Reality TV has had a long, torrid love affair with Las Vegas. In 2002, "The Real World" installed seven strangers in a suite at the Palms for a season so popular the cast reunited for a spin-off at the casino five years later. The MTV reality show returned to Las Vegas again in 2011 and 2016.
"Pawn Stars," "Counting Cars" and "Tanked" all call the city home, and the casinos' pool party scene even launched a reality show, "Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel," which played on TruTV for three seasons. Other shows have used the Strip for a season or an episode. "Top Chef," "American Idol" and "The Bachelorette" have all filmed in Vegas.
Lately, reality TV has infiltrated the city's dining scene. Earlier this year, chef Gordon Ramsay opened a Hell's Kitchen restaurant at Caesars Palace, and coming in 2019, Vanderpump Cocktail Garden will debut at the same casino resort.
The lounge is a partnership between Caesars Palace and Lisa Vanderpump, the restaurateur behind Los Angeles' Sur, Pump and Villa Blanca who stars on Bravo's "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and "Vanderpump Rules." Her Las Vegas cocktail spot will be set between the Colosseum theater and the entrance to the Forum Shops, with an alfresco garden draped in greenery and lights and an indoor lounge with pink accents and industrial details. The menu will focus on Vanderpump branded rose and sangria, craft cocktails and light snacks to keep guests satiated while they look out for Vanderpump or one of her pseudo-celebrity underlings.
"Guests may even run into their favorite stars, including Lisa or cast members from her hit reality shows," suggests a press release about the venue, expected to open early next year.