The Entertainer, Episode 7: My Big Fat Obnoxious Audience

First of all, a bit of an update on one of the former contestants. As of this writing, Nathan, who was the fourth person to exit the game, is spending seven days in a box with seven showgirls in the Desert Passage at the Aladdin. The event is being broadcast at the web site www.nathaninabox.com, and provides links to other fun facts and information about him. If you were a fan of Nathan, you can see him perform in “V” which is playing at the Aladdin. Also, one other Entertainer contestant is appearing in that production, which is a show full of variety acts, but it might be a spoiler as to somebody losing, so don’t look if you don’t want to know. I know one thing – I’m going to make it my business to see the show as soon as my schedule allows it.

Last week on The Entertainer, the would-be headliners duked it out in a battle of street performances at the Fremont Street Experience, aided by the Scintas. The goal was to raise as much money for Opportunity Village as possible . While the Red Team had a fast start, everything went wrong when Joe’s boom box batteries died, Theresa disappeared for a time, they overbid on a sound system, and made a bad bet on a spin of the roulette wheel. Theresa found herself the target of Wayne’s attention for abandoning her team to go warm up, but he said that when raising money for charity, there were no real losers. Everybody was safe, and each team got a different treat. The Black Team (Delisco, Jennifer, and Dave) were being sent to Hollywood to meet an Academy Award winning actor and writer, and the Red Team (Joe, Sarah, and Theresa) were being sent to have a nice dinner and see a burlesque show.

The Black Team goes off in their private jet to Hollywood, and speculate on who the mystery academy award winner is. Steve Marin? Tom Hanks? Mel Gibson? They go through Hollywood to a trailer and meet the star – Matt Damon. They get to know each other, with Matt learning something about them, and Matt tells them about the movie he’s working on right now. Jennifer asks how he got his start, but he says there is no magic; it’s a lot of little steps. He tells people not to go into the business, but if that doesn’t discourage them, they may have what it takes. In all, they enjoy their time with him.

Back in Las Vegas, Theresa declines to go out on their reward dinner, or to the show. Joe is pleased – he and Sarah have been getting along well together, and don’t particularly want her along anyway. They eat sushi and have fun with the food while eating. Sarah admits there is a connection between them. They cuddle up at the restaurant together, then go to a burlesque club. They have a good time at the show, and think their first date went well.

The next day, the call sheet comes up. Sarah is finally ready for somebody to go home – she realizes they are her competition, even if they are her friends. We get plenty of shots of Theresa changing into multiple outfits. She messed up last week by not wearing appropriate (warm) clothes, and wants to be both glamorous, beautiful, and the girl next door on stage. They all report on stage, where Wayne greets them and reminds them of the prize package – an extended spot in his show, a one-year headlining gig at the Las Vegas Hilton, and the title of The Entertainer, a package worth over a million dollars. He says he has seen them grow as performers and as human beings, and hopes they’ve learned something.

Wayne tells them that in show business, the one thing they can count on is that things change at any given moment. Today he’s going to test their ability to perform and revamp their act in front of a live audience. He introduces them to Paul Bolin and Kelly Clinton, both of whom have been on stage with him numerous times. They’ve been in all kinds of situations on stage, and have handled them like pros. Each person will include one of them in their act. They have 10 minutes to rehearse and then it’s showtime. The challenge will test their creativity and ability to make quick changes. Those who can adapt and do well will stay. If they can’t adapt, they might be going home. Joe is worried – he’s a solo act and doesn’t know how to incorporate another person into it.

Wayne tells us that when performers are on stage, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. It’s up to the performer to deal with them with grace, and it can make or break a show. While Paul and Kelly are talented, their real job is cause disruption and problems for the contestants. It should be interesting to see who survives this situation intact.

Delisco rehearses first, and wants to perform “In the Still of the Night.” He thinks it’s a good sample of what he can do. He works with Paul and is excited. Sarah starts to rehearse with Kelly, but Kelly admits she doesn’t know the song Sarah wants to do. Sarah decides to have her do the background vocals. She’s confident it will be great. Dave works with Paul, having Dave be the straight man in a mock TV interview, and thinks rehearsal went great. Jennifer wants Paul to do the male backgrounds to “Crazy.” Jennifer knows and loves the song, and thinks that Paul, as a true professional, will jump in at the right spot to make the song a success. Joe is the most worried. He’s a prop comic and has a hard time getting her into his show. He gives her some direction and gets pumped up, but notes he only had ten minutes to rehearse with her. Theresa just wants to Kelly to hold a mailbox and jump in singing during a few parts of “Walking on Sunshine.”

It’s time to perform, and Wayne has another surprise – several special guests who will be in the audience for moral support. It’s Marla, Nathan, and Jacquie – former contestants. Everybody is happy to see them again. Wayne tells them to get ready for the performance. With the theater full of people, Wayne acts as emcee and lets the audience in on the joke, telling them they will be judging them on how the performer adjusts to things going wrong. He’s also planted a heckler in the audience, his good friend and comic Paul Rodriguez. He asks the crowd for their help, including asking some of them to get up and walk out in the middle of the acts.

Delisco is the first to perform, and get cheers at first. Then Paul Rodriguez yells out, “Hey Fat Albert!” Delisco starts singing, and the heckling continues non-stop. Delisco finally goes out into the audience and high fives Paul Rodriguez to diffuse the situation, but then his partner Paul Bolin starts goofing off on-stage. Delisco finally ends the act, but instead of cheers, he gets hissed at.