The nation’s foremost social media “influencer” manages to make the outlandish seem easy in his guest-hosting stint…
I was one of many who were shocked when Chippendales announced notoriously-outspoken Perez Hilton as their next celebrity host. After all, the self-proclaimed “Queen Of All Media” was hardly forged from the same slabs of beef as previous guests like Tyson Beckford and Antonio Sabator Jr. So what gives?
The answer is that the forces behind Chippendales version 2018 are ready to shake things up. With the absurdly awful Magic Mike Live biting into their sales and cutting-edge newcomers like Aussie Heat offering alternative takes on the male revue concept, it isn’t enough to just be the gold standard any more.
As I previously reported, Chippendales is one of several erotic male productions that have evolved in order to tap into the DINK demographic. What’s that, you ask? It’s the “Dual Income, No Kids” members of our society, which these days are widely represented by the gay community.
With the passage of marriage equality, the need for gay-only entertainment options has largely melted away. LGBTQ tourists are now welcomed along with everyone else, so it’s common to see gay couples and groups attending male revues along with the ladies.
That’s why Perez Hilton fits so nicely into this hosting gig. Never one to shy away from controversy, the flamboyant Hilton is this generation’s Paul Lynde, Liberace or Siegfried & Roy. He’s way out there, yet approachable. Daring, yet somehow safe. A perfect mash-up of comedy, shock value and tongue-in-cheek humor to make your night on the town an only-in-Vegas experience.
I sat down with Perez before the official opening of his debut last Friday. Decked out as a carnival barker in a spectacular Jeffrey DeBarathy-designed costume reminiscent of Britney Spears’ ensemble for The Circus tour, Hilton was surprisingly eloquent and soft-spoken.
The two of us at a performance of Spiegelworld’s OPIUM at Cosmopolitan…
When asked if he felt like a pioneer by being the first openly-gay host of a show that once prohibited men from attending, Perez seemed surprised:
Wait a minute….I’m gay? Who told you that? (laughter). Wow, I did not know that! So men weren’t allowed in the audience before…that’s interesting. But no, I can’t say that I feel anything like a pioneer. This is something that I’ve wanted to do for awhile and I’m glad we were able to make it happen!
“Now that you’ve been in rehearsals, gotten to meet all the guys and seen their inner workings (more laughter), were there any pre-conceived notions about Chippendales that were either confirmed or shattered?”
(sly grin) Hmmmm….there weren’t really any backstage shocks that I can think of. I know the show pretty well from coming so many times. And I’ve only been rehearsing since Monday so there hasn’t been a lot of opportunity to think about things like that when you’re focused on the work.
I will say that everyone here has been supportive of me and they’ve made it easy. It’s been so much fun and I’m eager to see how the audiences react. This is uncharted territory for me as much as them.
With the pre-show party about to begin inside the adjacent Flirt Lounge, time was running short. So I was able to ask one last question – “What advice can you offer a small-time blogger like myself?”.
You need to know your audiences for every individual platform. The readers on Facebook are going to be a different group from those on Instagram. They want to experience different kinds of content, so you need to tailor each social media outlet to their expectations, not yours.
YouTube is the big one right now. You have to use video…and lots of it. People want to see for themselves what you’re up to. I have two YouTube channels and it’s a challenge to keep up with all of it, but you have to stay current and pump out new information all the time.
Ever-present mother Teresita enjoying Perez’s debut performance…
After fans (and the curious) had lined up and taken their seats inside Rio‘s custom Chippendales Theater, the countdown to showtime was interrupted by Perez himself. Appearing from behind the audience, the host stopped the show with a bit of impish playfulness before allowing the beefcake to be revealed.
Throughout the evening, Hilton worked his way into the proceedings with his signature charm, playing emcee for a faux game show, busting in on performer Kyle Efthemes‘ “Purple Rain” shower sequence (yes, really) and holding an open forum for questions from the audience.
What could have been a train-wreck attempt at hipness from lesser media celebs (the flatliner response to Chester Lockhart and Scheana Shay’s short-lived stint at Sex Tips for Straight Women From a Gay Man comes to mind) turns out to be a brilliant move. And one that should bring in hordes of new fans to the long-running show.
But don’t take my word for it. See the audacious Perez Hilton and his crowd-pleasing antics for yourself. Chippendales performs nightly at 8:30 p.m. with additional shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m.
Perez Hilton’s Chippendales residency runs Thursday/Sunday nights through Sept. 2nd, 2018. Tickets range from $64.95 to $165.09 + tax and fees (18+) and can be purchased by calling (702) 777-7776. VegasFool.com is currently running discount rates as low as $39 for select evenings.
Photos: Sammasseur, Perez Hilton via Facebook, Chippendales
VEGAS UNFILTERED BLOG by Sam Novak 