For some odd reason, I find the American reality TV show Bar Rescue interesting and fun to watch despite the fact that I am not all that much of a bar patron.

I always liked TV reality shows about fixers uppers and pioneers consulting businesses to make them become profitable and successful, mainly because there is a certain sense of predictability in them, and they encourage us to improve things we own. However, Bar Rescue is a unique concept, because the targetted “ruins” that the show has to bring back to life are bars, pubs, and nightclubs which often also serve food along with wide selections of beers and spirits, hence it is an intriguing mixture.

Of course, the host of the show has to be a person who is tough and possesses some serious background in the bar business since it is known to be a harsh business filled with intoxicated people of both sexes and bouncers to keep them at bay! (bar brawl vs bar crawl, I think one leads to another “hold one, sounds like a good idea for a reality show”). This reality made Jon Taffer the perfect host of this show, and indeed he is a toughie and does not hesitate to express himself with absolute sincerity to the owners of the targetted struggling bars for rescue, (it has to be his way or the highway).

Taffer is a natural businessman, he came from a family of entrepreneurs, and of course, he was already famous before Bar Rescue, especially among NFL fans for his contribution to the invention of the NFL Sunday Ticket, which among other things contributed to making bars and pubs the place to go in order to catch alive NFL game.

I honestly was expecting what I am about to say when I began watching Bar Rescue. It is a real-life drama show with some action and of course, some comedy too. Jon Taffer can be hilarious with his down to reality quotes, the different bar owners and their staff are always entertaining and in conflict with Taffer who can be very very blunt and maybe a little too bossy.

I was surprised when I found that the original show was created by the Dutch production company Eyesworks back in 2010 and eventually picked up by the film and TV production giant MTV Entertainment Studios in 2011 because I reckoned that some bar nut invented it. Now in its eight-season and with more than 200 episodes later, it has become one of the most-watched reality shows, (you can catch it on Spike TV or a streaming service).

Every bar or pub means a different setting and a whole different cast except for Taffer and his team, sometimes patrons also become unintended actors. The overall good quality of the show is a direct result of intensive focus on the audience's needs and great knowledge of the bar scene and culture. The team of producers: Todd Nelson, Dj Nurre, and Katy Dierks conquered and turned Bar Rescue into a show that will be remembered for success and longevity among other things. The show was created by Darrin Reed, a successful television, film producer, and writer.

If you like Gordon Ramsay reality shows such as Kitchen Nightmares and Hotel Hell, then you will definitely relate to Bar Rescue. And just like Gordon Ramsay is controversial, so is Jon Taffer. To many, they are both heroes helping struggling businesses succeed and providing real-life education on how to succeed, however, both are also perceived by many as a little too angry and arrogantly self-righteous.

Bar Rescue is definitely the show where you will see some of the best bars ever and also some of the most horrendous nightmarish bars too. It is simply fun and I do not mind it even a bit.

Sophie ☕️🍰 - jun 05, 2022