Summary
Overview
Hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman share wild Vegas stories from listeners, featuring drug-fueled hotel room chaos, a high school choir trip gone wrong, a climbing accident on an art installation, and a terrifying kidnapping attempt. The episode delivers on the promise that 'everything that happens in the world happens in Vegas,' with tales of injury, bad decisions, and narrow escapes.
Hotel Room Drug Trip Gone Wrong
Marie recounts a 2020 Vegas birthday trip that spiraled into chaos after taking a full ecstasy pill instead of her usual half. What started as an exciting getaway to the Cosmopolitan with a balcony overlooking the fountains turned into hours of violent thrashing, face-planting into her own vomit, and friends physically restraining her while she repeatedly said 'I'm not a good person.' The night eventually ended peacefully on the balcony after they changed venues to reset the situation.
- Trip was during COVID when Vegas hotels were incredibly cheap, got a two-bedroom suite at the Cosmopolitan with balcony overlooking fountains
- Marie broke her toe running into a wall on arrival, got wrapped by hotel medic and had to use a mobility scooter around the strip
- Took a whole ecstasy pill instead of usual half dose on her birthday, leading to complete loss of memory for six hours
- Became violent on the balcony, rolling around on cement and kicking her already-injured toe, then threw up and face-planted into it
- Friends had to physically restrain her on the bed for an hour and a half while she fought them
- Changing venue to fresh air on the balcony helped her snap out of it, spent remainder peacefully watching lights
" I don't know what it is about drugs, but it doesn't make you like six years old again. You can't handle your shit. And it's funny because you're an adult. You throw up like a baby does and then you fall in it. Then you're bruised up. It's like a time machine back to being incompetent. "
High School Choir Trip Witnesses Suicide
Madison shares a story from her 2011 Vegas trip with a nationally recognized show choir when she was 15. Already dealing with a fresh breakup and her ex rebounding with a friend on the trip, she impulsively dyed her hair in a CVS bathroom as an act of defiance. While waiting for taxis outside the Venetian, the entire choir group witnessed a man fall from a parking garage in what appeared to be a suicide attempt. The trauma continued when they attended The Lion King that evening, where Act One ends with Mufasa being thrown off a cliff.
- Was in elite high school show choir, sophomore year trip to Vegas in 2011 with about 50 kids and 6-7 chaperones
- Ex-boyfriend broke up with her week before trip, then had rebound fling with her friend during the trip and sent photos
- Bought box of hair dye from CVS and dyed hair dark brown in Venetian bathroom sink as big statement, felt 'hot shit'
- Witnessed man fall from parking garage while waiting in taxi line at 6pm, later learned it was a suicide attempt
- That evening attended The Lion King on stage, where Act One ends with Mufasa's death by falling from cliff
- Next day in Atlanta airport, choir directors had them perform their African tribal number as flash mob - received zero applause
" Ryan Murphy could not have written this glee line. It would have never happened. "
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