Bar Rescue - Spirits on Bourbon (Turtle Bay) Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue: The Dirty Truth, Jon Taffer is in New Orleans, Louisiana to rescue Turtle Bay.  The bar is owned by Brad Bohannan and it is having trouble attracting customers despite being right on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  Brad copied the tropical theme of another bar he co-owned and Jon needs to convince him to change the bar and the concept.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Turtle Bay to Spirits on Bourbon and the bar has kept the name. I figured since I didn't have a post on this site for Spirits on Bourbon, I would do one for this episode and give an update.

Paramount Network Rebrand - Bar Rescue To Move Channels

Variety reported that Paramount Network will rebrand as the Paramount Movie Network which will focus on made-for-TV movies featuring big name stars.  The rebrand is expected to happen within the next year. 

With the focus being more on movies, the Paramount Movie Network will move out of unscripted programming.  Series such as Ink Master, Wife Swap and Battle of the Fittest Couples will all be canceled. Bar Rescue and Lip Sync Battle made the cut and will continue on, but will be moved to another ViacomCBS channel.  Yellowstone will remain on the Paramount Movie Network.

You may recall that Bar Rescue was on Spike TV until it was rebranded as the Paramount Network.  When that rebrand happened, it was just a name change and Bar Rescue stayed on the same channel.  This time, Bar Rescue will move to a totally different channel.

It hasn't been announced when Bar Rescue will be moving channels or what channel it will be moving to, but I will update you when this information is known.  Based on ViacomCBS channels, there is speculation that it could move to something like MTV, VH1 or CMT, but that is just speculation.

Stay tuned to see what channel Bar Rescue moves to and hopefully Bar Rescue marathons will still be a thing.

Bar Rescue - The Dirty Truth

Tonight is the premiere of Bar Rescue - The Dirty Truth where the show is adding text pop-ups to older episodes that will tell you additional things about the rescue. Usually this time of year there is a new season of Bar Rescue, but due to the pandemic, there were only two new episodes that had already been filmed earlier in the year. The show has not filmed since March 2020, so it will be a bit longer before we see new bars on the show.

Bar Rescue - The Dirty Truth is basically a way for Bar Rescue to have "new" episodes while they are unable to film. It would be hard to film with the usual concept of packing the bar for a stress test, so when they start filming again we will have to see if anything changes.


If any new details about a bar are revealed during Bar Rescue - The Dirty Truth, I will update the original post for that bar. Let me know what you think of Bar Rescue - The Dirty Truth in the comments.

Brenda's Inferno (Armadillo Grill ) - Bar Rescue Update

 In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Phoenix, Arizona to rescue Armadillo Grill.  The Armadillo Grill is also known as "The Dillo" and is owned by Brenda Lambrecht who borrowed money from her father to help buy the bar.  She isn't showing proper leadership and the bar is falling apart with nobody being held accountable.  The kitchen is also filthy because nobody is properly cleaning it.  Brenda is supposedly in debt $450,000, losing $20,000 a month and only a few weeks away from closing the bar.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Armadillo Grill to Brenda's Inferno and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Brenda's Inferno since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Gaslamp Social (Jolt N Joe's) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in San Diego, California to rescue Jolt N Joe's.  Jolt N Joe's is a bar owned by Phil Paccione that is located in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego.  Things were going well for the bar when it first opened, but now Phil is supposedly $1.2 million in debt and losing $10,000 a month.  While Phil was battling prostate cancer, he hired a general manager Sean to help run the place.   Now Sean and Phil are in a disagreement over Sean's compensation which is causing tension at the bar.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Jolt N Joe's to Gaslamp Social and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Gaslamp Social since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

The Iron Horse (Joe's Thirsty Lizard) From Bar Rescue Has Closed

The Iron Horse in Horn Lake, Mississippi which was featured on season 6 of Bar Rescue has closed. The bar has been closed for quite some time and closed before the pandemic hit.

