Spike TV's The Club, a new The Restaurant-like reality series that chronicles Las Vegas nightclub owner Ed Williams' attempts to relaunch his establishment so that it can better compete with the Vegas Strip gaming hotels, will premiere Wednesday, November 10 at 9PM ET/PT.
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The club at the center of the series is Williams' ICE, a 1-year-old business that Spike TV bills as "the only stand-alone night club in Las Vegas." With the help of hotshot Hollywood promoter Allison Melnick, Williams is seeking to "reinvent" ICE with "new faces" and "a new sound" so that it can better compete with the increasingly exotic nightclubs of the big Vegas casinos.
If the concept sounds similar to The Casino, this past summer's Burnett-produced Fox reality series that followed dotcom millionaires Tim Poster and Tom Breitling as they sought to revitalize the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino so that it could better compete with the modern Vegas Strip mega-casinos, that's probably because both projects are likely to have shared their origins. Following The Restaurant's successful summer 2003 broadcast, industry trades reported that Silverman and Burnett were in Vegas scouting locations for a new "spinoff" casino series. However when The Casino was eventually announced in December 2003, Silverman was no longer associated with the project, and instead Fox touted the project as "conceived by Burnett and production partner Conrad Riggs." Premiering in June 2004, the heavily promoted The Casino ended up being a massive ratings disappointment for Fox, drawing only 5.8 million viewers in its debut and eventually having its broadcast schedule accelerated.
Similar The Casino, The Club will chronicle all the happenings at the madeover ICE, from the stirring music of world renowned DJ Paul Oakenfold, to the celebrity stop-bys, to the bachelor and bachelorette parties.
Among the interesting personalities The Club will follow are:
• Ed Williams, the owner. A Chicago native, Ed is the Founder and CEO of ICE and is an imposing, intimidating figure who is determined to make the club the hottest destination in town. He doesn't like losing - and has no problem sending those not on the same page packing.
• Paul Oakenfold, the DJ. One of the world's pre-eminent DJs for the best part of two decades and the driving force behind their rise to prominence Paul's musical talents have spawned a generation of club-goers around the globe. Oakenfold was one of the dominating forces that transformed the island of Ibiza into the most popular party destinations in Europe and now he is setting his sights on Las Vegas.
• Allison, the promoter. The "It Girl", Allison is a renowned and highly-sought after party promoter who is bringing her superior socialite skills to Vegas. Can she apply her midas-touch to ICE that has proved effective in the hottest night spots in New York and Los Angeles?
• Chuck, the director of food and beverage. This self-proclaimed 'Maverick' of the Vegas nightlife created a persona based on the films of Tom Cruise. Even so it's every cocktails girl's dream to become one of "Chuckie's Angels".
• Michael, the efficiency expert. Michael was brought in by Ed for the restructuring of ICE. A heavy hitter who has no problem with the phrase, "You're Fired", he's going to be watching everyone at ICE very closely... one wrong move and you're out!
• Marc, the PR guy. This affable Englishman has a rolodex that everyone in Las Vegas would die for and works tirelessly to make sure that everyone knows about ICE.
• Michelle, a cocktail waitress. Michelle is new to ICE and, socially speaking, is on the outside looking in. Some find her intimidating. She has a problem with the high school cliques like Chuckie's Angels.
• Andrea, a cocktail waitress. Andrea looks wholesome and reserved, but there is a wild side to this legal eagle. She put herself through law school and works at ICE for extra money. She's got student loans, a car payment and a stay at home fiancée to consider.
The Club is produced for Spike TV by Reveille and Full Circle Entertainment. Ben Silverman, Robert Riesenberg, and Kevin Dill serve as executive producers along with co-executive producers Mark Koops, Tracy Dorsey and H.T. Owens.
