↑ Part 1 Part 2 ↓
Season 3 Episode 7
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Hooters Casino Hotel feat. Alexander Poncio
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In this episode of Fine Dining: The Search for the Most Mediocre Restaurant in America:
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â—‹ Part 1: Hooters Casino Hotel was meant to be a game-changer—bringing its busty brand of mediocrity to the Las Vegas Strip. Instead, it became one of the biggest disasters in Vegas history. A casino so bad, it made Circus Circus look classy. So... what went wrong?
For my third annual Hooter Bowl Spectacular, I had to go big. So I spent 19 hours trapped inside the Hooters Casino Hotel (now OYO), enduring its busted elevators, depressing ambiance, and suspiciously sticky carpets—all for the sake of history.
Along the way, my guest Alexander Poncio and I uncover the shocking history of this cursed Las Vegas casino—including its mob ties, multiple bankruptcy scandals, and an abandoned attempt in the 1980s to become Vegas' first LGBTQ-friendly resort.
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â—‹ Part 2: Hooters Casino Hotel—now rebranded as OYO Hotel & Casino—has been called the worst hotel on the Vegas Strip. But is it really that bad? We put it to the ultimate test by spending 19 hours trapped inside, eating Hooters for dinner AND breakfast (because yes, this is the only Hooters in the country that serves breakfast).
And if that wasn’t enough? We also hit up Aussie Heat (a male strip show), sang Dear Theodosia at karaoke (to everyone’s disappointment), and dealt with clogged toilets, broken elevators, and staff who couldn’t care less.
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What We Ate: Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Beef Sliders, Curly Fries, Onion Rings, Funnel Cake Sticks (with raspberry and chocolate sauce), Fried Pickles, Lemon Pepper Wings, Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy, Eggs, Bacon, French Toast, Tater Tots, Fried Egg, and Toast
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
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Michael's Score: 3.63
Alex's Score: 4.21
Tchotchke of Mediocrity Score: 3.92
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Host: Michael Ornelas
Guest Hosts: Alexander Poncio
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Music by: James McEnelly
Theme Song by: Gabe Alvarez
Segment Transitions Voice by: Sandy Rose
