Caesars 24/7, Episode 19: Doing It... with Flair

This is the second of two back-to-back half-hour episodes of Caesars 24/7 airing tonight. Read on to get the lowdown of the second episode. You can read about the first episode here.

What do we have to look forward to in this episode? Flair bartending auditions, the AVN convention and a sisterly surprise. Let’s go!

We start with flair bartending. Francesco Leoni is alleged to be the best in the world, and indeed, he’s pretty flashy. We also meet Jennifer Guevara, who works “back bar” at the Shadow Bar. Her responsibilities include setting up the bar and making sure supplies are readily available. She wants to progress, to become a flair bartender, and is looking forward to an upcoming audition day. She’s getting tips from Francesco in their spare time, but she does seem to drop a lot of bottles. Francesco suggests they take their break at his house, where she can practice without interruption. Jennifer admits she’s nervous about the audition.

Next, we meet Heather. Heather is an exotic dancer. She has a chain hanging from a piercing in her chin. I find it a little distracting, but that’s just me. We also meet her sister, Ros, a full-time mother. The sisters have met in Vegas for what Ros figures is just some family fun with he favorite sister. It’s Ros’ opinion that her sister can do better than being an exotic dancer, but it’s Heather who is more nervous about some news she has for Ros – that she wants to go to the AVN convention. The AVN is Adult Video News and this is an adult porn convention!

Don Laikowski is a bouncer in the Shadow Bar, but this week’s adventure will focus elsewhere. Don is going to engage in the process known as “HurryDating.” Marnie is the director of HurryDating, and she explains it as a dating service for those who have limited time to meet new people. It works like this: you spend a few minutes each with a series of potential dating partners and rate them on a scorecard. Marnie will review the cards, and hopefully, the folks you’ve scored highest also like you. If so, HurryDate will hook you up.

We change scenes back to the sisters. Heather needs to tell her secret before taking her sister into the AVN convention. She begins, “You know I love you, right?” which is a phrase that usually precedes some kind of bombshell. And Heather confides that she’s making a career change – from exotic dancer to porn actress. Lesbian porn, no less! Wow, lesbian porn at 4:30 in the afternoon on a weekend on A&E – is that a sign of the oncoming apocalypse or what?

Ros is completely taken aback, stammering, “Wh-what?” Are you surprised that a tense discussion develops? Heather reveals to us that she’s slept with women before and says, “If I’m going to get into porn…” and Ros interrupts, “Why do you gotta get into porn?” Ros is also worried about what the rest of the family will think – they barely accept that she’s an exotic dancer. “Let me do what I want to do!” insists Heather. “Either you’re with me, or you’re not.” Ros doesn’t find this nearly as funny as I do and I think she needs a hug right about here. But let’s go back to HurryDating while Ros recovers.

Don meets his first lady, and asks her, “What gets you going, gets you excited?” She doesn’t know. Don doesn’t think she was adventurous enough for him. Director Marnie tells us that in a few minutes, you can usually tell if you have any chemistry with a person. Indeed, she blows a whistle at the four-minute mark and cheerfully calls out, “HurryDate!” That means it’s time to change partners. Don’s next date isn’t any better, it almost becomes adversarial, as Don insists “traveling” isn’t really a hobby, and when he asks, “Now, why are you single?” you know that sometimes, even four minutes is too long. There’s no match here! I could mention that Don doesn’t have the most inviting body posture, slouching in the chair like he’s watching his NFL team cruise to an easy victory. Dude, it’s not a recliner!

The scene shifts back to Francesco and Jennifer at Francesco’s house during their break He shows her his awards, which are from several different countries, and some new moves he’s working on. Trust me, Francesco is smoo-ooth, the bottles seem to float magically in the air! Jennifer takes a turn, and there are a few drops. He gives her good tips like going slower to maintain control, and always be smiling. She admits her nerves are going to be a problem. Francesco says, “It’s going to be a bit nerve-wracking, I feel a kind of responsible.”

