Fred Hazelton & Seb Gagnon are the hosts of a brand new Las Vegas podcast called The Unofficial Vegas Podcast.  Fred is a Vegas veteran who visits annually as part of his gig with The Unofficial Vegas Guide and Seb is his good friend & co-host who's only had the opportunity to visit Vegas a couple of times.

I reached out to the guys to see if they'd be interested in joining me on the podcast to talk about their show as well as share some of their own personal Las Vegas picks, tips and tricks!

If you want to take a listen to The Unofficial Vegas Podcast you can find them on Apple Podcasts and Spotify or check them out on Anchor!  And be sure to give the boys a follow on social media...find them on Twitter and Instagram!

Side Note:

Big thanks to Noe Perez from The Noe Perez Pod for having me on his podcast to chat.  I had an absolute blast talking to Noe about my time growing up in Canada, working in radio, getting into podcasting and sharing some of my own personal Vegas tips & tricks.  Be sure to check out the episode and subscribe to the show!

Almost 40 years ago, the Las Vegas Strip was the site of what would become the third-worst hotel fire in modern US history and what remains as the worst disaster in the history of the state of Nevada.

On an early morning in November of 1980, a small fire broke out in what was - at the time - the MGM Grand Hotel (now, Bally's).  The fire quickly spread, engulfing the casino level and sending thick black smoke & toxic fumes to the upper floors of the hotel.  In the end, 85 people were killed and hundreds more were injured.

But what exactly caused the fire and led to such widespread fatalities & injuries?  And what changes were made to ensure that something like this could never happen again?

That's what this episode of Sin City Stories is all about, as I take a deep dive into one of the darker moments in Las Vegas's history.

And if you want to learn more about everything I've covered in this special episode of the podcast, head over to the official Sin City Stories website - featuring in-depth stories, links, videos, photos and more!

The very first episode of the podcast was released all the way back on December 1, 2018.  When I launched the podcast, I was simply looking for a creative outlet and a way to share my love for Las Vegas.

I've had the opportunity to talk to & meet with some amazing people - including entertainers, fellow podcasters and Vegas-related experts - and share these conversations with an amazing audience all over the world who are just as passionate about Vegas as I am.

18 months, 68 episodes and over 55,000 downloads later, I thought it might be fun to take a trip back and share clips of some of my favourite podcast conversations...so welcome to the first ever Jeff Does Vegas Clip Show!

And, in order of appearance, here are links to the complete episodes I pulled each of the clips from:

EP#45: My Special Guest - Mark Shunock

EP#43: KABOOM!  The National Atomic Testing Museum

EP#13: Leaving It All On The Table

EP#19: Here's The (Time Share) Pitch

EP#35: My Special Guest - Jimmy Denning

EP#52: Superstitious Feeling

EP#49: Pinball Hall of Fame

EP#42: Long Live The King - Elvis In Vegas

EP#21: Kill Resort Fees

EP#48: My Special Guest - Vin A.

Sergio Portesan is the creator of the website, Viva Las Value - an awesome site crammed with tons of great tips & tricks on how to do your Las Vegas trip on a budget.  Sergio is also my first ever "three-peat" guest on the podcast, with first 2 appearances being among my top 10 most-downloaded episodes of all-time.

I asked Sergio to hop back on the podcast for a couple of reasons...

First, with the Canada/US Border closed, I'm not able to travel down to Las Vegas but Sergio can, so I asked him if he'd be willing to join me for a "trip report by proxy" to share a few reviews from his most recent trek to Sin City.

Secondly, Sergio's trip coincided with the re-opening weekend of Las Vegas following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.  As such, I wanted to get his thoughts & opinions on how he thought Vegas was doing in welcoming back visitors and - most importantly - whether or not he thought he'd be heading back down for another trip anytime soon.

If you've got Vegas-related questions for Sergio be sure to reach out and follow Viva Las Value on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

If you've found yourself strolling through The Linq on a recent Las Vegas trip, there's a very good chance you've seen my guest for this episode of the podcast performing.

Justin Michael Rodriguez is one of the performers in the show Extreme Live - a very cool, high energy, interactive show at the Linq.

Justin and I chatted about the time he spent growing up in Las Vegas, scoring a lead in the touring production of a major Broadway show, his brush with boy-band fame and his thoughts on the future of entertainment in Vegas.

If you want to keep up with what Justin is up to, you can follow him on Facebook and Instagram.  Also, be sure to follow the Extreme Live Show on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

One of my favourite things about Las Vegas is the vast array of entertainment options available.  One of the most popular types of shows are the "celebrity impersonator" or "tribute shows" - and my special guest for this episode of the podcast is one of the best in the city!

Christina Shaw has been a professional celebrity impersonator for close to 20 years.  As Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga and a host of other celebs, she's had the opportunity to travel all over the US, Asia and the Caribbean.  Christina has been performing in Las Vegas since 2010 and has had the opportunity to headline on The Strip numerous times, including as a part of the iconic Legends In Concert show.

