Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Armchair Anonymous: Las Vegas

February 27, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The first caller, 'Marie,' detailed a chaotic Las Vegas trip involving a severe toe injury, cocaine use, and a subsequent severe reaction to ecstasy leading to self-harm and vomiting. 
  • The second caller, 'Madison,' recounted a traumatic high school choir trip to Las Vegas that included a breakup, witnessing a man fall from a parking garage, and being forced to perform an African tribal number in the Atlanta airport. 
  • The third caller, 'Riley,' shared a story about injuring his finger in a degloving accident while drunkenly climbing a 'LOVE' art installation at the Life is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas, followed by his friend climbing a bus stop and falling. 
  • A 19-year-old Canadian listener's spontaneous road trip to Las Vegas, undertaken to maximize driving before a license suspension, devolved into a terrifying ordeal after they sought fake IDs and were subsequently involved with individuals engaged in serious criminal activity. 
  • The listener and friends were nearly abducted and potentially harmed by criminals after being lured off the strip under the pretense of getting fake IDs, only to be saved by a routine traffic stop for an unrelated seatbelt violation. 
  • The police intervention revealed the severity of the situation, as the woman driving had just been released from prison and was carrying illegal firearms and cocaine, leading the officers to warn the young visitors to leave Vegas immediately. 

Segments

Armchair Anonymous Introduction
Copied to clipboard!
(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The Armchair Anonymous segment of the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast focuses on listener-submitted crazy Las Vegas stories.
  • Summary: Dax Shepard and Monica open the segment, acknowledging listener demand for Vegas stories. The episode promises content involving drugs, singing, injury, and kidnapping. The show notes confirm the theme is a crazy Las Vegas story from an ‘Armcherry’ (listener).
Marie’s Vegas Toe Injury
Copied to clipboard!
(00:03:19)
  • Key Takeaway: A trip to the Cosmopolitan in September 2020 resulted in the caller injuring her toe by sprinting into a doorway while excited about a FaceTime call.
  • Summary: The caller, ‘Marie,’ was celebrating her birthday in a suite at the Cosmopolitan with friends and her husband. She sprinted to join a FaceTime call, hitting her toe hard on a wall, causing immediate, searing pain. The injury was severe enough that the hotel sent up a medic who provided crutches, leading her to rent a motorized wheelchair for mobility.
Night One Drug Use
Copied to clipboard!
(00:05:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The group consumed cocaine on the first night while staying in the suite, despite the caller’s pre-existing toe injury.
  • Summary: The group partied in the room, consuming alcohol and cocaine brought from a trusted source. The caller noted that she felt invincible and did not properly care for her injured toe that night.
Night Two Ecstasy Experience
Copied to clipboard!
(00:07:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Taking a full pill of ecstasy while watching an emotional Justin Bieber music video led to the caller vomiting, face-planting into the vomit, and sustaining facial bruises.
  • Summary: The caller took a full ecstasy pill, unlike her previous half-pill doses, leading to a loss of memory after the music video started. Her friends recounted that she began flailing on the cement balcony, threw up, and then fell face-down into her own vomit. The friends had to physically restrain her for over an hour as she repeatedly stated, ‘I’m not a good person.’
Post-Drug Recovery and Aftermath
Copied to clipboard!
(00:11:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The group moved outside to the balcony for fresh air, where they spent hours cuddling and watching the lights, which seemed to reset the caller’s state after the intense drug reaction.
  • Summary: After the violent episode inside, the group moved outside to the balcony to get fresh air, bringing blankets and a speaker. The caller’s friends were concerned she was overdosing, but another friend suggested she just needed a change of scenery. The aftermath included significant bruising, which the caller worried about explaining upon driving home.
Taylor’s New Baby Shoutout
Copied to clipboard!
(00:13:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Caller ‘Marie’ gave a shoutout to her friend Taylor, who was unable to attend because she went into labor and delivered a baby girl named Indigo.
  • Summary: Taylor, one of the friends mentioned in the Vegas story, gave birth to a baby girl named Indigo the morning of the recording. The caller noted that Taylor is the first in their friend group to have a child.
Madison’s Choir Trip Trauma
Copied to clipboard!
(00:21:42)
  • Key Takeaway: A sophomore high school show choir trip to Las Vegas in 2011 was marred by a breakup, the ex-boyfriend hooking up with a friend, and the group witnessing a man fall from a parking garage.
  • Summary: The caller, ‘Madison,’ was heartbroken after her boyfriend broke up with her the week before the trip, only for him to immediately rebound with another choir member on the trip. The group, unsupervised by chaperones, dyed her hair dark brown in response to the drama. The trip took a dark turn when they witnessed a man fall from the Venetian parking garage while taking a taxi line.
