Chilleen’s on 17 Bar Rescue Update (Kid Chilleen’s BBQ) – Still Open in 2024?

Is Chilleen's On 17 still open today?

Status: >> OPEN <<
(keep reading to learn what happened)

Season: 3 | View All Season 3 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: April 7, 2013
The Bar's Original Name Was: Kid Chilleen's Badass BBQ
Chilleen's On 17 Address: 33150 S Coldwater Rd Black Canyon City, AZ 85324

Chilleen's on 17 Bar Rescue Update (Kid Chilleen's BBQ)

Episode Recap

Kid Chilleen’s Badass BBQ, later renamed Chilleen’s On 17, was a Black Canyon City, Arizona bar that was featured on Season 3 of Bar Rescue.

Though the Chilleen’s On 17 Bar Rescue episode aired in April 2013, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.

It was Season 3 Episode 9 and the episode name was “A Horse Walks Into a Bar”.

Kid Chilleen’s Badass BBQ is located in Black Canyon City, Arizona.

Black Canyon City is a small town with a population of under 3,000.

However, it’s not too far North of Phoenix in the Black Canyon Heritage Park, so it gets lots of tourists and visitors.

Husband and wife Scott and Donna Chilleen own the bar.

Scott and Donna both drink and party at the bar and leave their daughter Aleah in charge of things.

Chilleen's owner drinking

Mixologist Russell Davis joins Jon Taffer in helping the bar.

The spy goes in but is uncomfortable with the party atmosphere.

The owners hand out free shots to the customers. 

The spy orders a BBQ chicken dish, and more of the staff begins drinking with the owners.

The spy hates the taste of the meal and says there was too much sauce.

At one point, a horse even comes into the bar, which is where the episode name comes from.

Here’s a screenshot of the horse – it was a wild moment!

Chilleen's horse in bar

The owners are drunk and talk over their daughter Aleah when Jon comes in.

Aleah informs Jon that they have filed for bankruptcy, so the financial situation is pretty desperate.

Jon tells Scott and Donna not to have another drink while he is there. 

The next day Jon meets with staff.

Donna doesn’t even remember meeting Jon the day before, and the bartender Yumyum is not at work.

BBQ expert JB Brown comes in to help rescue the bar.

The ice bin is dirty.

The staff has to clean the bar while the kitchen is taught how to make a real BBQ sauce with JB Brown.

Russell trains the staff on a whiskey sour. 

Jon breathalyzes both owners, and the result is zero; they haven’t been drinking.

Just before the stress test begins, Yumyum returns, and Russell takes her through five minutes of training.

Aleah is the head bartender.

Donna is the host.

And then Scott is managing during the stress test.

The kitchen is doing its best, and Yumyum walks out after she messes up on a drink. 

Donna is tempted when customers call for her to take shots with them.

The food is sent back because it is seasoned poorly.

After the kitchen and bar close down, Jon commends Donna for holding up during the stress test.

Jon gives them a smoker, and JB Brown trains the staff on how to use the machine properly. 

The menu has been simplified to brisket, chicken, and ribs.

Jon also takes Donna and Scott to an addiction counselor to address their drinking problem.

Jon then gathers the staff to show them the new renovations.

As part of the changes, the bar was renamed from Kid Chilleen’s Badass BBQ to Chilleen’s on 17.

The outside is brightened, and the interior has been updated. 

There are cowboy quotes on the wall and a potbelly stove in the corner.

There is a moonshine pour assistant and a new, modern menu.

The bar is immediately busy during the relaunch.

The staff is doing their best during the stress test.

The kitchen is busy, but they are keeping up.

The customers are very happy and love that they are being served hot food fresh from the oven. 

So was the Chilleen’s on 17 Bar Rescue episode a long-term success?

Keep reading to learn what happened next and if it’s still open in 2024.

Chilleen's On 17 Update - What Happened Next?

Now that we’ve recapped the Chilleen’s On 17 Bar Rescue visit, let’s talk about what happened when Jon Taffer rode his horse on out of Black Canyon City, AZ.

Two months after the visit from Jon, sales at Chilleen’s On 17 have gone up and the owners are in a better financial situation.

While their bankruptcy is still hanging over them, things are looking much better.

So – are they still surviving almost a decade later or do you think the bankruptcy took them out?

Let’s talk about the 2023 update!

Is Chilleen’s On 17 from Bar Rescue still open?

As of 2024, Chilleen’s On 17 is still open and serving customers in Black Canyon City, AZ.

The bar actively posts on Facebook and promotes a number of events and specials, including lots of live music.

For example, here’s a recent post advertising upcoming live music on the Chilleen’s On 17 Facebook page:

Chilleen's bar live music

While the bar did have bankruptcy hanging over its head in the Bar Rescue episode, they managed to get out of bankruptcy and the bar’s sales are up by more than 40%.

What’s more, Donna has stopped drinking in the bar and lost 20+ pounds, which is great to hear.

