Joan Lunden Behind Closed Doors: Las Vegas Show Girls

Moving from high security to high kicks, Joan goes behind the scenes and before the footlights as a showgirl in the renowned "Jubilee!" spectacular at Bally’s Las Vegas. Beautiful showgirls and big stage productions are the essence of Las Vegas, and Joan shows why performing in "Jubilee!" is the dream for hundreds of hopefuls who compete for a handful of jobs at the open casting call in Los Angeles. This extravaganza, which has been a glittering staple on the strip for 16 years, requires rigorous work and exacting coordination by teams of staffers to pull off such sequences as "The Sinking of the Titanic" and "The Destruction of the Temple By Samson." Joan trains intensively for weeks for her role, learning the tricky balancing technique needed to glide up and down 40 stairs with a 60-pound headdress and the intense precision dancing required to make the work look effortless. She also reveals the people behind the fantasy when she interviews real-life showgirls and even guys: a Las Vegas police officers who moonlights as a dancer, A PTA mom, and the strip’s oldest showgirl – at age 44. Practicing on a stage 15 stories high, running through the ten costume changes the showgirls make twice nightly, Joan works with the choreographer, costume fitters and makeup artists to make her transition complete. Viewers follow Joan’s progression from rehearsals to center stage, culminating with the ultimate test: her performance in "Jubilee’s" dazzling production numbers before a packed house, along with 100 fellow singers and dancers on a stage half the size of a football field.