Forced Lion King Viewing
Copied to clipboard!
(00:30:10)
  • Key Takeaway: Following the traumatic event at the taxi line, the choir director forced the distraught students to watch The Lion King, leading to renewed crying when Mufasa died.
  • Summary: The choir director attempted to distract the students from the trauma by having them sit down and watch a show. The choice of The Lion King proved disastrous, as Act One ends with Mufasa’s death, causing the already emotional and traumatized students to cry again. The group then had to meet the cast while looking disheveled with new hairdos and red faces.
Inappropriate Airport Performance
Copied to clipboard!
(00:32:04)
  • Key Takeaway: During flight delays in the Atlanta airport, the predominantly white choir performed their African tribal number, resulting in complete silence and hostile looks from other travelers.
  • Summary: Stuck in the Atlanta airport, the choir director insisted the group perform a flash mob to cheer up stranded travelers. The group performed their African tribal number, complete with dance, to an audience that offered no applause and looked hostile. The caller concluded the trip was an ‘unmitigated disaster’ for her 16th birthday.
Jack’s Degloving Injury Story
Copied to clipboard!
(00:35:05)
  • Key Takeaway: While drunk at the Life is Beautiful festival, the caller injured his ring finger in a degloving accident by climbing a metal ‘LOVE’ art installation and getting his finger caught in a bird-shaped cutout.
  • Summary: The caller, ‘Jack,’ was drinking heavily before attending the festival in Las Vegas. He attempted to climb the ‘V’ in the ‘LOVE’ sculpture, slotting his ring finger into a bird-shaped cutout, which resulted in the flesh being removed down to the bone. He required reconstructive surgery in Tucson two days later, though he retained good strength in the finger despite nerve issues.
Jack’s Friend’s Accident
Copied to clipboard!
(00:44:23)
  • Key Takeaway: On the same night Jack injured his finger, one of his climbing friends attempted a ‘bat hang’ (hanging by the feet with no hands) from a bus stop and fell.
  • Summary: Jack’s friends, who were brothers, were also engaging in risky behavior that night. One brother attempted a difficult climbing maneuver on a bus stop structure, resulting in a fall that required urgent care.
Spontaneous Vegas Road Trip
Copied to clipboard!
(00:47:21)
  • Key Takeaway: License suspension threat prompted an unplanned, multi-day road trip to Las Vegas.
  • Summary: The storyteller and a friend decided to drive to Vegas, LA, and up the West Coast after both received notices for license suspension due to excessive speeding. They drove straight through to Salt Lake City, slept in the car, and arrived in Vegas without any accommodations planned. They chose Circus Circus as their initial, unplanned lodging.
Underage Hotel Check-in
Copied to clipboard!
(00:48:53)
  • Key Takeaway: The 19-year-old successfully checked into a Las Vegas hotel by lying about having a pregnant wife and an 18-month-old child.
  • Summary: Since the legal drinking and hotel check-in age in the US is 21, the storyteller used a suit and fabricated a story about his pregnant wife and toddler waiting in the car. The front desk clerk scanned his ID without closely inspecting it, allowing the group access to the room for three nights.
Seeking Booze and Fake IDs
Copied to clipboard!
(00:50:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Underage drinking was easily achieved via slushy stands, but seeking fake IDs led to a dangerous encounter.
  • Summary: The group found that while casinos restricted alcohol access, ‘Fat Tuesday’ slushy stands sold them drinks without question. On the third day, they were approached by a woman who offered to make fake IDs in exchange for a suit jacket, leading them off the main strip.
Lured into Criminal Operation
Copied to clipboard!
(00:51:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The group followed the supposed fake ID makers to an off-strip location where one friend was drugged.
  • Summary: Ignoring the rule against following strangers to a second location, the group entered the criminals’ car and were taken to a mini-resort where they were treated to food and drinks, during which time their friend ‘Sam’ was drugged. They were then taken to a second, highly dangerous motel location to finalize the fake ID transaction.
Hostage Situation and Police Rescue
Copied to clipboard!
(00:53:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The situation escalated into a hostage scenario involving armed individuals until a traffic stop led to a police rescue.
  • Summary: The storyteller realized they were being held hostage after one of the men threatened him with a gun and they surrendered their phones, credit cards, and cash. The group was being used for drug deals until a police officer pulled the car over for having too many passengers without seatbelts, leading to the arrest of the criminals who possessed three guns and cocaine.
Aftermath and Departure
Copied to clipboard!
(00:57:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Police officers advised the shaken travelers to immediately leave Las Vegas and return only when legally able to drink.
  • Summary: The police explained that people like the storyteller are often lured in by criminals, given new identities, and then forced into servitude or killed if they refuse. The officer gave them money for a bus ticket and explicitly told them to leave Vegas and not return until they were 21.