The Chilleen’s also seem pretty happy about their Bar Rescue experience.

In this interview with the Phoenix New Times, they revealed that they were big fans of the show even before Jon Taffer’s visit:

We love the show. We’re huge fans; we watch them all the time, religiously.

So that’s what made us think, well let’s try it, maybe they’ll pick us.

And the fact that they did — we still can’t believe it.

They also are really happy with the benefits of appearing on the show:

It was totally worth it after that. Like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was easy, can we do it again?…

Even to this day. Sunday I was up here, and people were like…

“Oh, I just came in here because I saw you on the show.

Oh, my gosh, we have to get our picture.”

Jon Taffer Revisited Chilleen’s On 17 in Season 4

Jon Taffer also revisited the bar as part of a Season 4 Back to the Bar episode.

I can’t find the full episode online, but you can see a clip of the re-visit in the YouTube video below.

In the video, Jon Taffer has the recon couple try to get Donna to take a shot with them, but Donna refuses (good for her!).

Donna also says that she hasn’t drank in the bar in over 2.5 years, which is great to hear.

Beyond the shot test, there’s also a short interview with Aleah, who talks about running at the bar.

Aleah also reveals her child.

At the end, Jon Taffer calls Chilleen’s On 17 a “complete success”.

Chilleen’s On 17 reviews after Bar Rescue

Reviews for the bar are generally good and customers seem happy, though there are good and bad.

Chilleen’s On 17 has just a 3.5 star rating on its Yelp page on over 350 reviews, but reviews on other platforms are better.

It has a 4.5 star rating on both Google Reviews and Facebook and a 4 star rating on TripAdvisor.

Here’s a sampling of Chilleen’s On 17 Black Canyon reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…

5 star review from December 2015:

The blackened chicken is consistently good here, the fish fry on Friday is also good.

The place definitely improved after bar rescue.

4 star review from November 2020:

Saw this place on Bar Rescue and finally made the trip out.

We had the fried pickles and potato skins for appetizers and they both were delicious!

The homemade ranch was so good to dip the pickles in.

I had the Veggie Burger and it was good, fresh lettuce tomato and red onion with a grilled bun.

Ordered the potato salad as my side and it was some of the best potato salad I have ever had.

My husband had the brisket sandwich and he wasn’t super impressed.

I didn’t get a picture but it wasn’t the normal slab type pieces of brisket looked more like pulled pork.

Had the Sweet tea which was good and super sweet.

BBQ sauce for me was as sweet as the tea which isn’t my favorite I prefer more spice and vinegar but my daughter liked it.

Service was fantastic.

2 star review from April 2022:

I stopped here on our way to Phoenix with my kids.

I saw the restaurant on Bar Rescue and wanted to check it out.

Looked like some locals there but the rest of the place was empty.

I wanted the pork chops from the menu but I was told the menu was old and they didn’t have it anymore.

So I ordered the Ribeye steak and it was okay.

My kids ordered a Caesar salad and ground sirloin steak.

The food tasted like cafeteria food and nothing special.

I had the Bar Rescue Fire Water Punch which was okay.

Overall the food was Ehh and nothing great.

I think I was expecting more but was let down.

What happened to Scott Chilleen after Bar Rescue?

Some people are wondering why Scott Chilleen doesn’t seem to be a big part of the bar.

Unfortunately, the reason behind it is pretty sad.

First off, it seems like Scott and Donna Chilleen divorced shortly after the episode.

Around this time in 2016, Aleah also bought Scott out of the bar completely.

So he was already no longer part of the bar only a few years after the Bar Rescue episode aired.

In 2021, Scott was driving his new girlfriend (Mary) and a co-worker while allegedly drunk.

Scott crashed his truck, which resulted in the death of his girlfriend and severe injuries to his co-worker.

As a result, Scott was charged with multiple felonies.

The trial seems to have taken a good amount of time.

However, in January 2024, Scott was convicted of vehicular homicide.

In total, he was found guilty of eight different counts, including the following:

vehicular homicide under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury, vehicular assault under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence for subsequent offense, and two counts requiring seat belt use for the driver and front-seat passenger.

According to forensic estimates, the truck was going 81 MPH in a 65 MPH zone.

The defense claimed that Scott wasn’t driving the vehicle and that the actual driver could’ve been thrown into the backseat by the crash.

The jury seemed to not buy that defense, as they returned the guilty charge after around three hours of deliberation.

According to a commenter below, Scott was sentenced to 4-12 years.

However, the only articles that I found don’t mention anything about the length of sentencing, so I’m not 100% sure whether that’s correct or not.

Overall, it’s just very sad and I feel horrible about what happened to his girlfriend and co-worker.

Here’s an article from a local news publication about what happened.

Again, Scott had not been involved with the bar for years already when this happened.

As a result of the crash, Aleah shared the following statement.

Dear Customers, Friends and Patrons:

It is with broken hearts that we are having to write this.

