(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 3 | View All Season 3 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: March 23, 2014
The Bar's Original Name Was: O Face Bar
O Face Bar Address: 2400 9th Ave Council Bluffs, IA 51501
Episode Recap
O’Face Bar is a Council Bluffs, Iowa bar featured on Season 3 of Bar Rescue.
Though the O Face Bar Rescue episode aired in March 2014, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.
It was Season 3 Episode 33 and the episode name was “Punch-Drunk & Trailer-Trashed” .
Located in Council Bluff’s, Iowa, O’Face Bar is owned by Karen Overmyer and Matthew Overmyer, a husband and wife duo.
In 2011 they cashed in their retirement funds to fulfill their dream of owning a bar.
O’Face Bar was successful at first, but they have started to decline due to poor management.
Now they are over $250,000.00 in debt and definitely need a helping hand from Jon Taffer and the Bar Rescue team.
To help, Jon brings in Russel Davis, a mixologist.
The two joke about how O’Face means orgasm face.
The exterior is hideous, and Jon says it might be the ugliest bar he has ever seen.
Two locals help Jon and go undercover to recon the bar.
They order two beers and two orgasm shots.
What a weird name, right?
When the recon team drinks the shots, they notice that the shots taste premade.
The restaurant uses washed plastic containers for shots which is unsafe.
The bartender Dave, is serving the flaming drinks wrong, which is dangerous.
The owner and their friends always get free drinks.
A customer is seen making their drink at one point because there is no one behind the bar.
Bartenders Cerissa and Amanda get into a physical altercation.
Jon and Russel break up the fight.
Amanda is rude to Jon, and he gets fed up.
Jon gives Matt an ultimatum, Amanda goes, and he will stay to assist them.
Matt wants her to go, but Karen wants to provide her with one more chance, so they fire Cerissa instead.
Jon is mad the next day when he returns to the bar and sees Amanda.
Jon wants Matt to admit that the bar’s failings are Karen’s fault as he is seen appeasing his wife.
Amanda is fired, and Jon brings back Cerissa and has the owners apologize for unfairly firing her.
Russel is at the bar watching the bartenders make drinks and evaluating them, but he has to keep dumping the poorly made drinks down the drain.
The stress test begins, and Matt starts cooking the pizzas.
The pizzas taste awful, and the drinks can’t be made properly. Jon shuts down the stress test.
The next day at training, the bartenders are not taking the bar rescue seriously.
Jon hates the name of the bar and wants it to be changed.
The owners are found gossiping the back by a security guard, Syck.
Another argument ensues. Jon is fed up and does a business background check.
Russel trains the bartenders, but they can’t keep up. Russel doesn’t think that they will be able to handle a full bar.
As Jon looks at the background checks, he notices many criminal offenses have occurred on the bar premises.
There is even a video of Matt assaulting an employee.
Jon questions why he is there and leaves the bar. He does not rescue it.
It was the first time that Jon Taffer ever left a bar without rescuing it.
So would O Face be successful even without Jon Taffer’s help? Let’s find out!
O Face Bar Update - What Happened Next?
Because the O Face Bar Rescue episode ended with Jon leaving, you might expect that things were a little chaotic after the episode.
Syck, the security guard, is fired for supporting Jon.
All of the staff still drinks at the bar.
O Face bar loses its liquor license in 2014 (temporarily)
Due to the show, the bar lost its liquor license in 2014 after the Council Bluffs City Council voted to reject its renewal in a 3-2 vote.
The three city council members who voted against the bar cited its Bar Rescue appearance as a reason for the rejection.
The mayor also said that he’s received emails from around the country calling O Face bar an embarrassment to Council Bluffs.
Here’s a quote from the mayor:
I understand this is a reality show, but the depiction of this inaccuracy has caused irreparable harm to the city
And here’s a quote from a city council member:
I had concerns from what I witnessed.
It showed the public put at risk.
I have to err on the side of public safety.
Matthew Overmyer, the O Face bar owner, responded that he hadn’t had any public safety issues at that time.
