 1998 and going, how do we use the parking lot? How do we use these spaces?
- 13:34We moved here at almost the same time, but downtown used to never be anything and now there's things there.
- 13:40So I think using the city of Las Vegas in the venues and where we can pick and use those really unique spots to create something is really, I think that's also part of the future besides building giant venues and all that is how do we craft these really cool experiences for people in unexpected places that have been in town forever?
- 14:05Because people love the history of this town.
- 14:07They do listen, we are upset.
- 14:08They tore down Cleopatra's Barge recently at Caesars. So.
- 14:12Was, I love that there are success stories and I think that's one thing that Simon Cowell always says is people used to want recording contracts and now they want a special custom show in Las Vegas. They want a residency, they want that because you can feature any kind of talent.
- 14:27So I really believe there's a trend in sports and entertainment coming in together, which when I moved here or we moved here, everybody said sports and entertainment would never work together.
- 14:38So that was a personal achievement to say yes it can, but I think that the trend is continuing to be entertainment that people can't see anywhere else in the world, no matter how large or small or what that is.
- 14:53It's dreams coming true here, which is the story behind this show.
- 14:57And I just love that people, artists, entertainers of all kinds want to be here and people want to come to see them here. And that custom show is the thing that really excites me.
- 15:09And I think that's going to continue.
- 15:10And I think the venues where you can see people, whether you can see them on a rooftop or in a small hotel room, or whether you can see them in a big venue or like a resorts world, and I think people can view that as a home base like Celine.
- 15:26They can after years come back and go, Vegas is my home to perform.
- 15:31Or people can view it in that way.
- 15:33I think that that is really special about Las Vegas unlike anywhere else.
- 15:38And I mean since you came here and worked on Celine Dion's first show over at Caesar's Palace then worked on and countless productions after that, there has obviously been a big shift in the entertainment that we see here in Las, Vegas Vegas. We are, I don't know if we're at the max of the superstar headliner yet, but the $1,200 Adele tickets make me hope. So what do you see?
- 16:09I mean, when we have reached this height of entertainment, is there any way to roll back and fit those mid-sized shows into the environment?
- 16:21I think the intimate experience is one that will always be improved.
- 16:31I went to see Kylie's show, for example, she came and did the Formula one.
- 16:35I loved that as a venue.
- 16:35It's not a show I've done.
- 16:37I've worked on other shows with her creative team and her people.
- 16:41She came on American Idol, we've worked in other things together.
- 16:44But I just loved that venue for her because it just seemed like here's a global star that you can see in an intimate venue.
- 16:53I think that that intimacy is something that will continue to be a key to this town. And because artists also want to be close to their fans, whether they're magicians, whether they're shadow artists, whether they're, everybody wants to be close to fans or close to the public, and I think that that's something that this town facilitates.
- 17:12So I am excited to see that trend of intimacy continue. What happens here only happens here and what venues, excuse me, and experiences get crafted together with the hotels or at outside downtown.
- 17:30I think that that pushes more around into the city.
- 17:34So I think that that trend, when we did Celestia down in the tent, people loved going back into a tent because that's beginning.
- 17:45So I think that crafting experiences in unexpected places is a trend that's going to be really cool.
- 17:54When you have all these big shows. Lately, I do see a lot of people talking about ticket prices.
- 17:58I know that's not under your control, but I mean it is getting higher and higher and higher.
- 18:02Do you think that will ever hit a ceiling where it just can't go any further?
- 18:07Or will ticket prices continue to grow if people are demanding shows with a lot of production longer shows? I mean, obviously everyone's talking about Taylor Swift and the Aero Tour.
- 18:17She's performing over three hours where we're going to the sphere and things like that. I mean, what do you think?
- 18:23I think it depends on the artist and the venue.
- 18:29I think that Las Vegas will always have a market with a show.
- 18:33America's Got Talent or people that come from a show like that where the ticket is affordable and the entertainment value is really high and the experience is really high because of the versatility of that.