During our conversation, Christina & I talked about growing up with a very entertainment-centered family, how she got started in the world of celebrity impersonation, some of her early gigs in Las Vegas and the process she follows when working on a new impersonation.

If you want to know more about Christina Shaw you can follow her on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.  Christina is also available for special greetings as Taylor Swift or Elsa & Anna from Frozen via her Cameo pages!

My guest for this episode of the podcast is someone I've been trying to connect with for awhile, but up until now our schedules just never clicked.  I'm a HUGE fan of hers and anytime I have a chance to see her perform, I know I'm going to have an awesome time!

Sarah Hester Ross is an incredibly talented musical comedian & singer-songwriter.  And if you've spent time in any of the duelling piano bars on the Vegas strip, there's a good chance you've seen her play.

Sarah & I talked about her musical background & how she made it to Vegas, some of the shows she's been involved with in her time in the city and how she's been building her online presence with the amazing material she's been posting on her various social media channels.

If you want to see what Sarah is working on make sure to follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Tik-Tok.  Also, go subscribe to her YouTube channel and check out her website!

NOTE: I've been made aware of a claim against Sarah Hester Ross surrounding her recording, releasing & monetizing a musical work to which she allegedly did not receive permission or licensing to do so.  The interview for this episode of the podcast was recorded approximately 2 weeks prior to release of this episode and any reference to the allegedly infringed upon musical work has been removed from this episode of the podcast.

Las Vegas is a city all about gambling & taking risks...but it's not just the tourists who go there to gamble.

Tens of BILLIONS of dollars have been shelled out over the last 30 years on the construction of mega-resorts, massive hotels and giant attractions all intended to keep the Vegas economy moving forward - and of course to make a tidy profit for the investors behind the scenes.

But in Las Vegas - as in life - not every gamble pays off.

That's what the debut episode of Sin City Stories is all about.  I'm taking a deep dive into some Las Vegas history and exploring the stories behind the failures of The St. Regis Residences at the Venetian/Palazzo, the SkyVue Las Vegas Super Wheel, the Harmon Hotel at City Center and the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

If you want to learn more about everything I've covered in this special episode of the podcast, visit the official Sin City Stories website!  I've got photos & videos about all of these failed Las Vegas projects as well as extra info about their development & construction! 

It was a little over a year ago that Vegas entertainer & actor, John Di Domenico - who's regarded as the world's best Donald Trump impersonator - invited me to his home to have a conversation for the podcast (check out that interview in Episode #18).  During the course of our chat, John dropped into the conversation that at one time Donald Trump actually thought John had died.  Apparently, I'm not the journalist I thought I was...because I just moved past that and didn't ask any follow-up questions.

Better late than never, I decided to ask John to come back on the show so I could find out the when, how and why the future President of the United States thought John had passed away.

We also got caught up on what John has been up to over the last year including the voiceover work he's been doing as Trump, his opportunity to meet Alec Baldwin, his dive into the world of Cameo and how he's been keeping busy during the COVID-19 shutdown in Las Vegas.

If you want to keep up with what John has going on, follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  And if you'd like one of John's many characters - including Donald Trump, Dr. Evil, Guy Fieri, Dr. Phil and many MANY others - to send a special message to a co-worker, friend or family member be sure to book him on Cameo!

I made my first visit to Ri Ra Irish Pub in the Shoppes At Mandalay Bay back in June 2019 and reviewed the experience on Episode #24 of the podcast.  As I described it at the time, everything about Ri Ra was "authentically Irish".  Sitting in this pub in a mall in Las Vegas felt exactly like sitting in the pub in Dublin - and a lot of things helped contribute to that...from the food, to the drinks, to the staff, to the music.

And that's where the people joining me for this episode of the podcast come into play.

My special guests are Dave Rooney and Dave Browne of The Black Donnellys.  They're the resident house band at Ri Ra in Mandalay Bay.

I talked to the guys about growing up in Dublin & the band's origins in Ireland, how and why they made the move to Las Vegas, their various Guinness World Records and their brand new documentary film An Irish Story: This Is My Home.

Of course we also talked about the COVID-19 pandemic and how they've been keeping busy through the Vegas shut-down.

If you want to learn more about Dave & Dave and the Black Donnellys, visit their official website - which includes info on where you can watch An Irish Story: This Is My Home.  Also make sure to follow the band on Instagram and Facebook - where they've been performing live shows.

And if you want to learn more about the tragic real-life story of The "Black" Donnellys - from which the band took their name - check out the website,  Heaven & Hell on Earth - The Massacre of The "Black" Donnellys.   On the site, you can read all about the family, the murders and the aftermath - including the TWO trials that followed - as well as look through archival evidence from the events.