You can learn more about the rejection in this local news article (12ft ladder can help you bypass the paywall).
Eventually, though, Matthew was able to get the liquor license reinstated after an appeal.
You can see the full appeal document here, but he makes a bunch of different points.
O Face Bar Rescue Back to the Bar in Season 4
Even though Jon Taffer opted not to rescue O Face bar in the original Season 3 episode, he did do a Back to the Back episode in Season 4 that included O Face bar.
He sends in a recon team again to see how things are doing.
Jon says that things are better than they were on the show (not a huge accomplishment), but he will never return.
You can see the Back to the Bar recon in this YouTube – it also includes the part where Matthew says he fired Syck:
Is O Face bar still open?
As of 2023, O Face bar is still open and serving customers in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
However, the bar doesn’t really have an online presence.
The closest thing to social media that I can find is the O Face Bar Instagram page, which hasn’t been updated in years.
There’s also an O Face Bar website that also hasn’t been updates since 2019, as well as a private Team Oface Facebook group.
Interestingly, the website says that O Face bar is “ran solely by Karen Overmyer”, so I guess Matt is no longer a part of the bar.
More on why that might be a little later in this post – spoiler alert!
If you’re wondering what the O Face Bar Council Bluffs Iowa location looks like now, here’s what it looks like in the most recent Google Maps street view picture.
This picture was taken in November 2022…
At times, the bar has been marked as closed on Yelp.
However, this is basically just digital “vandalism” from Bar Rescue fans who mark the bar as closed even though it’s still open.
Because the bar is so controversial, it’s hard to find any legitimate reviews about the bar.
As you’d expect, the reviews that exist are pretty bleak, though many of the people leaving the reviews haven’t actually visited the bar.
For example, consider this review from a person who admits they haven’t been there:
Other issues for O Face bar and owner
Beyond the bar’s situation, Matthew Overmyer had some legal issues after the show, with an arrest for some pretty serious charges.
And by serious…I mean serious.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in jail for each charge.
You can read about the charges in this article.
Beyond Matthew’s issues with the law, there have also been some general problems at the O Face Bar Council Bluffs location.
More specifically, there was also a shooting at O’Face Bar in February 2021.
The police responded to the bar around 1 am and found a wounded victim.
Allegedly, someone walked into the bar and shot the victim before fleeing.
From the news article that I read, it seemed like a targeted attack.
You can learn more in this news article.
Here’s a video of the O Face Bar shooting aftermath, where you can see the police on scene at the bar:
Despite these many issues, O’Face Bar is still open as of early 2023.
Honestly, I have no idea how the bar is still open…but it is.
Interestingly, O Face bar is not the only bar that Jon Taffer walked out on (though he’s threatened to do it many times).
If you want to see another example of Jon Taffer ditching the rescue, you can check out my update for Black Light District in Long Beach, CA.
In terms of nearby bars from the show, it’s a bit slim pickings.
As far as I’m aware, O Face bar was the only Iowa Bar Rescue episode.
However, Jon Taffer also rescued two Nebraska bars that were just across the river from O Face.
If you want to see those updates, check out my updates for Sorties tavern / O’Banion’s bar in Bellevue NE and Oasis Hookah Bar / Taza Nightclub in Omaha NE.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/o-face-bar-council-bluffsWhat did you think about the episode? I'd love it if you shared your thoughts on the episode in the comments below!
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And don't forget to check out all of the other Bar Rescue updates.
Last updated: 2023-02-03 05:47
The bar is actually labeled as permanently closed.
I know it says that on Yelp but it appears to actually still be open as far as my research can tell. I think a lot of people just marked it as closed because they don’t like the owner.
I will update this if I can find an actual source showing the closure. E.g. here’s an article from 2021 showing that it’s still open (because there was a shooting outside the bar) even though it’s been marked as closed:
https://metronewsnow.com/news/crime/council-bluffs-police-respond-to-shooting-at-oface-bar-at-24th-and-9th-avenue-r725/
It is OPEN! I called. 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮
The owners of this bar were drunk, nasty pigs who were only interested in themselves. Sad looking old fat dyed blonde thought she ruled the roost in her dirty Bar nyard‼️Dorthy SF,CA
Buah ha ha! Brutal but correct on every statement. And her name is KAREN LOL
That place looks like a garbage can. And I do garbage and I don’t do trash.