- 18:46When it comes to headliners, headliners depends on the venue when you're in the sphere, I mean it's incredible, but what it costs to do a show in that venue and use it, that's an economic balance that I think is going to be challenging for people to continue building venues like that.
- 19:08So it will be down to your original question.
- 19:11Creative producers and creative directors are the ones who are challenged with how do we make this big experience on this budget and this budget and this budget and this budget because it has to be sustainable, but the experience goes forward.
- 19:25People expect more and more and more.
- 19:27So that's part of our challenge.
- 19:30But I always accept that challenge because I love that somebody going, I have X amount of dollars, what can I do?
- 19:37Because that should never inhibit the audience experience from what the budget is.
- 19:43But I think that there will always be headliners who will just expect that they can charge and charge and charge.
- 19:52I was going to say, what do you like the most?
- 19:53Going in with a smaller budget and going, what can you do here with this little money to make it wow?
- 19:59Or do you love going in when everyone's like, Hey, here's this boatload of money, work your magic.
- 20:06I mean, I've had both. I mean, I've been at the Wynn where it was like money is no object.
- 20:13And then I mean really honestly, I really enjoy both because my biggest accomplishment that I love for these entertainers and for the hotels and for these venues is when people come to Las Vegas and you turn around and you watch their face and the expression on their face and that they're getting a really good experience and they're getting something that's really entertaining.
- 20:41It's great to be able to see groups and families and kids come and then be able to see people see a headliner or magicians or just any kind of going to a Spiegel show where you're in a small room.
- 20:55I love going to those shows still, we don't work with them, but I just like that people can get that intimate experience and that high value experience. So I think they'll always have that.
- 21:08I love working with all the budgets. I think that the challenge.
- 21:12Bring on all the budgets. Well.
- 21:14Bring on all the budgets, but do you know what it is with that?
- 21:17It's that if the performance and the performer and the entertainment is good, the quality is really good, and people feel that they get the experience, the technology works only if it's really working with the performer.
- 21:32You can sit in a room and watch technology all you want, but if the human performance isn't there, I think the key to every show is what the human beings are doing, whether it's singing, whatever it is, and surprising people.
- 21:47And so you can build the show around that and build a budget around that.
- 21:52And I think that that's what people come to see.
- 21:54We had such a good time sitting down with Brian Burke.
- 21:57We sat down with him over at the A GT Live Theater inside the Luxor, and.
- 22:02While we were there, a new act was rehearsing for a If you watch the show, you probably know who they are.
- 22:09It was like a big drum corps.
- 22:09Yeah, they were amazing.
- 22:11And I think they did some stuff for the Super Bowl too.
- 22:13So they're always changing that show.
- 22:15And that's over at the Luxor if you want to go see it, if you're here in Vegas.
- 22:19Well, we talked about the fact that Brian Burke worked with Luke Bryan inside the Resorts World Theater.
- 22:25Another artist who calls that theater home is Carrie Underwood, and she is back for shows in March and these are her birthday shows, Dana.
- 22:35Oh, that's kind of fun. So they're doing a whole bunch of stuff now.
- 22:38They usually do little things across the property, but they're always changing it up.
- 22:41When my parents were here in September, my dad kept going, why is this Carrie Underwood everywhere? And I said, because she performs in the theater.
- 22:49But he was laughing because all these girls and guys were dressed up in their rhinestones and taking pictures at all these different kinds of activations that they had set up.
- 22:58I think they did a denim and rhinestones activation last time she was in town.
- 23:03Right.
- 23:04So that was fun. And now they're doing a bunch of other things.
- 23:06Yeah, they are starting over at Gatsby's Lounge.
- 23:09There's a pink champagne cocktail.
- 23:12Pink Champagne is one of Carrie's newer songs that's available from March 4th through the 16th, also at Crossroads Kitchen.
- 23:22Kerry Underwood's Heartbeat Salad.
- 23:25And this has a heartbeat.
- 23:27BEET.
