yay! -you may kiss your bride. [ applause ] -i love you. -i love you. i love you, too. don't make my boobs fall out. yay! about that "richer or poorer" part... april and chris just spent $3,000 on their magical wedding. chris: oh, that was amazing. lemonis: and i'm about to meet someone who's all about magic, and his success in vegas will blow your mind. ♪ when you have nausea, ♪ heartburn, ♪ indigestion, ♪ upset stomach, ♪ diarrhea... girl, pepto ultra coating will treat your stomach right. ♪nausea, heartburn, ♪ indigestion, upset stomach, ♪ diarrhea... try pepto with ultra coating. ♪ i've been in las vegas nearly two days, and i gotta tell ya, this place has a million ways to take your money. ♪ first, i went to the pool and had lunch in a cabana. 226 bucks. then i found some nice sneakers. 860 bucks. and a new tie. this is what i want. $950. next, i tried the slots. thanks for giving me 50 cents back. another $99.50 gone. with my head reeling, i saw these giant tvs, part of the casino's sports book. i want to bet on college football. college football. what's your team? the university of miami. i took miami and 3 points on their season opener against lsu. oh, there it is. college football, week one. i was also sure the hurricanes would play for the national championship. 40-to-1. well, that didn't work. down another 600 bucks. in a flash, my pockets were more than $2,700 lighter. proof that businesses here are diversifying. gaming accounted for just 34% of revenues on the strip in 2017. rooms, drinks, and entertainment made up half. food is another huge slice of the pie. with top restaurants from gordon ramsay to giada de laurentiis, las vegas has become a foodie hot spot. but it's always been a destination for one thing -- the really big buffet. and one of the biggest, bacchanal at caesars palace. coming in at 25,000 square feet with 500 different dishes, i'm about to find out if this place lives up to the hype. it seems busy. -is it always busy? -it's always busy. okay, this isn't your average buffet. oh, my gosh. it's a football field of food. it keeps going? lamb chops, crab legs, paella. holy [bleep]. and the boss of this sauce? executive chef leticia nunez. -hi. how are you? -how are you? -are you chef leticia? -yes, i am. are you the head boss in charge? i am. that's what they tell me. to run an empire this big, you gotta work. she comes in at 5:00 every morning and puts in almost 70 hours a week. we do two tons of crab legs a day. -two tons? -two tons. that's how many crab legs will be put through this little station right here. so there's none left for america? they're all gone. lemonis: it's not just crab legs. in a year, they'll dish out nearly 3 million pieces of dim sum, 650,000 oysters, and more than a half a million sliders. -do you do all the buying? -yes, i do. -for the whole place? -yes, i do. that's the bulk of my job, financials, the managing of money, and making sure that we don't run out of any single item. what if there's a shortage? oh, then we have a crisis. we will have very upset guests. the next time you're stressing over dinner, keep in mind that chef leticia and her team will serve a million people every year. yeah, one million. ♪ come on back here. lemonis: high stakes on high heat. -what is that?! -here we have octopus. nah, i'm gonna stay back here. is it still alive? no, it is cooked. it's been poaching for a while. why do i feel like it's gonna come up and eat me? [ laughs ] how many total employees work in this restaurant? -324. -and it's 365 days a year? yes. because when you have to feed an army, you need to cook with one, too. here we're just getting the prime ribs ready. lemonis: and today i'm enlisting. we're gonna prep one of their biggest sellers -- prime rib. so, what is this? just salt and pepper? it's a sea salt, espresso. -can you smell the espresso? -a little bit of coffee rub? coffee rub, yeah. how many of these will you do a day? we do 54. -a day? -a day. that's 520,000 slices a year. this one's gonna taste the best. i'm just telling you right now. i'm gonna tell you that you're putting too much. [ laughs ] you're gonna come back through and fix this, aren't you? no. look how much you have on the side. it's tough to impress chef leticia, but i'm gonna give it another shot over at the sushi station where they can make a roll in 10 seconds. and i'm gonna be supervising this, okay? no, no, no, 'cause you're gonna yell at me. you gotta be firm with it. like making a burrito. after a quick lesson... i'm ready to open up a sushi restaurant. ...game on. want me to show you guys how it's done? i just want to make sure it's even, like, you don't have any advantage. -where's my cheerleader at? -i'm right here! -okay. -wow. nunez: he's taking the lead, marcus. okay, slow down, slow down. -it's a