In October of 2019, owner Joe Scott posted on Facebook, "I want to thank,from the bottom of my heart,all those who have supported me and my staff for these past five years.ive made mistakes but I put my heart and soul into the lizard.im so happy that kelly and Nancy were able to step and keep the doors open and the girls employed.i know they'll do a great job.once again,thank you and I love you all"

Then in November of 2019, owner Joe Scott posted, "It's been a tough year. I've lost everything financially. I lost the business that I was so very proud of.materially, I have nothing.but I have my friends and my family. There is no way to put a price on that.it is a rough road that I am on but i have no doubt that i will arrive at a good place.i thank all of you who have checked in on me.i am thankful. I hope you are too."

The Kelly and Nancy referred to above opened a bar called The Lazy Lizard at the same location. Here is the Facebook page of The Lazy Lizard and in February of 2020, the Lazy Lizard closed permanently and posted a long rant on Facebook about the landlord and calls out Joe Scott.  You can read that long rant here where he says he and the public were scammed by Joe Scott.

The Iron Horse property is currently listed for sale at a price of $550,000.


The Iron Horse was originally named Joe's Thirsty Lizard before the Bar Rescue makeover and here is the original update for the bar (the one with the guy showering in the kitchen).  The Iron Horse has been marked as 'Closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates Page.

Renz Social House (Pineapple Hill) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Tustin, California to rescue Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill.  Pineapple Hill is a bar owned by Reva Renz and Jon finds a filthy kitchen with moldy ribs during recon.  Reva has a fear of failure and change which makes her unable to take control of her bar and an explosive chef.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill to Renz Social House and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Renz Social House since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Silver Dollar - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Chula Vista, California to rescue Silver Dollar.  The Silver Dollar was founded in 1934 and is a dive bar owned by Mike Tegardine.  Mike and his son Mike Jr. are feuding over the bar which is tearing their relationship apart.  Mike Jr's wife Norma has reached out to Jon Taffer as her final hope for fixing things.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to keep the name of the Silver Dollar. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Silver Dollar since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Bottoms Up Bar & Grill - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Stanton, California to rescue Bottoms Up Bar & Grill.  Bottoms Up Bar & Grill is a bar where the bartenders are dressed in skimpy outfits and Jon Taffer finds them acting out of control.  Maria Menounos and Keven Undergaro are doing recon for Jon and they are offered an "ass shot."  Jon also sees that the manager is lacking the courage to control the staff and the owner Suzie is ready to sell the bar.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to keep the name of Bottoms Up Bar & Grill. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Bottoms Up Bar & Grill since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Par Bar (Pepe's) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Canyon Lake, California to rescue Pepe's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina.  Pepe's is owned by Victor and Laura Demoreno who own the land and the building ($2.5 million investment) and are losing $6,000 a month with the restaurant/bar. They are absent from the bar a lot of the time and when they are there, they only monitor it from an upstairs office. Due to the dark interior, employees refer to Pepe's as the dungeon.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Pepe's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina to Par Bar and the bar has already changed it back to Pepe's. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Par Bar/Pepe's since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Sierra Madre Cantina (Kalaveraz) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Escondido, California to rescue Kalaveraz.  Kalaveraz is a Mexican restaurant owned by Juan Magana.  Juan is a defiant owner who needs to take responsibility for his own failures to save himself from closing the restaurant. Juan tells Jon Taffer he's failing because he is surrounded by turkeys, meanwhile he is behind on their paychecks.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Kalaveraz to Sierra Madre Cantina and they have kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Sierra Madre Cantina since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Rob Ben's - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Emeryville, California to rescue Rob Ben's Restaurant & Lounge. Rob Ben's is owned by NFL star Marshawn Lynch and is named after his friend who was shot and killed in 2007.  Marshawn has both his family and Rob's family working and running the restaurant/bar and he needs Jon Taffer's help to try to keep them in line.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to slightly change the name of Rob Ben's Restaurant & Lounge to Rob Ben's Neighborhood Soul. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Rob Ben's Neighborhood Soul since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the restaurant/bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