- 23:28BEET. But this is a beat salad with, it's almost like a beet and goat cheese salad, except the cheese is like a coconut cheese.
- 23:41Okay. Yeah, it's really interesting.
- 23:43But Carrie loves Crossroads Kitchen because she is a vegan vegetarian. Oh, is she?
- 23:47Whatever. So she loves it.
- 23:51Ana Spa is doing a reflection facial and a carried away massage. I love that.
- 23:57The Eight Lounge is doing a smoke break cocktail and cigar pairing. And over at Redtail, there's Carrie Karaoke. Oh.
- 24:07That's fun. Oh my gosh.
- 24:07But that's so cool.
- 24:09If you're coming into town for this show, which I think a lot of people do, it is a destination. We're going to go see Carrie Underwood.
- 24:16We're going to stay at Resorts World or Visit Resorts World.
- 24:19It gives you more things to do centered around the person that you're here.
- 24:25For. Absolutely.
- 24:26So that's fun. I love.
- 24:27That. It's a carry getaway to Las Vegas.
- 24:30And you can kind of almost make not a bingo card, but like an activity card, like a punch card.
- 24:38That's what I'm thinking of. Go and get a punch card.
- 24:40Once you do each of these activities, you'd have to make your own, but you can make a carry punch card. Why not?
- 24:46Yeah, why not? Hey, they did it.
- 24:46Remember the Hanging Chads the election.
- 24:51Let's not go there. Anyway, that was like a punch card.
- 24:54But this stuff going on over at Resorts World through March for to celebrate Carrie Underwood's residency and her birthday. Happy birthday, Carrie.
- 25:04Hey, I'm going to see New Edition.
- 25:04I told you it would happen. Oh boy.
- 25:07And I'm going Saturday at the win.
- 25:07Listen, they have been sold out, so I am excited. I know there's a lot of energy and excitement for this show.
- 25:16I'm hoping that everything goes well.
- 25:19It seems like the tickets flew off the shelf, so I'm thinking, and possibly maybe they'll be back. I don't know.
- 25:25But I will report back next week with my new edition review, and I am thrilled to see them in action. They're just like, their music was huge in my time, middle school, early high school, and so I can't wait to see the crew.
- 25:43I can't wait for your experience at New Edition.
- 25:47I'm excited.
- 25:48I'm not able to go. So I'm going to be living vicariously through you, Dana, and all of your stories. So I'm looking forward to that next week.
- 25:57I can't wait.
- 25:58Also, next week we are going to hit up and get previews of some March Madness viewing hotspots not only on the Las Vegas strip, but off the strip too. So there are obviously a ton of options.
- 26:13It's one of the biggest sporting destination events that we have in Las. Vegas. Tons of sports fans come to town for these games.
- 26:23So we're going to run down some great options for viewing throughout the college basketball tournament.
- 26:31And the two places we're actually hitting this week to talk about next week on the TV show and audio podcast are new.
- 26:38So we'll have some new spots for you to go.
- 26:40And a heads up, we do have a new sponsor here, Vegas Revealed.
- 26:44The show is presented by Level Up Law, and when storms wreak havoc on your property, you don't have to face that aftermath alone.
- 26:54Level Up law is your ally in natural disaster recovery.
- 26:58Weather is property damage, wind resulting in down trees, wildfires or water damage. Their experienced team will help you.
- 27:06Level up. Law also specializes in personal injury cases.
- 27:11Call Level Up Law now at 8 5 5 level up.
- 27:15That's 8 5 5 level Up.
- 27:18One thing that you probably don't expect here in Las, Vegas, we're obviously in a desert.
- 27:26An underwater attraction is something that you don't really expect to hear or see in Las Vegas, but that is exactly what we have now on the Las Vegas Strip kind of.
- 27:37Well, kind of not really.
- 27:37The SpongeBob Square pants, crazy Carnival Ride is now open over at Circus Circus.
- 27:46We were there for the big grand opening in ribbon cutting.
- 27:49Yeah, SpongeBob was there in person along with Patrick, his starfish friend.
