A couple years back, I was asked to be a judge for the second Lip Sync Showdown benefiting After-School All-Stars Las Vegas, and, to riff on the Rolling Stones, it was a gas, gas, gas!  That night at XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas, two teams representing PLAYSTUDIOS tied for first place with perfect scores of 40 out of a possible 40 (having received 10s from each of the four judges): Murder She Danced, with its take on Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dance Floor,” and The White Rabbits, with a mash-up of Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” and “Lose Yourself.”  The late, great Elaine Wynn (who’d founded the organization three decades earlier) settled the ensuing conflama by telling the organizers that they would simply have to make a second first-place trophy.

Toward the end of the evening, when her bestie, John Pucci, handed her the lyrics for Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ “Islands in the Stream,” Elaine joined him for an extemporaneous lip-sync performance, which became that night’s finale, confessing to the audience, “I have always had an iron-clad rule: do not come unprepared.”  But she broke her own rule, performing the duet with him totally unrehearsed.  Why?  The kids, of course.  As Elaine so eloquently explained, “It’s always about the kids.”

More recently, on Monday, October 05, I returned to the judging panel for ASASLV’s 2026 Lip Sync Showdown, enjoying the hospitality once again of Wynn Las Vegas, this time at nightclub-turned-event space Intrigue.  There, I joined Brian Gullbrants (Wynn Resorts – Chief Operating Officer, North America), who had also judged in 2024; Sean McBurney (Caesars Entertainment – Chief Commercial Officer/Regional President, Las Vegas), for whom I had been a last-minute substitute two years ago; and KTNV Channel 13 anchor Tricia Kean.  And picking up the mic as host and emcee was Las Vegas’ favorite Canadian import, Mark Shunock, the voice of the Vegas Golden Knights and WWE SmackDown, who, in a rather full-circle moment, had been Intrigue’s creative director a decade ago, overseeing the club’s development before it opened.

The evening’s theme was the 1970s, a wonderful era to draw from for creative costuming, choreography, and all-in-the-name-of-fun competition among the half-dozen teams vying for the title of 2026 Lip Sync Showdown Champion.  Here’s who took the stage:

· The Par-Tee People—representing PLAYSTUDIOS and Amara Golf & Social Club—performing to a mash-up of “Car Wash” by Rose Royce and “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People

· Boogie Babes—representing The Wynn Call Center—performing to “Boogie Wonderland” by Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions

· Two Steppers—representing Zero Bond Las Vegas—performing a mash-up of “Choosin’ Texas” by Ella Langley and “Jolene” by Dolly Parton

· Blazers & Bell Bottoms—representing PLAYSTUDIOS—performing “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA

· A Toast to Love—representing La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway—performing a mash-up of “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton with “Sweet Transvestite” and “The Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show

· The Dancing Machines—representing Credit One—performing a mash-up of songs by Michael Jackson at various points in his early career, including “Dancing Machine,” “I’ll Be There,” and “ABC” with The Jackson 5; “Ease on Down the Road” from The Wiz; and “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough”

Top honors—and a score of 41 out of a possible 40 (due to Gullbrants’ impromptu tearing of the 1 from his handheld score paddle and holding it over the zero of the 10)—went to La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway’s A Toast to Love team, with its hilarious tribute to Dolly Parton and Tim Curry (who’d both passed away on August 25) that started with Parton’s “9 to 5” and segued into the pair of songs from The Rocky Horror Picture Show in honor of Curry’s Dr. Frank-N-Furter.  Blazers & Bell Bottoms (PLAYSTUDIOS) and The Dancing Machines (Credit One) tied as co-runners-up, each with a perfect 40/40.  Considering how the night ended two years ago, it was kinda perfect that a Dolly Parton number should take the crown this time around.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: a lip sync contest?  Yes!  It’s no secret that I attend and participate in more of these affairs than most, and I’m hard-pressed to think of any that evoke such unabashed goofiness, hilarity, and merriment, the kind that makes your lateral obliques cramp.  Not only is it incredibly fun, but with the non-stop barrage of madness we face these days, it’s truly cathartic.  By which I mean that sometimes laughter really is the best medicine.

And on top of all of that, there’s the math.  Roughly 200 guests attended, and an estimated $250,000 was raised, with the proceeds going toward free after-school programs for kids throughout the Las Vegas Valley. How ’bout them apples? 

Established by Elaine Wynn in 1995 (originally as the Greater Las Vegas Inner City Games, and later the Greater Las Vegas After-School All-Stars) with now-Congresswoman Susie Lee as its founding director, the organization now known as After-School All-Stars Las Vegas has reached more than 150,000 Southern Nevada kids over the past 30 years with free programs in academics, athletics, and cultural enrichment.  From homework help and STEM to arts, sports, leadership development, and career exploration, After-School All-Stars Las Vegas helps kids achieve their goals in areas both academic and extracurricular.

As longtime ASAS Director (and previous board chair) Jenna Morton put it: “Our programs don’t just fill time; they build futures.  We’re creating spaces where students can dream bigger, discover new passions, and build the confidence and skills they’ll carry with them for life.”

A huge mazel tov to Executive Director Jodi Manzella, the directors who serve on the ASAS board, and the sponsors of this amazing event; and a well-earned “Bravi!” to everyone on the A Toast to Love team, and to every team that took the stage.  Because—as EW explained to us a couple of years ago—when it comes to ASAS Las Vegas, “It’s always about the kids!”

So, click on the link below, and learn how you can support this wonderful organization, whether that means being a sponsor of next year’s Lip Sync Showdown; putting together a team and competing; or simply buying a ticket, watching the silliness that transpires onstage, and enjoying the side-splitting laughter that comes as a result.

2026 Lip Sync Showdown benefiting After-School All-Stars Las Vegas

Intrigue | Wynn Las Vegas

Monday, October 05, 2026

Click HERE for info

Get into it!

#ASASLV