Las Vegas with Trevor McDonald

One resident Trevor meets in this first episode is Annie Lobert, a former high-class prostitute, who at the height of her career was making $2million a year. Annie now runs a secret location safe house for prostitutes trying to make a break away from their violent pimps. Las Vegas is the prostitution capital of America, despite it being illegal, and on its appeal Annie says: “The money, the clothes, the cars, the jewellery, the nice houses, the trips, the parties, the famous people. Come on, I mean who doesn’t want that? Who doesn’t want to feel important?” However, Annie discovered a far from glamorous side to prostitution. Another Vegas resident who knows all about losing money, in his case millions of dollars, is former World Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson. Trevor visits Mike at his mansion, hidden away in a wealthy gated community up in the Vegas hills. The former boxer talks about how he is trying to build a life as a father and a husband after a turbulent past that saw him bankrupt after once being worth $300 million. Tyson’s story epitomises what can happen to people in Vegas: They win big and they lose it all.

In episode two Trevor meets Vegas’ first nude showgirl, Lisa Medford, who regales him with stories from the city’s golden years at the legendary Riviera Hotel and Casino and her relationship with Cary Grant. Trevor also meets Andrew Di Dinato, a former mob member who came to Vegas to hide out after a deal with the FBI made him a marked man. And finally, Trevor meets Antonio Esfandiari who won the biggest prize in poker history a few years ago. Trevor is invited to his multi-million dollar apartment as Antonio prepares to host a high stake poker game later that night.