- 27:57The Crusty Crab was out there kind of as a carnival barker out in front of the attraction.
- 28:03It was like a thing people were gathering around.
- 28:07There was definitely excitement for this attraction to open. Well.
- 28:12It's the first of its kind, and I think when that happens, it's always a big deal. And there are so many enthusiasts, theme park enthusiasts, ride Attraction enthusiasts, and they were all there.
- 28:22The bloggers were out in full force, right?
- 28:26Yeah. I mean, there were people from attraction magazines, thrill Ride magazines that were there to cover the opening.
- 28:35And it is a fun ride.
- 28:36So SpongeBob's crazy Carnival Ride is over inside Circus Circus.
- 28:43You get into this sponge shaped car.
- 28:48Yeah.
- 28:48It's like a car.
- 28:49Yeah. There's seating in the front and a second row seating in the back, and everybody has a game wand.
- 28:58And you shoot, you hit things that come up in different areas when you turn the corner and then it unveils and you get points and you kind of go against the people that are in your car with you. So it's really fun. I beat Sean, by the way.
- 29:12By 1400 points. If we had one more game.
- 29:15Why do you always got to bring up the points? Just I won. I mean, I feel like you're always bringing up that you only lost by a little.
- 29:23Just get over it. You lost.
- 29:26We might need a SpongeBob redo.
- 29:29And this is a dark ride. And I was like, what's a dark ride? But it's a thing.
- 29:33And when we were chatting with someone from Paramount, she was saying, well, it's kind of like the toy story at Disneyland.
- 29:40Right? And this is Sally Dark Rides.
- 29:42That's the creator of this ride.
- 29:45And people who follow amusement parks and attractions know exactly what this means, but it is a first.
- 29:53And we spoke with Marie Marx, who's the senior Vice President of Paramount Global Experiences, to hear just how special it is to have this ride here in Vegas.
- 30:03Now, this is the first SpongeBob ride in the West Coast or at all.
- 30:08All in the world.
- 30:09It's the very first time we've done anything like this with SpongeBob.
- 30:12So he's inspired Apparel and home deco.
- 30:15He is got his own Tony Award-winning Broadway show.
- 30:18But this is the first time that we've put SpongeBob into a dark ride or an interactive ride like this, and we could not be more thrilled. It's incredible.
- 30:27And I think it's safe to say SpongeBob was in demand, right?
- 30:30Oh, yes. He's in demand everywhere. I mean, 170 countries, 30 different languages.
- 30:35SpongeBob is everywhere.
- 30:39And we have been trying to find the right partner to get something like this going that really connects our fans in an immersive way.
- 30:48And this has just turned out so well.
- 30:51I was going to say, why did you choose Las Vegas? I mean, when people think of, oh, where are you going to put a ride?
- 30:54You wouldn't think, oh, Las Vegas.
- 30:57Yeah. Well, the opportunity came along through our partners we're very partner centric.
- 31:02So with Sally Dark Ride, we knew that they had a reputation for doing rides of this caliber and standard.
- 31:07And if we were ever going to put SpongeBob into this world, it was going to going to have to be high quality.
- 31:14And so Sally Dark Rides came to us in partnership with Circus Circus and said, Hey, we would like to do this with SpongeBob.
- 31:21Will you allow us to do that with such a beloved ip? And we looked at it, we looked at the plans, and it was just a yes from the get go, and it's been a dream.
- 31:29It's exciting and it's unique. That's what I like.
- 31:31Anything that you wanted to add? Sean?
- 31:33Yeah.
- 31:34Can you just explain what the passenger experience is like, the customer experience on this ride? I.
- 31:41Mean, this ride is so fun.
- 31:43It is essentially we're putting guests into the story.
- 31:47They get thrown into the crazy world of Bikini Bottom and it's part ride, part game, and all SpongeBob.
- 31:52So it's from start to finish.
- 31:56I just took my five-year-old through there, and he did not stop screaming, shouting, laughing and smile on his face. Just said it all.