The Roost Bar (Broadway Club) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Tooele, Utah to rescue The Broadway Club.  The Broadway Club is co-owned by Patty Bullock and Randy Hunt and there is friction between the two of them.  Patty doesn't know anything about running a bar and drinks while she is there.  Patty's antics are causing her husband Adam and co-owner Randy to pick up the slack at the bar.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of The Broadway Club to The Roost Bar and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Roost Bar since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Leia's (The Grant Bar) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Tracy, California to rescue The Grant Bar & Lounge. The Grant Bar is owned by DJ Miller who is described as a know-it-all owner who blames everybody except himself for the failures of his establishment.  He bought the bar five years ago and is now losing $5,000 a month, is $180,000 in debt, and six months away from closing.  His goal is to pass the bar down to his daughter Leia, so Jon Taffer will need to help turn things around.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of The Grant Bar to Leia's Restaurant. Lounge. Nightclub. and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Leia's Restaurant. Lounge. Nightclub. since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Playa Island Bar (Sandbar) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Albuquerque, New Mexico to rescue Sandbar Brewery & Grill.  The bar opened in 2017 and was purchased by a group of investors.  The bar is currently owned by Mike Martinez and it is under dispute if Sean Colwell owns any of the bar.  When Jon asks Sean to produce paperwork to prove his ownership, he finds that the documents were never submitted to a lawyer.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of The Sandbar Brewery & Grill to Playa Island Bar and the bar went back to The Sandbar shortly after, but has already closed. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Playa Island Bar (The Sandbar) since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Bar Rescue - VFW Post 6216 Albuquerque Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Albuquerque to rescue VFW Post 6216.  This rescue is a bit different because it is not rescuing a struggling bar but a VFW Post.  Jon Taffer will attempt to boost membership and raise funds for VFW Post 6216 by doing a Bar Rescue makeover.  VFW Post 6216 is outdated, and the bar and kitchen area are in need of a lot of upgrades.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer obviously didn't change the name of VFW Post 6216. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for VFW Post 6216 since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

The Midway Tavern (The Union) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Midvale, Utah to rescue The Union.  The Union is owned by Bill Rowe who is supposedly $500,000 in debt and owes his in-laws $300,000 because of the bar.  While doing recon, Jon sees that the food and drinks are bad, there is a lack of training and Bill isn't engaged at all.  Despite owning the bar, Bill doesn't know how to make any drinks, so he cannot help his bartenders when they need it.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of The Union to The Midway and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Midway since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Purser's Bar (Linda Lou's) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Layton, Utah to rescue Linda Lou's Time for Two.  Linda Lou's is owned by Brandon Purser who has emptied his sick mother's life savings and is supposedly four days away from closing the bar.  Jon Taffer has Vegas Knights Ryan Reaves and Nate Schmidt helping him do recon and discovers that the drinks and food are both terrible.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Linda Lou's to Purser's Bar and the bar did keep the name, but didn't stay open for too long. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Purser's Bar since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Great 66 Entertainment Center (Lucky 66 Bowl) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Albuquerque, New Mexico to rescue Lucky 66 Bowl.  Lucky 66 Bowl is a bar and bowling alley that is owned by Mike Draper, a Vietnam veteran.  Mike bought the bar as a tribute to his father and is supposedly in debt $1 million and losing $15,000 a month.  While doing recon, Jon finds that Mike isn't liked by his employees and customers. Mike also tries to cut-off and kick out patrons that had only had a few drinks.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to slightly rename Lucky 66 Bowl to The Great 66 Entertainment Center.  They currently go by The Lucky 66 Entertainment Center. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Lucky 66 Entertainment Center since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Brannan Manor (SacTown Sports Bar) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Sacramento, California to rescue SacTown Sports Bar & Grill.  SacTown Sports Bar & Grill is a sports bar that was opened by Chris Eaton about three years ago.  Chris is losing about $8,000 a month and is apparently two months away from closing.  T-Pain is there to help Jon Taffer do recon and they go inside with the "disguise" of a black hat to experience the bar firsthand.  They find that the food is disgusting, the drinks are too strong, and that Chris doesn't have a good idea of the kind of bar that will work in this location.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of SacTown Sports Bar & Grill to Brannan Manor Restaurant & Spirits and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Brannan Manor since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