race. i can't slow down. -[ laughs ] come on, come on, come on. where's my crab?! -right here, right here. -oh, i have to make it? -yes. -wait a minute. [ laughter ] -15 seconds. -all right. yours is looking beautiful, marcus. okay, okay, i got it. i got it. wow! awesome! great job! it's actually hard. i mean, nobody's buying that. -it looks really good. -it's my second one. -this is the big leagues. -this is it, yeah. this is the biggest experience in las vegas, is it not? the biggest buffet? -yes. it is. i was born to do this. this is what i love to do. everything that you can imagine to do in food is happening in vegas. what are your dreams out in vegas? what are your dreams? long-term. i'm living it right now. lemonis: vegas has come a long way. the executive suite is no longer for men only. women like chef leticia and martha morales, well, they're proof of that. ♪ meanwhile, 6 miles from caesars, 11 stories in the air... you gotta be [bleep] me. my mom washes the dishes... ...before she puts them in the dishwasher. so what does the dishwasher do? cascade platinum does the work for you, prewashing and removing stuck-on foods, the first time. wow, that's clean! cascade platinum. ♪ lemonis: it's clear that las vegas has a way of making things magically disappear. in a matter of seconds, once-legendary hotels are reduced to rubble to make way for something bigger, bolder, costing billions. but there's a place just miles away from the strip where the past, well, it hasn't disappeared. i'm downtown on the famous fremont street where las vegas was born... to experience how the neon lights and the laid-back vibe still pack 'em in. ♪ -mr. lemonis. -how you doing? marcus. derek stevens owns the d, one of eight casinos on fremont street that offer a little less glitz and apparently a lot more for your buck. this place is way different than i thought it was gonna be. -really? -it's got good energy. -it's packed. -yeah. -is it always this packed? -yeah, pretty much. i mean, here's a great stat for you. 43 million people visit las vegas. 24 million people visit the fremont street experience. this is definitely a destination spot. ♪ one reason why downtown is so popular? its mix of the old and the new. at the d, there are go-go dancers who also are licensed to deal cards... bartenders who also entertain... i think it's the longest bar west of the mississippi. -if you add 10 more feet -- -believe me. every linear foot means something. ...and a casino that spans two floors. downstairs is fast-paced, filled with energy... while upstairs is a little more chill, a throwback to the casinos that once made downtown famous. it feels different here. it feels old-school. it feels authentic. and i think a lot of people are looking for that again. they're also looking to win. some of the blackjack tables here offer better payouts than the strip's. $3 for every $2 you bet versus $6 for every $5 you bet. and according to the gaming control board, some of the vintage slot machines pay out more often, too. i decided to try my luck with one of the more unusual ones. you got 8 seconds to post. what do i gotta do here? pick a horse? yeah. pick a horse. there you go. you got the 3. all right. come on, number 3! marcus got the 3! marcus got the 3! -i got to win! -come on, 3! -come on, 3! -come on, baby! come on, baby! [ laughs ] what'd i win? $15.50. not bad. not that much, either. good to see you. thanks for coming to the d. how are you? to keep track of how well his casinos are doing, derek relies on something that's king in vegas -- not elvis, but data. and it's available to him 24/7. what's really great, this is all real-time. i'm talking about, somebody buys a beer -- right now, boom. if somebody buys a beer, it hits that point of sale. this is updated within one second. so we're talking about really good, operational, nonstop data. -hello, derek! -how are you, my friend? lemonis: keeping tabs on the bar seems like a good idea. keeping tabs on what people are betting? even better. so this is on the penny slots. that's the volume on the -- $30,000 is what people played by the hour at 7:00 on the penny slots. well, now we're getting a little public here. oh, sorry, sorry. i'm showing this off the record. pennies count here on fremont street. the food and the drinks, well, they're generally cheaper than you'll find on the strip. and the entertainment? there's all types here. some professional, some spectacle... and some just weird. ♪ how many people will be on this street? -on a given night? -yeah. could be anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000. that's one heck of a block party. and building an outside bar has certainly helped raise spirits. -i'm gonna get a lemon head. -okay. with the outside bar, it created this atmosphere, this party