Jon Taffer and his Bar Rescue team have completely changed the old Hogwash Saloon bar into a new, ultra-modern Sports Lounge.
If there is one thing that Bar Rescue and all of the other business-rescue shows on television have taught us, it is that being a regular patron of a business does not necessarily make you qualified to run said business.
All about the “Jason’s Last Call” episode
Bar Rescue season nine’s third episode sees Jon Taffer and his team or hospitality experts travel to Fountain Hills in Arizona in an endeavor to help the owner, Jason Reinke (and his “silent” partners, Cathy and Paul Cook).
This was after the realization struck that Jason’s expertise as a regular at the former Hogwash Saloon (and Bruno’s Sports Bar and Grill before that) did not help him much when it came to running the business behind the scenes.
Unlike most of the owners who have appeared on this season of Bar Rescue, the old Hogwash Saloon owners had only been in charge of the business for a few months before Taffer and his team showed up to help.
However, the owners’ lack of bar-management experience left the old Hogwash Saloon without a set menu or any real leadership.
Fortunately, Taffer managed to turn things around just as quickly as they had fallen apart and even renamed the business to Skybox Ultra Sports Lounge to reflect its new, lavish image.
A rundown of Bar Rescue season 9
Skybox Ultra Sports Lounge is not the only business that Taffer and his team have transformed so far in Bar Rescue season nine (it is not even the only business which has had its name changed).
All of the Bar Rescue season nine transformations that we have seen thus far can be summarized as follows:
| Episode | Initial air date |
| “Deadliest Kitchen” | February 25, 2024 |
| “Wildkats Wild Collapse” | March 3, 2024 |
| “Jason’s Last Call” | March 10, 2024 |
Is Skybox Ultra Sports Lounge still open?
The businesses that have appeared on Bar Rescue throughout the years, have not all managed to remain operational, even with their shiny new interiors and systems.
In fact, the show’s success rate was hovering below 50% before this new season started airing.
However, the newly-redone Skybox Ultra Sports Lounge seems to be beating the odds so far, and remains open to this day.
The Skybox Sports Lounge Facebook page even reveals that the business went above and beyond to celebrate its new chapter by hosting a special Bar Rescue viewing party for the premiere of the “Jason’s Last Call” episode (complete with pizza and spring rolls).
It also seems like all of the Skybox Ultra Lounge staff members who were in this episode have stuck around to see how all of Taffer’s changes fare.
Did the Bar Rescue makeover work?
The filming of this episode of Bar Rescue actually took place all the way back in October 2023, just a few months after Jason and his partners had purchased the bar.
This means that the new and improved Skybox Ultra Sports Lounge has only actually been operating in its post-Bar Rescue form for about five months.
However, Taffer’s changes are seemingly already making a big difference.
Most of the Google reviews from Skybox Ultra Sports Lounge dated after Taffer’s Bar Rescue makeover, have given this business five out of five stars (except for one review, which only awarded Skybox Ultra Sports Lounge one star).
And, from the looks of the most recent comments on Skybox Ultra Sports Lounge’s Facebook page, it seems like they are planning to implement even more changes (and a few new menu items) very soon.
Furthermore, has been no official word on whether Skybox Ultra Sports Lounge will continue on with the old Hogwash Saloon traditions of regular karaoke nights, pool leagues or happy hours, just yet.
What to expect from Bar Rescue’s next episode
Season nine has already seen Taffer and his team tackle some of their most challenging business transformations to date, and it seems like Bar Rescue’s next season nine episode will be no different.
Season nine’s episode four will be titled “A Drunk, a Fruitfly, and a Knight Walk Into a Bar” and is set to air on Paramount on Sunday, March 17, 2024, during the show’s regular 10 p.m. ET or 9 p.m. CT timeslot.
This time around, Taffer and Phil Wills are heading to Oxnard in California to help a business called The Thirsty Ox. Taffer and Wills will have to dig deep and pull out all of their mixology and business-rescue expertise to help these owners turn their filthy and failing business into the thriving bar of their dreams.
