Daytime Drama

THE REHAB POOL PARTY AT HARD ROCK GETS ITS CLOSE-UP

Sin City has its share of cheating, drinking, fighting and celebrities — sometimes all in one room — and Rehab at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is no exception. The famed pool party pulls in some of the best bodies and biggest wallets from around the world for a day of drinking, dancing, sunning and showing off.

Rehab has become so popular that patrons have been known to wait in line for hours to spend a summer Sunday at the Hard Rock. ItÕs so popular, in fact, that the weekend bash inspired a TV show to chronicle the action: TruTV’s “Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel.”

The show follows the poolside fun as seen from the perspectives of the tough-as-nails staff, including general manager Justin; security veteran Sharon and her staffer “Deebo”; bartenders Chantell and Christina; and two cocktail waitresses, Kelly and Julia.

And with libations flowing and the summer sun blazing, the drama really hits the fan. The first season kicked off with the largest crowd that Rehab had ever seen, some 6,000 partiers enjoying the scene — until a high roller tried skipping out on his $3,000 tab and security had to break up a brawl involving a bikini-clad guest. During the series the cast confronts stalkers, uncovers a ring of ticket counterfeiters and conceals various affairs and proposals. The season ends with (what else?) a wedding, Vegas-style.

As for the show’s most outrageous moment, “there isn’t just one,” said Philip Shalala, vice president of marketing at the Hard Rock. “I think that’s what people like. They never know whatÕs going to happen.... There’s always something different going on.”

The Rehab pool party, now in its sixth season, started off as a way for guests to relax after a long weekend in Vegas, said Shalala, but quickly grew into a sort of daytime nightclub.

“The Hard Rock pool was always in such high demand, and the party just took off,” he said. “With great music and great people, it became a high-energy, intense party.”

Rehab also gained a celebrity following, including actors Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, musicians Kid Rock and 50 Cent and sports stars Tom Brady and Tony Romo Ñ to name a few.

A TV show had been in the works three years after Rehab first opened, but Shalala decided to wait. “Everybody wanted to script it, but we wanted it to be real, to show whatÕs really happening out there,” he said. “Year 5 came around, and we said, ‘NowÕs the time to put it on TV.’ ”

While a second season of the “Rehab” reality show remains a possibility, this season’s pool party, which kicks off in April, is proving more popular than ever.

“Many people are calling wanting a room during Rehab,” said Shalala. “The amount of telephone calls and inquiries we’re getting from our reservations department has probably tripled.”

If the cameras are rolling, you might end up on the small screen. “We’re constantly scouting during filming so if we find a guest we like who happens to have a good story or happens to be good on camera, we will invite them back and feature them on [the show],” said Shalala.

But first you have to make it into the party, and Shalala has tips to get past the velvet ropes. “If you’re a guy, show up with a whole bunch of girls. If you’re a girl, show up with a whole bunch of girls, look good, pay your money and you’re in.”

But be prepared to drop some dough. If you want a VIP experience with a cabana “youÕre probably in the thousands of dollars,” said Shalala. “If you want to just hang out in the pool, you’re talking a couple hundred bucks.”

Drama, after all, isn’t always free.

Hard rock Hotel & casino
Las Vegas
4455 Paradise Road
702.693.5000
www.hardrockhotel.com

Rehab at the Hard Rock starts April 19 and runs through Sept. 27. Wristbands for those not staying at the hotel cost $20 for women and $40 for men. Hotel guests can get up to four people in for free and have the option to buy two additional wristbands.