atmosphere. added the music and the bands and fremont street, and it just kind of took off from there. ♪ but downtown las vegas wasn't always this friendly. -how you doing? i'm marcus. -how you doing, marcus? -they call me sarge. -sarge. meet chris curtis, better known as "sarge." the former las vegas police officer remembers, as i do, when fremont street was way more famous for its crime than casinos. so what about all this over there? so these buildings are the same? so the buildings are basically the same, and they've changed from different things. if you started on the corner down there where it says "inspire," that really cool building which is now a theater, a night club, also a place where people can just go for co-working space. but that used to be a 7/11. wow. and i remember taking calls inside that 7/11 for, like, people just going in, stealing beer, and doing all kinds of stuff. as we cross that street, to your right, you'll see container park. it's a series of containers that are put together as retail space. -storage containers. -it's like storage containers, and they're all different types of businesses and restaurants and bars inside of one little space. and what's a trip is that that used to be this really cheesy motel that prostitutes used to work out of. a lot of prostitution around here? crack and prostitution. ten years ago, you would -- if you wanted to find it, this is where you'd find it. sarge no longer arrests people. how's it going? did you guys come for the movies? the so-called ambassador of good chill works for a company that's invested millions trying to revitalize downtown. and it's in their best interest to make it safe. in the daytime, i have a team of people that walk around and give directions to people. they help clean the streets. they walk people to and from places. they check to see if people's meters are going on their car. the night time, i go to our night-life venues because a lot of young people go out and party and have fun, and i make sure the security teams are doing the things to protect us from a risk perspective and that people are safe. -people aren't being stupid? -correct. ♪ back at the fremont street experience, i couldn't help but notice some high flyers soaring across the length of the mall. i had to experience this for myself. ♪ by the time they were tightening my harness and attaching it to the line, i was beginning to have second thoughts. you gotta be [bleep] me. there was no turning back. whoo! yeah! of all the things you can do in vegas... you could spend $3,500 on a room... $75,000 on a hand of poker. but for $49, you can fly like superman. ♪ that was fun. but there's one guy in vegas who flies all the time and gets paid millions for doing it. so, when i levitate and fly around onstage, part of the audience will float out of their seat. -at least in their mind. -no. literally. ♪ lemonis: it's early afternoon at the planet hollywood theater. ♪ and this dirty, dusty stage is undergoing a total transformation, becoming the criss angel theater. you think you're the only one with illusions? -there you go. -okay. i got up here like that. you appeared in the catwalk. i literally just levitated myself up here. -that's pretty good. -i'm gonna come down and see ya. come on down. [ laughs ] he's the mind freak. lemonis: not quite. criss is the only mind freak... with tv shows and specials, famous for walking on water. but the criss angel i know is much more than just a guy who does tricks. this is not a magic show. i want to make sure that people understand that. you're not a magician. you're not some strip headliner. you're a businessperson. -show business. -yeah. so there's no show if you don't understand the business. [ saxophone plays ] there's 250,000 tourists that come through vegas every day to two days, depending upon the seasons. everybody's out there trying to get the attention, get people to see their show. you really have to understand the mentality of the public that come to las vegas to really understand how to capitalize on that. you really have to understand what the audience wants. believe me, criss gets it. he just spent 10 years at the luxor hotel and casino. great success. brought in $150 million a year in direct and indirect sales, revenue. it's incredible. number-one magic show on the planet. he's been lured away with a long-term megadeal. there's a rumor going around the street, and it's no illusion. people are telling me that you have struck the largest entertainment deal in las vegas ever. that is true. but you know something? people have to understand. this is not something that happened overnight. it took me 18 years to become an overnight success. if criss' new show is not a success, this guy will feel the heat. jason gastwirth is the man who brought criss to planet