- 32:04So I think the guest experience has really landed for us. Love.
- 32:07That. Thank you so much. Any other plans from Paramount in Las? Vegas?
- 32:11There's much more coming, but not a lot that I can tell you.
- 32:14But we love Las Vegas and we think that it's a great place for entertainment concepts and for a place for our brands.
- 32:20Well, we are Vegas Revealed. We like to reveal things. So when you're ready. Oh.
- 32:24We will. I got your number. We will let you have the first shout for sure.
- 32:28It'll cost you 20 bucks to ride the ride.
- 32:32It's a little under 15 minutes.
- 32:34And there are some different ticket bundles and packages.
- 32:38So you can go over to the kiosk in front of the SpongeBob Crazy Carnival ride at Circus Circus to get more information on that. Yeah.
- 32:46I learned a lot about SpongeBob. I was not familiar, and I think it's probably because I don't have kids, but interesting.
- 32:53A whole merch store and everything there and really some cute stuff.
- 32:58So head over there to Circus Circus. By the way, when we were at Circus Circus, I went there when I was a kid. I enjoyed it so much, but I really like some of the upgrades they've got. I mean, I felt like it was really clean and taken care of.
- 33:11And there's a whole midway, there's circus acts, obviously there's the Adventure Dome, and it's a unique place.
- 33:19I'm glad it's still around.
- 33:21Absolutely.
- 33:21And we even went out Dana and recreated one of your childhood photos in front of Circus Circus.
- 33:28Now the gorilla was missing, but I stood where the gorilla was.
- 33:31It was a big cement gorilla.
- 33:32Yeah, I was. Me and my mom and brother took a picture in front of it, so I stood where the gorilla was, but the clown is still there.
- 33:39The white sculptured clown. And then the sign is exactly the same.
- 33:44And it was literally 40 years ago, February of 1984.
- 33:49That's wild. It was meant to.
- 33:50Be. It was meant to be. We had so much fun on that trip.
- 33:53Me and my brother brought home two luggages full of stuffed ziggys.
- 33:59Stuffed ziggys. Oh my God.
- 34:01Every Ziggy had a blue shirt or red shirt, and they had a saying on it, and we just wanted to win them all.
- 34:07And we had so much time to kill because our parents were downstairs gambling.
- 34:11Remember when Ziggy was the hottest thing?
- 34:13Oh, so it was a big deal. I don't know where those ziggys are, but I loved them.
- 34:17I don't know. Probably with the Garfields that stuck to your car window. Oh yes.
- 34:21Remember those? Oh my gosh.
- 34:21That is so funny. By the way, I had someone tweet us today or yesterday, maybe it was.
- 34:29And I think they were reacting to our last podcast where we were talking about clowns that drove, and remember we were saying, now it's completely normal to see something like that in Vegas. It's the.
- 34:39Truth.
- 34:39They wrote us and they said, I just saw Shin Limb on the 15 and Shin Limb is a magician over at.
- 34:46The mage at the.
- 34:48And they said, only Vegas moment.
- 34:50And I think they were reacting to what we had said in our podcast, how you can just see anything. Yes.
- 34:55Well, you do. You.
- 34:56Do. So Shin, he's got his hair all spiked up.
- 34:59So he was driving near Shin on the I 15.
- 35:03The other day. I've driven past Elvis a few times too.
- 35:06Yeah, all of.
- 35:08Es.
- 35:09That one on a scooter too.
- 35:11Let's do some tips.
- 35:17Okay. There is a new restaurant in town, and it is called the Miami Grill. And this is one of Pit Bull's restaurants.
- 35:25Here's the deal. It's inside a Walmart.
- 35:28Yeah. Very unexpected location for Pit Bull to open a Las Vegas restaurant.
- 35:33And really, it's not even in Las Vegas. It's in Henderson.
- 35:35Yeah. I mean, I love idea.
- 35:37This is usually where a McDonald's would go apparently.
