barBar Rescue · Season 8, Episode 7 · Aired June 27, 2021
Badlands
Las Vegas, Nevada
Yes. This one is still open.
What happened after
Official site states open 24/7.
What happened on the show
A Las Vegas gay bar was on the brink of closing after the COVID-19 pandemic stripped away all of its entertainment. At Badlands, the shutdown had stripped away the shows and events that gave the bar its draw, leaving a community-anchored venue fighting to stay open with its core offering gutted. The rescue worked to rebuild the bar's identity and operation for a post-pandemic reopening, restoring a room that mattered to its patrons. The intervention followed the show's arc of scrutiny and renovation, betting that a refreshed concept and a disciplined operation could bring back a beloved LGBTQ venue that the pandemic's blow to live entertainment had pushed to the brink of closing its doors. As a longstanding LGBTQ gathering place, the room's value to its community raised the stakes of a rescue driven less by mismanagement than by a shutdown outside anyone's control.
After the cameras left
Badlands is still open, and then some. Its official site states the bar operates around the clock, seven days a week, at 953 East Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas, which puts the open call at high confidence. The gay bar the pandemic nearly closed came back and kept its doors open, landing this one firmly among the survivors of the show's Las Vegas-heavy eighth season, a community venue that recovered the footing it had lost when live entertainment shut down.
Sources
Confidence: high. Last checked 2026-07-19.
What is there now
Street imagery via Google Maps. Location approximate.