hollywood. he's the president of entertainment for caesars. i always say the way that we seek out these artists -- can they go by one name? that's a pretty good start. right. and he's also the one that came up with the pop residency, having big stars like gwen stefani and jennifer lopez do long-term stints here. if we think back to the coliseum, when it was first created, it was for céline dion, and that was a residency which was wildly successful. céline and caesars grossed $385 million in ticket sales over 5 years. this planet hollywood theater holds 4,600 people. sell out all the seats, and the cash registers really ring. lemonis: this can get pretty close to a million dollars of revenue if all things are firing on all cylinders? -yes. -in a night? yes, and there's certain nights where, even just with ticket revenue, we've been over a million. even with the resident artists. lemonis: the latest resident artist, criss angel, is feeling the pressure getting ready for his new show. he took me to his headquarters -- a 60,000-square-foot beehive where 100 employees run a combination machine shop, costume factory, and creative nerve center. lemonis: you're one of the few entertainers in the world that have figured out how to monetize a talent. well, yes. you have to think of yourself -- and a lot of artists get mad when you say, "you're a brand. i'm an artist." no, no, you're a brand. they don't want to be thought of as that. it's like a dirty word. right. for me, i'm a brand. i have multiple brands. part of that brand includes t-shirts and magic kits, little things that add up big. on the website alone, we've sold a million magic kits in 10 months at $30 each. so let me challenge you for a sec, because you know that i would. i'm not questioning your creation or production of product. why do you have to be in the logistics business? why do you feel the need to have to have each tub and fill it up and pick up and pack it? no, it's just purely control, financial, quality control. i had situations where i had other people. i did a deal where i had a -- i licensed my name, and they produced a product, and it was garbage. yeah. and i don't want to be associated with garbage. his attention to detail doesn't stop there. every two weeks, i do payroll, and it's a painstaking process. i'll sign 100 checks because i've heard a million stories -- billy joel included -- a fellow long islander -- that had no money because somebody was ripping him off. criss' new theater promises to be spectacular and will raise audience participation to new heights. criss: so, when i levitate and fly around onstage, part of the audience will float out of their seats. -at least in their mind. -no. literally. criss wasn't ready to show me that trick yet, but he did have one bit of magic up his sleeve. so, we're gonna try something. i want you to write really large a number between 1 and 100. don't let me see it. so, you wrote your number on here. is that true? yes, sir. now, we haven't set this up at all. i'm gonna ask you a series of questions. you just say yes or no. i'm permitted to lie to you? and you can lie to me, absolutely. -okay. -your number's between 1 and 10. yes, of course. that was a terrible lie. -21 and 30? -no. -31 and 40? -no. that's interesting. he's not getting into my head. 71, 72, 73. the number you wrote down. 72. is that it? -am i still allowed to lie? -no, tell me the truth. i'll look on the paper. is that it? 72! -get that five, marcus! -five! i could have used criss' magic for numbers at my next stop. how much do i have on the table right now? -$1,150. -i have $1,100? show of hands, who's a future comcast business customer here? i think we all are. yeah, definitely. sign us up. yes. two hands. two hands. yayjust one more way we go beyond for your business. and now you can also enter for a chance to win $10,000 from comcast business toget your year off to a fast start. there's a new $10,000 winner every day in january. go online now and enter for a chance to win. comcast business. beyond fast. ♪ lemonis: it's my last night in vegas, and i'm gonna win all of my money back. and with 7,700 bucks on the craps table, there's just one little problem. -i have no idea what i'm doing. -you came to the right table. we'll explain the game as we go along. here we go. -5, 5. point is 5. lock it up. -did i win? -no. -now we got the point at 5. -did i lose? -you didn't lose. lemonis: the rules are a bit confusing. she rolled a 5, so 5's the point. the objective of the game now is to roll a 5 on the pass line. you could take odds like these three... okay, they're a lot confusing. but that's not gonna stop me. here we go. perfect! now your point's 8. -would you like a 9? -yeah. so any time an 8 or 9 rolls,
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