- 35:40And they have a Miami Grill.
- 35:40I mean, how smart is that?
- 35:43He's going to get all sorts of people to stop into the Miami Grill while they're shopping, and I think it's going to do really well.
- 35:50It's on East Serene Avenue in Henderson.
- 35:52So if you're interested in going to his restaurant and you're visiting us, it's not too, too far. Take a drive out to Henderson. If not, obviously if you're a local, you might want to pop over there.
- 36:03Now we were looking at the menu, and it's cool.
- 36:06It does have some unique things like Cubans on the menu, burgers, chicken, the euros, cheese steaks, sandwiches, wings, fried boneless or baked.
- 36:16And then they have chocolate chip cookies and churros and all sorts of cinnamon sugar pretzels or salted pretzels.
- 36:21So they've got a good variety.
- 36:24That is, we need to stop over there.
- 36:28We do. And I remember when I used to go to stores with mom and we'd get the cart and we were going to spend, I'd always get something for the walk around the store so I could totally see people holding a cinnamon sugar pretzel and doing their shopping at the same time. So I love.
- 36:45That.
- 36:46I always got a cookie at Wegman's when we went to go grocery shopping. Always.
- 36:52Always, right. So I love this. He's going to be opening more Miami grills, but we love Pitbull. He does a lot for the community.
- 36:58And apparently we looked at an article in the Review Journal, we haven't hit the restaurant yet, and it said items were about$3 to 1650 and that range for meals and platters and that kind of thing.
- 37:12Alright, so not too bad.
- 37:13MR 3 0 5.
- 37:15Worldwide right here.
- 37:17I did a quick search on Pit Bull Walmart because I was looking for the information. And we found this video of him. He recently, he traveled to Alaska.
- 37:27Apparently there was this contest where people voted of where Pitbull should do a surprise appearance or an appearance.
- 37:34And this little town in Alaska one, he touches down Mr. Worldwide in Alaska.
- 37:42People had signs. They were screaming. He did a little show.
- 37:46He visited a Walmart apparently.
- 37:49Well, there's probably not a lot of Pitbull sightings in Alaska.
- 37:53Not the artist. Anyway. No.
- 37:55This town had 6,100 people in it.
- 37:55I mean, this was a thrill for them.
- 37:59I love stuff like this, and I feel like artists, singers, celebrities should do more of this.
- 38:03I mean, at least twice a year.
- 38:08Just open it up to fans and say, Hey, where should I go? Where should.
- 38:11I go next? Listen, I think why not?
- 38:14It's such a great idea and it makes people happy. I mean, there are a lot of people in these smaller towns that are working hard and supporting these artists, and sometimes they can't get to a big show or a big concert. True.
- 38:26And so I think touching down, then they're going to download your music from there on out.
- 38:32They're going to be a fan if you treat 'em right.
- 38:34And it could only be a good PR.
- 38:36Move. And Pit Bull is one of those guys. When you meet him in person, he's like the nicest guy ever.
- 38:43So I guarantee everyone who he came in contact with up there in Alaska is now a Fireball fan.
- 38:52Mr 3 0 5 Worldwide. He's got so many nicknames. I.
- 38:56Know when you meet him, I wonder if he's like Fireball. Oh my gosh.
- 39:01His show is the best at playing the Hollywood. One of my favorites over there.
- 39:03It.
- 39:04Really was good. I'm going to Alaska this summer.
- 39:06Maybe I'll pop into that Walmart and see how Pit Bulls trip is being remembered.
- 39:12Or see how you compare the warm reception that you compare to Pitbull.
- 39:17You better bring some Vegas Revealed.
- 39:19Or something. Yeah. Well, I need to start doing something because pitbull's got it over on me for sure.
- 39:25Well, something else new that's opening here in Las Vegas is a Spy Ninjas action zone. Now, if you're not familiar with Spy Ninjas, there are a lot of people who are 44 million subscribers on YouTube.
