The Casino, Episode 3: Working Girl

A blonde in a red cowboy hat, rhinestone sunglasses, and a coat with a fur collar cruises towards Vegas. We learn that not only has she apparently been raiding Britney Spears' garage sale, but that her name is Jenn, and she's moving to Vegas to find a job. She calls her grandmother and says not to worry - she's got enough money to last a week, then she'll find a job. Well, that's a solid plan. What could possibly go wrong with that? Jenn says that she's from Portland, and she loves her hometown, but thinks there's more opportunity, not to mention more fun, waiting for her in Las Vegas. She says she'll do any job. Do you think Jenn's ever seen the movie Leaving Las Vegas?

Before I go any further in this recap, I'd like to acknowledge that many of the scenes we'll see with Jenn, and indeed many of the scenes that have made up this show, seem rather contrived. Did Jenn just so happen to walk into so many interesting stories, or was there a little bit of staging and prompting on the part of the producers? I'm acknowledging now that many of the scenes seemed a little too perfect, a little too convenient, to be entirely believable as reality. And I'm saying that now so that I don't have to spend the rest of this recap picking apart every single detail. A lot of this seemed staged. There it is. Let's move on, shall we?

At the Golden Nugget, James, one of the hosts, tells Tim and Tom that John and Mike, two high rollers, are coming to Vegas. Tim knows them from back east and is excited that they might come to the Nugget. Tom says in an interview that it's hard for a downtown hotel and casino like theirs to compete with the strip, but it's important to try to lure players like John and Mike in. Tim tells James to send one of the vintage Caddies to get them, and to hook them up with all the best they have to offer. In an interview, Tim (who is incorrectly labeled as Tom) says that they don't have all of the razzle dazzle of the strip like volcanoes and pirate ships, but they'll try their hardest to show people a good time.

John and Mike head downtown and are not impressed with what they're seeing. They drive past some seedy looking wedding chapels, pawn shops, and bail bondsmen. Still, they were staying at the Venetian and thought it was too plastic, so they're willing to give it a shot. James greets them at the hotel and offers to set them up with dinner and a show, prompting one of them to remark, "They treat us good!" James takes them up to their suite, which has two bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, living room, and one of the most depressing views you ever saw. Their suite looks out on a parking lot and the barren dessert. John and Mike openly laugh at how hideous the view is, but James promises they'll have a good time.

Jenn arrives at the Nugget, and two bellhops fight over who gets to carry her bags. Jenn tells the woman who checks her in that she's looking for a job, any job. In an interview in which she's swapped her stupid red cowboy hat for a stupid pink cowboy hat, Jenn says, "There are a lot of people doing different things in Vegas and I'm going to be one of them!" When they had career day at Jen's high school, she must have gone to the session called "whatever."

A stretch Hummer arrives at the casino, and out steps Ernie, a middle aged bald man, with three blondes on his arms. Ernie says that his job is a "personal party planner," and that he hates it when people assume he's a pimp. That pretty much cinches it for me that Ernie is, in fact, a pimp. He explains that he's an "insulator," and that he helps his clients live out their fantasies while insuring their privacy. Not so hard to read between the lines on that one, is it? He says he's always looking for new talent and - hey, who's that blonde?

It's Jenn, of course, all decked out in a low cut top, skirt, and strappy sandals. She introduces herself to a cocktail waitress and throws out all social graces by asking her how much money she makes. The waitress tells her she can make anywhere from a hundred to a thousand dollars a night, "depending." That's a pretty broad range, but it doesn't dampen Jenn's enthusiasm, especially when the waitress says she's pretty sure they're hiring. Jenn's excited and heads over to one of the tables. Michelle, one of Ernie's ladies, immediately swoops in and introduces herself, and then Ernie. Jenn tells Ernie that she's new to town and is willing to do any job.

Jenn might as well strap two raw, bloody, steaks to he legs, draw a chum line around herself, and jump into a shark tank as say something like that to Ernie. He's drooling like the big, bad wolf. He tells her, "That's what we do, in a sense, is that we always try to take care of business." Well, I don't know how anyone could take a clear business mission statement like that and think there was anything seedy going on! Ernie, who mentions in an interview how vulnerable Jenn is, goes on to tell her that other women who've worked for him have been able to retire at the age of 25! KT, the blackjack dealer, is taking all of this in and has clearly seen this kind of thing before. In an interview, she calls Ernie a vulture. Ernie gives Jenn his business card and suggests that she spend an evening with him so that she can see what his work is all about. Jenn puts it in her purse, then tells us in an interview that Vegas is just so great, and everyone is so gosh-darned helpful! Jenn, you've got some hayseeds in your hair, sweetie.

Tommy, who has worked as a blackjack dealer for five months, heads into the casino. On the way, he says hello to his dad, one of the hosts, who we met last week. Tommy says that his dad's job is great - he gets to hang out with VIP's, have great dinners, take them out to play golf, and basically get paid to have fun. His dream is to someday be a host, too.