We can take the best reality TV shows for granted when it comes to what works and what doesn’t. While it’s easier to produce and usually cheaper to make, not every unscripted series can be a long haul runner like Survivor or the Real Housewives universe. Which is why Bar Rescue’s current ninth season is something we should talk about, as Jon Taffer’s Paramount Network program is still alive and kicking on the 2024 TV schedule.
Eleven years and over 250 episodes have seen Taffer and his hospitality consultant skills reinvent many failing businesses that can’t seem to catch a break. And in speaking with the man himself to commemorate this latest milestone, I learned that Jon Taffer knows exactly why Bar Rescue has endured over a decade of success.
Why Bar Rescue Is Different From Most Reality TV
In speaking with Mr. Taffer in an interview to celebrate Bar Rescue’s longevity, I was able to dive deeper into the man’s acumen in both hospitality and reality television. Previously, I shared Jon Taffer’s tips for dining out, which touched upon the former sphere of influence. But earlier in our interview, I actually kicked things off by asking him what he thought was the key to the show’s survival, which spans not only an extensive period of time, but also survived the massive Spike network rebranding.
Deep at the heart of it all, the concept has never changed, and neither has Jon Taffer’s tenacity. That much was on display when he shared the following remarks with CinemaBlend:
Authenticity, and respect of audience. You know, nothing is fake and Bar Rescue, on my mother's grave. There's no actors, there's no scripts, there's no planning. I've never been there before. When I walk into those bars, it's the first time. So I'm never ahead of the audience. The audience sees what I see when I see it, and I think that makes us a very, very unique reality show. Normally there's table reads that people do, walkthroughs, et cetera.
The reputation of Bar Rescue’s mastermind and host precedes him, especially after being on the air for as long as he has. While I’m sure some establishments might be on edge thinking that random patrons could be a recon spy in the making, I buy the surprise and conflict that come out of these visits.
There’s also a bit of a gimmick that I’m still stunned to realize I’ve never picked up on with Bar Rescue’s approach. I don’t think it’s outwardly mentioned on the show, but the rescues that we’re seeing are done on a pretty tight schedule. Here again is Jon Taffer, laying out how a typical episode of the show comes together:
What you don't know is after recon we put the owners and employees in vans, in the parking lot, and I go in and design the bar that night. So it's a lot of pressure after 250 of them to keep coming up with new ideas, new looks, new drinks, and all that. But yeah, and then it's all in real time, and we do build it 36 hours, and we're only there a total of four days. So it's a very condensed period, and the trick to it is to just be truthful.
That truthfulness has kept Bar Rescue on the air, and is an undeniable point of its charm. In fact, it's a point that kind of makes sense when looking at it in the context of recent news like Hulu's surprising cancellation of The D'Amelio Show. In preparing for this discussion, I actually went back to the reruns of the series to nail down the feel of the series. And sure enough, there was a good example that presented itself as a natural conversation starter.
The Surefire Sign Of Failure Jon Tapper Always Sees On Bar Rescue
Believe it or not, there are some businesses that Jon Taffer has walked into that don’t have outright signs of failure. But no matter what, the truth is eventually discovered, after which the Bar Rescue team embarks on its four-day mad dash to set right what’s clearly gone wrong. And over all of the years of action he’s seen at the head of this show, Taffer came away with these personally held beliefs:
Well it's shocking to me. You know, when I started this, I never knew this depth of failure even existed. I mean, it's crazy. People 50 years old in debt, $400,000 out, in their parents' basement, their parents are about to lose their house too. I mean, crazy. So it's a challenge to deal with this depth of failure. And if there's anything I've learned in 250 episodes of Bar Rescue is that every failing business has a failing owner. And if you don't fix the failing individual, you never fixed a failing business. In many cases, I could build them to freaking Taj Mahal and they'd screw it up.
It’s hard to imagine manufacturing the level of ridiculousness that some of Bar Rescue’s most infamous locations have achieved. In returning to show’s extensive rerun catalog, which is currently available to Paramount+ subscription holders or those who frequent Pluto TV, a rather infamous case came up involving bar owner/attorney Luke Beshera and what is currently known as the Stampede Saloon.
The Fort Worth, Texas establishment was previously known as the Whiskey Girl Saloon, and if you want the full story on that transformation, you should check out Bar Rescue’s Season 6 episode “Reckless Roundhouse.” But to cut to the chase, Luke also doubled as the bar’s mascot, Rick Roundhouse. And for a taste of that madness, I throw it to a clip with footage from that very episode, provided below:
Rick Roundhouse meets his match – me 😡 Join me this Sunday for a NEW @BarRescue at 10/9c on @paramountnet. pic.twitter.com/HtfbqnCq0bJuly 19, 2019
Characters like this would be hard to manufacture on a show like Bar Rescue, or any other reality show worth its salt. And I believe Jon Taffer’s claims of authenticity, because some of these antics are just too human to fake. So when I mentioned in conversation that the energy that it takes to create such a social butterfly could be better put to use, Mr. Taffer backed that claim with one more piece of experience:
I say that all the time. If I could direct your energy to something positive, you'd be successful.
While Jon Taffer knows his subject’s weaknesses, he also knows their strengths. And as we continued discussing examples of the reality that goes into Bar Rescue, he stated that while he’s seen quite a few hotheads in his time, he’s also seen some severely gratuitous owners.
Actual reality has always been key to Taffer’s series. So much so that, in another portion of this interview, he told a story of how Spike executives tried to push the series in a more traditional direction, which resulted in him walking off the set several times. Believing in his show as much as he believes in Bar Rescue's guests of honor, Jon Taffer shows no sign of changing that concept any time soon; and the project is all the better for it.
If you're looking to get back into Bar Rescue, new episodes air Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on the Paramount Network. And if you miss that time slot, you can watch the series on Paramount+ or Pluto TV.
