💸 How to land reality TV riches

Despite notoriously bad food and lingering odors, Casa Bonita in Lakewood, Colorado, was a legendary local landmark.

The 52k-square-foot Mexican restaurant was bonkers, with themed dining areas, magic and juggling shows, a “haunted” cave, and cliff divers who careened from a 30-foot indoor waterfall.

Casa Bonita achieved some national notoriety after a 2003 “South Park” episode in which Cartman schemes just to be invited to a birthday party there.

Two decades later, “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker own it.

Casa Bonita was once a chain…

… that originated in Oklahoma City in 1968. The Lakewood location opened in 1974, and is the last one standing — yet it hasn’t been an easy ride.

Casa Bonita had long been in disrepair before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021. That same year, Parker and Stone bought it for $3.1m. They’ve since dropped $40m+ on restorations, per The New York Times, and opened for a test run last week.

So, what’s new?

Well, the cliff divers are back, but with an improved pool exit that isn’t a narrow underground tunnel that, perilously, leads to an electrical room. Also:

• Four new bars
• A ticketing plaza to improve wait times
• Chef Dana Rodriguez, who was rejected when she applied at Casa Bonita in ‘98; she’s since been nominated for six James Beard awards
• The kitchen, which apparently had no ovens because everything was steamed

It’s also ADA-compliant, with new plumbing and no more weird odors.

But perhaps most important…

… is what hasn’t changed.

Parker and Stone kept the building’s pink exterior, and its mariachi bands and puppet shows, and sopapillas with honey — the one menu item people seemed to enjoy at the old Casa Bonita.

That dedication to the OG has earned them a waitlist of 100k+ hopeful customers.

When Bravo TV stars aren’t busy cheating, scheming, lying — or getting caught — they make time for entrepreneurship.

Bravolebrities have launched some lucrative side hustles over the years, most of which have nothing to do with their respective shows:

• Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula of “Summer House” run beverage company Loverboy, which has generated $38m in sales.
• Former “Real Housewives of New York City” cast member Bethenny Frankel’s Skinnygirl brand hit ~$50m in annual revenue in 2020.
• Aspiring-lawyer-turned-reality-star Craig Conover from “Southern Charm” founded pillow brand Sewing Down South.
• Kandi Burruss — a former member of girl group Xscape and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star — is worth an estimated $35m, due in part to her sex toy line Bedroom Kandi.

Other B-listers came to reality stardom with businesses already established, using their 15 minutes of fame as free advertising:

• Lisa Vanderpump of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” owns multiple restaurants in LA and is worth an estimated $90m.
• Leah McSweeney of “The Real Housewives of New York City” founded clothing brand Married to the Mob.

If you’ve seen a lot about Bravo lately…

… it’s probably because of “Scandoval.” The Sparknotes version? “Vanderpump Rules” cast member Tom Sandoval cheated on his longtime partner and castmate Ariana Madix with their mutual bestie.

While this is bad news for their nine-year relationship (spoiler: it’s over), it’s been great news for Madix’s wallet and her new LA sandwich shop, Something About Her.

Madix and co-star/co-founder Katie Maloney made a reported ~$200k selling merch ahead of the store’s opening.

And big brands have taken note, with Uber, Bic, Lay’s, and more tapping Madix for sponsorships since Scandoval broke.

Moral of the story: Heartbreak hurts less when cushioned by a couple hundred grand.