The Profit

CNBC's "The Profit" tonight, 10 o'clock Eastern, will have something to do with operating a casino or, I suspect, some sort of more minor gambling hall. I'll have to try to catch another ad for it to get a handle on that a little better.

I never watch this show*, in fact I come pretty close to 'never' when it comes to watching any 'reality' TV, usually finding them quite contrived with phony drama. However, I will record this show, considering the subject matter, and thought I'd mention it on our site in case anyone else is interested.

*the Wikipedia page describes it as "... an American reality television show broadcast on CNBC. Typically, as part of each episode, Marcus Lemonis offers a capital investment and his expertise to struggling small businesses in exchange for an ownership stake in the company. "

Sounds interesting, I'm sure we'll cringe and we'll be triggered.

Sounds interesting, I'm sure we'll cringe and we'll be triggered.

Quote: onenickelmiracle

Sounds interesting, I'm sure we'll cringe and we'll be triggered.

Me too.

It is my favorite show. Mr. Lemonis has a great story himself. I heard him speak as a featured speaker at a trade show about ten years ago. In a room with 1500 people, much of his talk seemed as if it was directed directly at me. I identified with many of his stories. For maybe the second time ever, I wanted to go up to him and congratulate him but he was mobbed. His "process" is nothing new. My Uncle tried to stress much of the formula but It sounded so much better coming from a self made billionaire.
Strangely, although he has a great record of turning around many businesses, his main company( the only investment I have in him) has been stagnant stock price wise.
I think people will be surprised by this episode. He didn't target a small gaming hall.

Quote: odiousgambit

CNBC's "The Profit" tonight, 10 o'clock Eastern, will have something to do with operating a casino or, I suspect, some sort of more minor gambling hall. I'll have to try to catch another ad for it to get a handle on that a little better.

I never watch this show*, in fact I come pretty close to 'never' when it comes to watching any 'reality' TV, usually finding them quite contrived with phony drama. However, I will record this show, considering the subject matter, and thought I'd mention it on our site in case anyone else is interested.

*the Wikipedia page describes it as "... an American reality television show broadcast on CNBC. Typically, as part of each episode, Marcus Lemonis offers a capital investment and his expertise to struggling small businesses in exchange for an ownership stake in the company. "

Thanks. Very helpful

I hope the president wall crap doesn't affect the time slot

The profit isnt a bad show. Seems pretty well grounded in reality. Its a business show as opposed to a bunch of people trying to show off by infighting.

I would have missed this episode so again thanks for the heads up

My channel guide says,

"New. 'High Stakes' Marcus Lemonis goes behind the scenes in Las Vegas, spending three days as a high roller to unlock the secrets of Sin City. 1 hr."

Yeah, I agree about the TV tonight. None of the channels I expect to see it on are revised to say which ones will be showing it, and which will show as scheduled. Ugh.

I have seen this show and I enjoy it. He comes across as very down to earth and explains what he sees and why he is changing things to make the business better.

LVRJ Article:


Lemonis visited Caesars Palace and chatted with veteran blackjack dealer Benny Figgins. He also chatted with a famous sleight-of-hand practitioner, Planet Hollywood headliner Criss Angel. The magician performed a trick onstage at Criss Angel Theater and described the travails of his young son, Johnny Crisstopher, who has just ended a series of chemotherapy treatments to fight a rare form of leukemia.

Lemonis also scoured downtown with the D Las Vegas co-owner Derek Stevens, took a ride on the Slotzilla zip line, interviewed Elvis tribute artist Brendan Paul (who recounts his own rags-to-jumpsuit saga in a segment titled “From Panhandler to Millionaire) and sidled up to the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace with executive chef Leticia Nunez.

There were a few revelations for Lemonis, who spent $20,000 of his own walkin’-around cash on the three-day adventure. As he hung with Stevens at the D’s Longbar, the TV host remarked, “This is nothing like I thought. This place is packed!” And this, even when Zowie Bowie wasn’t playing on the Fremont Street Experience’s 3rd Street Stage.

“After three days here, it’s clear to me that Las Vegas knows what it does well,” Lemonis said. “At its heart, it’s still all about entertaining you, and they’ve got that down pat.”

I'd call this episode "Marcus Lemonis takes a Vegas vacation".

At least it seems to me this was not his usual shtick at all, where he wants a piece of someone's business, but bear in mind this is the first time I've seen his show. Maybe he has done this kind of program before.

It wasn't about gambling per se but about the business of Vegas in all aspects. It was surprisingly similar to what we've seen before. I'd just give him credit for delving into the actual business of Vegas quite a bit, featuring the little guy who made it big there for much of the show. A lot of facts and figures get thrown around. He makes an attempt to cover all aspects of Vegas business, without any attention to the ins and outs of the gambling other than the obvious aspect of all the games having a house edge.

How come there was no interview with the Wizard of Odds!!?? A complete oversight!

Maybe you had to be a Lemonis fan to get anything out of this episode. (My first time watching the program.) I found it mildly interesting but not that informative. And I hated that a guy known for smart money gambled very foolishly. He had the opportunity to do better things than roulette but went in ignorant. Does he always go into situations without any background?

It ended up being a tourist commercial for Vegas, at least to me. It also seemed ridiculous that he paid full rack rate for that high-roller suite (if he did). The real cost to Caesars was a tenth of that, at best, ( cleaning, butler, welcome food) and they got much more value out of the advertising. So I really discredit him spending 20k in Vegas in 3 days when he spent more than half on lodging. Threw most of his money away.

It certainly wasn't one of the better episodes. I'm going to guess he doesn't gamble so he went where the host took him.
I took away a few interesting tidbits. The breakdown of strip revenues was interesting, as was the information Mr. Stevens can pull up on a smart phone. It was part commercial, part history lesson. It's amazing that blacks couldn't deal on the strip until the 1970s, and that there are still employees around who worked under that system.
As a lifelong entrepreneur , I find the show fascinating. His process is incredible, but none of that came through in this episode. I wonder if this was a prelude to a crossover story arc with some other shows.