- 39:43They've racked up 15 billion views worldwide. Oh my gosh. So Spy Ninjas hq, that's what the new Activity Zone is called, is going to be a global destination.
- 40:02I was talking with the woman that does the PR and obviously they have a job to sell, but we were going back and forth, and I honestly believe her.
- 40:08She was like, no, you got to see this thing. There's nothing like it.
- 40:11Come visit when you get a chance.
- 40:13And we are going to go over there at some point. Actually, my friend's son thinking about having his birthday party there.
- 40:18They do birthday parties have a lot of different packages over there, but it's opening on West Sahara, 79 80 West Sahara.
- 40:25That is to the west of the Las Vegas strip. So, well, I was going to say the Strat sits on Sahara, but it doesn't really, it's kind of right where the Las Vegas Festival grounds is the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard. That's Sahara.
- 40:37So then you would drive out West, you would go in the West direction and it's down there.
- 40:44Because I have a feeling that people that visit Las Vegas will actually head over there, especially if you've got kids.
- 40:49Oh, for sure. And this is going to be, I mean, this is a massive complex, a three story ropes course.
- 40:57The largest indoor zip line in Las Vegas a hundred more than a hundred arcade games.
- 41:06There's an upper level that offers a Sky Lounge and a retro Barcade a bar case.
- 41:12So there's a bar in there where there are Spy Ninja Signature cocktails along with vintage video games from the eighties and nineties. So your Miss Pacman might be over there. Dana.
- 41:25Yes, I'm excited. That's great. Or Burger time.
- 41:30Love Burger time. That was one of my favorites too.
- 41:36See Frogger. I was an Atari guy, so Frogger was my jam. Oh my.
- 41:41God. I liked Frogger too. That was fun. So yeah, hopefully we'll have to, we need to go over there. But I love that there's a bar. Listen, the parents, they got to sit there for hours sometimes at these parties or you bring the kids. At least it's like a little something. You could have a cocktail, don't drink heavily unless you have a driver.
- 42:02But yeah, I mean, you know what else is huge.
- 42:04I know my friend's son is really into this vr, this virtual reality stuff.
- 42:09He wants to have a virtual reality birthday party, and that's why they're thinking about having it there.
- 42:12But they have free Rome vr, ax throwing and fruit chopping.
- 42:17Fruit chopping. I've never heard of a fruit chopping activation.
- 42:21Me either.
- 42:22And then three Escape Rooms.
- 42:22So this sounds really cool.
- 42:26It is now officially open.
- 42:26Well, our podcast, let's see, is dropping on the weekend on Saturday, and it actually opens that day, March 9th.
- 42:35So Spy Ninjas hq, a huge complex that has obviously a ton of activity to offer now Open here in Las Vegas.
- 42:48And we met with the construction crew that was working on that.
- 42:50Remember we had a project meeting with them. We did.
- 42:53And they told us this was coming and they were working on it, and they're like, this thing is cool.
- 42:56They were like, it's going to be unbelievable. Yeah.
- 43:00Unbelievable. Hey, we hope you catch us on Fox five in Las Vegas.
- 43:04We're on this weekend at 7: 30 PM after basketball. If you don't, you can check our YouTube page. And remember, Vegas Revealed is now presented by Level Up Law. If you need help, say you have storm damage, a personal injury case call level up and at least get some advice, they'll point you in the right direction. It's 8 5 5 level Up.
- 43:26We're on this weekend at 7: Also thank you to the Vegas Near Me app available on the Apple App Store and for Android devices on the Google Play Store.
- 43:35We're on this weekend at 7: Yeah, it's always free and you don't have to put in that email.
- 43:38We're on this weekend at 7: Just download it, start using it.
- 43:40We're on this weekend at 7: It's very up to date and it has maps of inside these properties, which is wonderful. That's a wrap.
- 43:47We're on this weekend at 7: We will be back next week for episode two 12 of Vegas Revealed, and we will have you covered with all of your March Madness viewing locations. Talk to you then.
- 43:59We're on this weekend at 7: Bye.