Can a local casino reality TV program hit the jackpot?
KIRO-TV certainly hopes so.
“Tulalip Casino Night” begins a six-episode run that kicks off at 10 p.m. Friday and airs in that time slot through Aug. 27 on Channel 7.
The show runs 10 pairs of players through a gamut of casino games, such as blackjack, roulette, Baccarat, slot machines and Texas hold’em poker.
At the end of each episode, the pair with the least amount of money left is eliminated. The team that outlasts the rest gets to spin a wheel for the chance to win $1 million.
“We think it can be successful at a local level because people can really relate to it, and hopefully they’ve already heard of us,” said Cara Althoff, a Tulalip Casino spokeswoman.
Jim and John Jenft, or “The Twin Deuces,” are 79-year-old twin brothers from Everett and Arlington, respectively.
They auditioned for the show in May on a whim and landed the gig, but it took a little convincing for Jim to get his brother out there.
“I stood in line probably for about an hour before he got there,” said Jim Jenft, whose daughter learned about the audition on the Internet.
The brothers are used to doing things together. They graduated from Sultan High School, went through Navy boot camp together, were both stationed in Hawaii, on different islands, during World War II.
Jim Jenft said he’s played poker for about 40 years, but was less familiar with some of the other games.
“I’d never played baccarat before in my life,” said Jim Jenft, who isn’t allowed to reveal any details about the results of the show. The six episodes were taped over four days of up to 12 hours each.
It was a pretty exciting event for Jim Jenft, who owned and operated Sultan Insurance for 45 years after inheriting it from his mother. His daughter runs it now. He also was business manager for the Mukilteo School District for many years.
John Jenft was a longtime school district administrator as well, working in the business office at Arlington School District for nearly 45 years. He now does consulting work for a few area school districts.
Jim Jenft’s proverbial 15 minutes of fame was a memorable experience, if only for the constant application of TV makeup.
“They put on makeup about 20 times a day,” he said. “Powder, powder and more powder. Of course, we’re both sort of bald, so they had to make sure our heads don’t shine.”
Tune in Friday night to see if Snohomish County’s twins are the ones who shine brightest.
Reporter Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
John (left) and Jim Jenft, 79-year-old twin brothers from Snohomish County, will participate in the “Tulalip Casino Nights” reality TV program on KIRO-TV, which starts a 10-episode run Friday night.
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