Renewal of ‘Vegas Stripped’ up in air, but South Point reaping rewards of exposure

By Conor Shine

Saturday, April 21, 2012 | 2 a.m.

Although South Point Casino’s time under the reality television spotlight has ended for now, the feel-good vibes and extra publicity it received during its starring role on the Travel Channel’s “Vegas Stripped” are still paying dividends.

Tom Mikovits, South Point’s director of marketing, said the show has helped drive more visitors and events to the off-Strip location.

“I really feel like it’s increased business,” said Mikovits, a featured cast member and producer for the show. “Our arena event bookings are up. I think people saw what a fun staff we had over there.”

From episodes with food truck festivals to risqué costume parties, “Vegas Stripped” captured the inner-workings of South Point over the course of six episodes, which wrapped up in March. There’s been no word yet whether the Travel Channel will return for a second season, but Mikovits said the casino and its employees had plenty more to show the world if cameras were to return to South Point.

“People didn’t get to see enough of our spa. We have one of the nicest spas in town,” he said.

Mikovits also said he’d like to show more of the hotel’s day-to-day operations.

“Our engineering team is basically running a small city. That’s the real behind-the-scenes stuff — changing the lights on our tower, powering the place, managing the hot water for the whole property.”

Either way, viewers seemed to like what they saw on the show, and several of the casino’s employees have been turned into mini-celebrities.

“People were taking pictures of me, of our food guy, our arena guy. It was all over the place. That felt good,” said Mikovits, who said he’s even been recognized from the show while at the grocery store.

The show was filmed over the course of several months in late 2011, and Mikovits said spending days being followed by cameras and wearing a microphone made for an interesting experience.

“It was hard work. You’re doing your job, but they’re also filming you while you do it,” he said.

When everything was said and done, Mikovits said the reality show was fun for all involved, with only a few regrets.

“I was kind of surprised they used the scene where I took off my shirt and rode the (mechanical) bull,” he said. “That’s something I’ve learned not to do on national television.”