Las Vegas Weekly

September 3, 2010 · 3:01 PM

Strip Scribbles: Two ex-Miss America hopefuls enter Amazing Race

By Robin Leach

Kentucky native Lance Burton and Miss Kentucky Mallory Ervin at Pole Position Raceway on Jan. 24, 2010.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

Two former Miss America Pageant contestants will make up two of the 11 teams competing on Season 17 of CBS’ Amazing Race premiering Sept. 26. Mallory Ervin, who was here at Planet Hollywood as the 2009 Miss Kentucky, is teamed with her father Gary. She’ll compete against 2004 Miss Oregon Brook Roberts, partnered with her local TV show co-host. All will be at Planet Hollywood in January to report the experience.

Season 17 marks the show’s first visits to Bangladesh, Ghana and the Arctic, and the team to finish first during the premiere will be awarded a “surprise, game-changing advantage.” Last fall and earlier this year, 2004 Miss America Ericka Dunlap and her husband Brian Kleinschmidt finished 3rd on Amazing Race, and she talked of her experiences and lessons learned while at the Planet Hollywood pageant.

Now the new excitement begins with Mallory and Brook in competition against each other. This year’s hopefuls for the 90th anniversary pageant at Planet Hollywood met for the first time last week at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and taped their first video spots for the live Strip broadcast Jan. 15.

*In previous Vegas DeLuxe posts, we’ve managed to spill several secrets of the upcoming spectacular Triumph opening at the Las Vegas Hilton in mid-November. We’ve revealed the time travel elements and the dance cast woven into the story of good vs. evil. Now we’re learning that magicians LaRaf will be showcasing never-before-seen illusions. I’ve learned that old-school illusions where tricks are covered have been replaced with new illusions integrated into scenes and set designs in a new way. “Triumph will bring magic to a whole new level as Cirque did with the circus!,” I was told.

One time-travel scene is set in the Mayan jungle and will show an illusion where a young woman is brought to life appearing from the magician’s head. She is then taken right into the audience for two back-to-back vanishings, but the magician is captured, imprisoned as fiery bamboo spikes are plunged into his cage -- but makes his escape to be discovered flying directly over the heads of the audience! This apparently is only one of the illusions that will be performed right within the audience, and I’m doing my best to unearth more of the secrets!

*Dancing With the Stars cameras will be following reality TV star Audrina Patridge when she joins Rob Dyrdek at the Thomas & Mack Arena for his Street League Skateboarding on Sept. 25. Audrina also will be rehearsing during her visit here with her pro partner Tony Dovolani.

*We’ve received early word that Joey Fatone of ’N Sync fame is hosting The Price Is Right: Live at Bally’s from Sept. 14-25. An official statement is reportedly in the works.

*The guessing game as to which chef and what restaurants are in or out has begun now that Nov. 15 has been set as the release date of the highly anticipated book Eating Las Vegas: 50 Essential Restaurants. It’s been compiled by John Curtas, Max Jacobson and Al Mancini, the three musketeers of our dining critics industry. They all had to agree on the 50, and the prized list is being kept a closely guarded secret until Nov. 15.

*Seven January concert dates have been added for Santana’s Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel. Tickets for Jan. 5, 8-9, 12 and 14-16 are available now, and more 2011 dates will be announced soon. Santana's new album Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time drops Sept. 19. … Fighters Only, the world’s largest MMA magazine, has announced ticket information for the Third Annual World Mixed Martial Arts Awards at The Pearl in the Palms on Dec. 1. Tickets go on sale Sept. 11 and can be purchased at The Pearl box office and at any Ticketmaster location. UFC legend Randy Couture is hosting this year’s awards, which is sponsored by Bodybuilding.com and will air on Versus at a later date. … Red Light, the circus-themed variety show scheduled to debut at Crown Theater & Nightclub in The Rio on Sunday, has been posted and will be rescheduled at a later date.

STAR SURVEILLANCE

Singer Pink and motocross star Carey Hart had a relaxing get-away at the Hard Rock Hotel, checking into HRH Tower on Monday and staying until yesterday. The reunited couple remained low-key the entire week, hanging out at HRH Beach Club with friends, including professional skateboarder Bucky Lasek, and playing blackjack. Pink also stopped by Reliquary for some spa time. … New hip-hop artist Miguel kicked off Labor Day Weekend early at Eva Longoria Parker’s Eve nightclub in MGM CityCenter’s Crystals. The up-and-coming Jive Records star who is opening for Mary J. Blige during her tour performed his single “All I Want Is You” to a packed crowd. … America’s Got Talent’s Dan Sperry of Las Vegas attracted a crowd at Adventuredome last night as he was meeting with Fright Dome owner Jason Egan and will be the event’s lead stage act in October alongside local favorite Dixie Dooley and magician Rudy Coby.

We posted a full ROYAL ROBIN RUNDOWN this morning on everything you’d ever want to know about Labor Day Weekend in Las Vegas, so check it out for the 411. And have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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