Bar da incubo

Jon is firm but usually fair, and there's plenty of great advice on running a bar. Some episodes are wild and raunchy, while others are borderline tearjerkers. My only beef is occasionally Jon goes too far with the remodel and strips the bars of their characters, making it all generic and hipster-like. They usually knock it out the park though. But overall, this is a good time waster and it'll definitely keep you hooked.

There's no way in he** some of these bars could stay open with the bugs, rats(!),dirty kitchens etc without the health department taking notice and shutting them down.

In that regard, it's exaggerated drama.

One episode was filmed right down the street from me, a Vegas sports bar transformed into the Bacon Bar.

Talking to the employees, they said a lot of the arguing, drama etc was scripted. The tv crew wanted them to act, not "be themselves".

So why do I watch? I admit, the finished products are awesome. It's more than just a cleanup and some fresh paint.

Bacon Bar as an example: I visited it before and after the change. It's a complete remodel inside and out.

I mainly watch to see the transformations. Like most reality tv, the added drama doesn't work for me.

But I do like the show. John comes across as a loud bully but again, it's all scripted so I don't read too much into it.

I have mixed feelings about Bar Rescue.

On the one hand, the typical "Reality" TV formula and attendant drama gets old fast. If you watch Bar Rescue more than once, you learn the formula: a clueless bar owner + Jon Taffer blowing a gasket + a big show down between Taffer and the owner + a disastrous "stress test" + redemption, training, makeover = happy ending.

Personally, I could do without the yelling, screaming, crying, fighting and the needlessly- tight (usually five day) turnaround to "rescue" the bar.

On the other hand, when Mr. Taffer gets in to the analysis of why some bars work and many fail the show becomes very interesting. Learning facts like that a bar that alienates women will likely fail, and that bartenders over-pouring due to a lack of training - or as an effort to boost their tips at the expense of the establishment's inventory- are the kind of insights that make the program watchable.

Taffer's ultimate point is that running a bar is not a good-time job or excuse to party. It is a business and like any small business, if an owner wants to be successful at it he or she has to be ready to effectively deal with the necessary inventory, personnel, budget, compliance and marketing responsibilities.

A challenge Bar Rescue has to contend with is that viewers can easily see for themselves how the rescued bar does after the show's filming.

By the time an episode airs the renovated bar has had a few months to operate under the new recommended fixes. A quick Yelp search usually undermines the rosy ending. In many cases the bar still fails, or reverts to its old habits. The reviews sometimes reveal that the rapid 36-hour renovations done for dramatic effect and production schedules are pretty slap-dash on closer inspection, or that the changes to the bar made by the show were not in compliance with local law.

I actually think Bar Rescue could spruce itself up if it was a more professional, measured presentation that took more time than just five days to really work with transforming a bar. The formulaic theatrics and shouting, coupled with the slapdash renovation and the uncomfortable sense that a lot of the fixes really won't stick detracts from what could be a really interesting program about how to run a successful bar.

I like this show, but in looking at the " cast members / experts" listed, there are those that say they are actors ...wtf ?! I call BS

This is a very interesting look at the competitive bar and restaurant business. Host Taffer pulls no punches with his incredibly blunt assessments which can make viewers cringe at times, but creates a lot of interesting reactions from the owners, managers and employees being berated. He never fails to blurt out, "this is the worst I've ever seen" about something in the business he's trying to turn around.

Although a lot of the show is scripted and contrived, it still pulls you in and keeps you watching. You may have a hard time eating out after seeing the deplorable condition of some of the kitchens. The only suggestion I would make is that they provide more detailed numbers as far as revenues and profits in all of the episodes. There is some of this, but it didn't occur in all the episodes I observed.