Chilleens on 17 and the entire Chilleen family emphatically denounces all actions taken by our father, Scott Chilleen, involving the accident on November 17th, which resulted in the tragic death of Mary [name redacted].

We are distraught and heartbroken by Mary’s death.

We wish to clarify Scott Chilleen has no affiliation whatsoever with the restaurant.

He has not had ownership or stake since 2016 when Aleah Chilleen purchased the restaurant.

Again, just a very, very sad situation.

RIP, Mary.

Final thoughts on Chilleen’s On 17

Overall, Chilleen’s On 17 seems like a definite Bar Rescue success story and it’s impressive that the bar is still open almost a decade after the Chilleen’s On 17 Bar Rescue episode aired on TV.

The Chilleens have also kept most of Taffer’s changes and menu items – you can even still get the Bar Rescue drinks almost ten years later.

This is a great example of what Bar Rescue is all about – congrats to everyone involved!

However, Scott is no longer part of the bar and his story has a very sad end for those involved.

If you want to see some other nearby Arizona Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for Brenda’s Inferno / Armadillo Grill in Phoenix and Havana Cabana / Rocky Point Cantina in Tempe.

Or, you can check out my full list of all the Arizona Bar Rescue episodes as of 2024.

And if you want to share your thoughts on the Kid Chilleen’s episode, you can do so using the comments section below.

Thanks for reading!


More Information

https://www.yelp.com/biz/chilleens-on-17-black-canyon-city-2
https://www.facebook.com/chilleenson17/


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Last updated: 2024-03-03 08:23

18 thoughts on “Chilleen’s on 17 Bar Rescue Update (Kid Chilleen’s BBQ) – Still Open in 2024?”

All comments are the sole opinion of the commenter and are not endorsed by RealityTVUpdates.

  1. Glad to see they made the most of the opportunity the show offered to save their business!

    I’m new to Bar Rescue, started watching episodes after seeing YouTube clips of it recently, so its good to see decent people being on their feet still a decade after the show originally aired.

    Its a really great thing this show does for people and the businesses they’re a part of, as well as being an entertaining journey.

    Its one of those rare shows where everyone wins; the bar owners, employees, tv network and its show hosts and own employees, local and national economy, viewers…keep up the good work!

    Reply
    • I totally agree. I only wish I could find the Bourbon recipes they used for the 2 new drinks. One was the Rack Reserve. Do you know how I can obtain these recipes.

      Reply
  2. Today while channel surfing, I came across Bar Rescue and was reminded that was the show we heard about during our visit to Chilleen’s back in May. My wife and I live in Portland, OR, and we stopped at Chilleen’s on our way to a vacation in Sedona. We chose Chilleen’s based on the freeway sign we saw ahead of the exit. It was around 2:00 p.m.; I was hungry, my wife not so much. At that time, we had never heard of the Bar Rescue show nor the restaurant when we entered it. However, our server brought up the show during a short and friendly conversation we had while giving her our order.

    As for the food, I ordered the ribs, which came with beans and coleslaw. My wife ordered a small salad. Unfortunately, the ribs were a little too dry, the coleslaw tasteless, but the beans were ok. My wife, who used to work in the restaurant business, let our server know, in a friendly way, what we thought when our server stopped by to ask how the food was. My wife always says it’s good to give restaurants feedback on the experience if it’s exceptionally good and, in those rare cases, when it’s not. We emphasized that our server’s service was great, and even though she apologized and offered to make amends, we told her it wasn’t her fault, and not to go to the trouble to reorder the dish. Of course, we gave her a nice tip, which is always a separate issue from the food quality.

    The Bar Rescue of Chilleen’s was entertaining, and glad to see it’s still in business.

    Reply
  3. I’m a huge fan of bar rescue and I’m currently binging the whole series. This is my favorite episode. It really amazed me that John took the time and resources to get the owners professional help for their issues with alcoholism. I don’t think the bar would have succeeded without that support. It seems like they have been successful with the help they received and I hope they continue to be

    Reply
  4. Being still open totally means they are dedicated to make it work and they want to make it happen.

    So many bars simply sell their bar after the makeover so they can get a much higher price, loaded with brand new equipment.

    Reply
  5. Very proud of the owners of this bar for the determination to keep the bar on a solid path! I look forward to visiting this bar in the near future. Best of luck! Congratulations!

    Reply
  6. I said in a previous show’s comments that you can usually tell who will fail and who will succeed. This was first show where I was totally unsure. Having dealt with an alcoholic in my own family, I know how easy it is for them to fall off the wagon. Making it even harder, they work in the bar business. So it’s absolutely awesome to hear they’ve managed to be successful after Taffer’s intervention, and more importantly, that they seem to have fixed their relationship with their daughter.

    Reply
    • Do you have an article that talks about the sentencing? All I can find is a January 2024 news article saying that he was convicted. Thanks!

      Reply

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