Hurry-dater Don is back in action, and meets a woman, Amy, that he likes. She’s very outgoing – she says she was asked if she was there for love or lust, and replied. “Both.” She shares many of Don’s outdoorsy interests like boating and skiing, and he loves that. . The whistle blows and Don tells us that so far, Amy is his first choice. Director Marnie determines that Don and Amy are matched up. When asked, Amy confirms she is interested in a date. Unfortunately, Don says he prefers someone else!

The scene shifts back to the area near the AVN. Heather says she needs the money to support her kid, and she doesn’t care what people think. She pretty much demands that sister Ros accompany her to the convention. They seem to grudgingly make up, and Ros reluctantly agrees to support her sister. As they go to the AVN, Ros is still asking, “Are you sure you want to do this?” Heather replies that she’s not sure, and that’s what she hopes to get out of the convention.

Heather talks to one of the actresses, who says she loves the business. Ros jumps in, “I got one question. Does your family support what you do one-hundred percent?” When assured that they do, a not-fully-convinced Ros says, “Thank God for unconditional love, huh!”

At another booth, the woman in charge offers to take Heather in the back “for an evaluation.” As Ros sits down to wait, she is not smiling. I think Ros was hoping no one would show interest in Heather, but the exact opposite happens as she gets potential job offers. As they leave the AVN, Heather is smiling big-time and is motivated in her new career.

Ros is way less thrilled, but at least she’s not in a porn convention any longer. Ros insists that Heather be the one to break the news to the family. Ros advises, “Don’t do anything to your body that might hurt your soul.” Heather promises to “really, really think this through.” They hug. Sisters still! I think Ros needs more hugs, she’s truly had a tough day.

It’s audition time, and Jennifer is visibly nervous. She isn’t sure if she’s really ready for this. There are several applicants, who are told they’ll be judged on, “Speed, bottle control, smoothness and personality behind the bar.” Jennifer does well, though I don’t see much smiling. Unfortunately, she finished her routine with time left over, so she continues… with two drops. Francesco is proud of her for trying, and he gives her a hug and some encouraging words. Jennifer can hardly wait to see what the judges have to say – but we’ll have to wait for that.

Back at HurryDating, it turns out that Don was only kidding. Definitely, he wants to have a date with Amy, and off they go for cocktails.

Jennifer realizes she should have stopped at the end of her routine and not improvised. She is turned down, but with more very encouraging words from management. A guy named Josh gets the job. Jennifer promises to pursue her dream of being the first female Flair Bartender at The Shadow Bar.

In Conclusion:

Tonight’s episode of Caesars 24/7 was called “Having It Your Way.” The stories of Heather and Ros at the AVN, HurryDating and Jennifer/Francesco were all interesting and well presented. I definitely give this episode an “A” as well, the first time both halves of the hour have received a top grade!

Next week – two more new episodes! They will be hard pressed to match this week’s stories, but it looks promising with showgirl tryouts in the first show and a misbehaving groom in the second.

Viewers please note, it looks like 3PM is the new starting time for this show because that’s when it’s on next week, too. This is too bad, a weekend afternoon in the summer is certainly not prime time for airing a show that’s beginning to show some promise. Also, it’s not rebroadcast later in the day (or week) like many other A&E shows are.

In the meantime – why not take our fun poll? Just a couple of quick questions, nothing official. This is the same poll as last week, but I want more responses, so I’m keeping it open a little longer. Results will be reported in an upcoming recap.

Brian is an unemployed/retired programmer from Toronto who really needs to take his wife on a free junket to Caesars Palace. He can be reached at uncle_bto@rogers.com.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find out about some other popular shows at our The Amazing Race 6 page and our Last Comic Standing page; and don't miss The Reality TV Hall of Shame. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about Survivor: Palau, be sure to check out SirLinksALot: Caesars 24/7 page!