Thunder From Down Under felt like a cheap knock-off of the movie Magic Mike XXL.
Initially, I was the one who wanted to see Thunder From Down Under. There's something to be said about a man with an Aussie accent (like Huge Jackman... Need I say more?) On the other hand, my friend wanted to see Chippendales, which, in all honesty, just wasn't as appealing to me, and I'm not sure why… we agreed while on our trip we would see both to compare.
Luckily for us we were already staying at the Rio. Thunder From Down Under was at Excalibur, which meant we were getting to go on the famous Vegas Strip, which we liked, whereas Chippendale's had one up on them because we were already at their home casino.
We discovered that night's show was already almost filled upon obtaining our tickets. My friend then convinced me we needed VIP seating, or it's not worth going, so I agreed we get our VIP Chippendale tickets and get ready. I figured whatever, it's just one of those events that would be boring, and as long as she was happy, then it was all excellent, and I would get the pick of the following night…
After doing our usual pre-gaming and prepping to go out for a Vegas Girls night, we entered the lair of the Chippendale's, a little gift show that featured Chippendale's favors, and to my surprise, they have personal vibrators as well. I thought, oh, this is accessible and on display? Why not? Of course - this was Chippendale's and I'm sure plenty of women appreciated the selection available.
Then we found the entry for the show, Which had two men in front waiting to take pictures with us. We posed, of course, trying to be cute and sexy, which I am not sure I ever truly mastered, but hey, I didn't really care. It was more for fun anyways. I don't get paid for being a professional poser or model, so I'm good as long as I'm laughing and having a blast. We got to go in and find our seats, and we were instructed not to use our phones. Let's be honest, that's lame and restrictive, and I thought, whatever you're not the boss of me, I will do what I want… so I put my phone away… anyways…
To my surprise, they had a very lively and fun intro that I enjoyed, followed up with individual performances that appeared to be very specific and unique for each dancer. This itself reminded me of Magic Mike XXL. You connected with each dancer and felt like you were given a gift. This gift was that through their dance, you could see their wants, dreams, and desires. This caused a feeling or rather pseudo-bond connection. By eye witnessing a dancer expressing something so personal, almost like viewing their romantic soul… then if it couldn't get any better, the announcer comes out and reminds us of our phones which we all have incredibly forgotten even existed. He then told us all to retrieve these glorious devices and start recording or taking pictures doing what we wanted… then the whole team came out to make a special dance.
These dancers continued to… express themselves, but they had a way to ensure each person, including the none VIP seats, was included. Everyone from the front row to the very back row was included. I left that show with a significantly changed opinion of Chippendales. I also purchased the picture they took when we first arrived because it was a fantastic show to remember. We still went out for our night and visited the sky room at the top of the Rio… I still don't like heights.
So the following night, still on our Chippendale high, we were excited to go to Thunder Down Under, and I couldn't wait for them to show up the men we met last night. They had their announcer, who had the accent, which is one of the things we loved. But the show seemed a bit boring. These dancers didn't catch our hearts the way the ones had the night before. In fact, it felt like they were overly confident and came off as such. With the impression, they would up their seats regardless if they interacted with all or not.
To build the disappointment, the leading dancer who got to pick an audience member to go on stage picked the tiniest, sexiest model-looking girl there. Which isn't bad, but the trend was that was all they seemed to interact with. And for those who know the show… I watch "Christly Knows Best", and I remember Chase taking his Grandma Faye and bringing her on stage. If Faye had been there without the show's film crew that night, she would have been ignored.
By the end, you have a chance to go take pictures for 20 bucks with the dancers, and needless to say, we didn't. We just left… the funny thing was we agreed we would have preferred to see Chippendale again instead of wasting our time there. I later explained this experience to another friend who wanted to see them, and this particular friend pleaded, and of course, we went, and you know what… it sealed the deal of never wanting to see them again.
Thunder Down Under had not one chance - but two - and both were horrible! So if you want an honest opinion, don't waste your money or your time, because life is short. I would instead be having fun enjoying myself as opposed to sitting bored outta my mind… ;)
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention… Chippendale made the same connection that Magic Mike did. These dancers had personalities and souls. They just knew how to bring it out with their dance, and not just there to display their sexy bodies. Which, let's be honest, they are all sexy… Shoot, You can even compare both to the Magic Mike movies… Thunder Down Under was Magic Mike 1, the wrong choices like the use of drugs, money obsession, and men who are probably bad for you. Whereas Chippendales is Magic Mike XXL, Joe Manganiello, from the Cheetos and water dance to Cinderella's glass slipper… They dance with their heart and soul.
But instead of the rambles of my experience, quick Pros and Cons list would be:
Thunder From Down Under
- They can dance, but it is a job, not an expression of art or sharing of a feeling.
- It didn't matter where you sat. The dancers seemed to target people with similar looks mentioned above.
- They didn't connect with the audience.
- You have to wait a long time to get a picture taken with them, and it costs $20 bucks per pic/pose.
- But it is on the Strip and close to other clubs like LAX or 1920s.
Chippendales
- It didn't matter where you sat; they gave attention to all seats.
- They took your picture as you entered, so you look your best, and you don't have to wait an extended period post-show to get a photo and you can get to the rest of your night plans sooner.
- Picture copies were the same price as Thunder From Down Under.
- Dancing seemed like art and like they enjoyed it rather than a job.
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