MT Bottles & Cans Has Closed - Bar Rescue Update

MT Bottles & Cans in Murfreesboro, Tennessee which appeared on season 3 (2nd set) of Bar Rescue has closed.  The bar posted the following on Facebook on December 9, 2019. "It’s time, y’all. MT Bottle is changing hands.Come out on the 28th as we pay tribute to our amazing 11 years, countless memories, and Tracy’s legacy."  MT Bottles & Cans is marked as permanently closed on Facebook and also labeled closed on Yelp.


MT Bottles & Cans was listed for sale at public auction in early December with the listing saying, "The Bigford family says it's time to SELL! This is your opportunity to purchase an operating business lock, stock and barrel. Contents sell with the building. The property is situated on a 0.87 +/- acre lot with 205 +/- feet of prime road frontage on Hwy 231/South Church Street. Rutherford County zoning is commercial services. The possibilities are endless with a property with a traffic count as high as this one has. "  According to real estate records, the sale went through on January 14, 2020 for $324,500.

Owner Tracy Bigford passed away (obituary) in April 2019, so perhaps this was another reason for wanting to sell MT Bottle. Gina is not listed in the obituary, but I am not sure of the reason.


So far, whoever bought the property has not opened anything in the location where MT Bottles & Cans was.  MT Bottles & Cans has been marked as 'Closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates page and here is the detailed update for the bar from this site.

Blacklight District Lounge From Bar Rescue Is Closed

Blacklight District Lounge in Long Beach, California from season 6 (4th set) of Bar Rescue is closed.  I thought I already did an update on this closure, but apparently not.

Blacklight District Lounge closed in July 2018 and left a message to Bar Rescue fans on Facebook that said, "If you're a bar rescue fan And are on here to bash a bar you Have never been too then Screw off This bar supports live music of all kinds Which is a dead scene and bars like this keep punk, ska, reggae..metal alive..so don't believe a show that called us and put words in our mouth and then tries to charge us , this bar was going to be changed into a hipster bar with high end drinks and that is not us... if you support music in anyway you should realize that bars like this aren't made for everyone .thanks"

Blacklight District was one of the most infamous Bar Rescue episodes because it was one of the few that Jon Taffer walked out on without rescuing.  After the episode aired, the bar was bashed on review sites and on its Facebook page by Bar Rescue fans.  Owner David Franich responded to a lot of the comments and continued to respond to Bar Rescue fans on the Blacklight District Lounge Facebook well after the episode aired.


Here is the full update from when the episode originally aired and the bar has been marked as 'Closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates page.  This bar will not count against Jon Taffer's statistics on the updates page as it was a bar that was not rescued. 

Sydney an Australian Beach Club From Bar Rescue Has Closed

Sydney an Australian Beach Club in Jacksonville, Florida which appeared on season 6 of Bar Rescue has closed.  The bar's Facebook page stopped posting in September 2018 and there is evidence on their Facebook page that it was closed in early 2019.  So it appears the bar closed in late 2018 or early 2019.

Sydney an Australian Beach Club was originally named Blue Water Daiquiri and Oyster Bar before Bar Rescue came to the bar in January of 2018.  The episode first aired in July 2018, so the bar didn't remain open for too long after that.

Sydney an Australian Beach Club had a bad restaurant inspection (link) in October 2018 where there were live rodents found in the bar along with droppings in multiple places.

Multiple comments on the original Sydney blog post about the episode stated that the building is going to be torn down and a hotel is being built at the location.  Sydney an Australian Beach Club has been marked as 'Closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates page.