It’s disgusting. The owners will never last while he’s in jail. He’s the only one that’d put up with her unless u find another blind drunk.
This episode was so indicative of poor white trash!!
Im surprised you have anyone that will work for you. Jon was there to help you. Hopefully people see this and don’t go there. Your a disgrace to all bar owners. Jon did the right thing. Can’t help someone that doesn’t want the help. The employees that were hit should sue, I would have because all they did was fire the good employees. If I get any retaliation on my email from voicing my opinion, my lawyer will get in touch. Asking for email is just asking for trouble.
I don’t own the bar or have any connection to the bars that I write about 😉 I just post content about the Bar Rescue TV show.
I seen some episodes of Bar Rescue, but the O’Face episode was the worst i have ever seen. The people were pathetic. I’m glad Jon walked out.
AGREED. The owners were absolutely careless and totally disrespectful. I have much respect for JON TAFFER and his EXPERTS. I watch DAILY. I record every show.I came to see that this HORRIBLE BUISNESS WAS CLOSED.I HOPE SYCK IS DOING BETTER..HE WAS A ASSETS TO THAT BUISNESS. THE WIFE, WAS A CLOWN. THE HUSBAND WAS WHIPPED. HE DID WHAT SHE SAID. ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS BEHAVIOR AND I HOPE IT REMAINS CLOSED.I ADMIRE YOU JON TAFFER.
It’s not closed very surprising to me but it is open. Out of the many bars that have closed I really thought this one would have failed too. Must not be much going on it that neighborhood that people still have to go there. I’m just glad Jon didn’t help them they didn’t deserve it at all.
thank you cheriesse hall for closing o’face bar and thank you for doing a backcheck
Thanks for doing these updates…
Um, I think Debbie was referring to the owners, the Overmeyers (Matt & Karen), not you.
I know 😉 But she left the comment on my site as if I were the owners (hence the part about getting retaliation on her email). She seems to have thought that the Overmyers were in control of this page.
I 💯🎯 agree. I just watched this episode for the first time. And I am in shock. How these people maintain a liquor license, blows my mind. They don’t deserve one. I have worked the service, bar industry for more than 26 years. This establishment is a joke. The owners are a joke. I’m shocked they still have that place. Tells me they have a mommy or daddy paying for it all. I’ve never been more annoyed, by any episode, than this. Mind blown. Smh they don’t deserve the blessing they have or could have had. I’m glad he walked away and didn’t waste 100,000 plus on that shit hole. And I refuse to say what I really think about the wife and “manager” who is allowed to beat up fellow employees.
To bad the husband doesn’t see through it.
Almost feel sorry for him. But he has eyes. And I know he watched the episode. So therfore I can’t.
you do know that the husband is a sex offender who commited sexual assault? plus he has no self control and apparently needs anger managment training. and perhaps should be locked up. if anything, he is the last person who anyone should feel sorry for.
Almost is the correct term. But he is just as disgusting as the wife and Amanda. He has a sexual assault history. Was sentenced to two years of jail time for other charges. He attacks employees also. They are bottom line trash.
He followed allegedly followed a female employee home, strangled her and sexually assaulted her. I hope his conviction didn’t run concurrent (2+2 years for 2 separate charges, and only has to do 2 years). You’d be surprised, our justice system is a joke. Even 4 years is a joke
Writing on message boards without a clue who you’re talking to is asking for ridicule.
Piss off, Dave
Oh Debbie… Debbie Debbie Debbie…
Debbie, Can I have your email so I can ask you out on a date? You sound like the feisty-type that I usually date. Whaddaya say?
Sounds like you’re asking for a lawsuit. Be careful haha.
People wonder where all these jacked-up people come from. There’s your answer. “Can I have your email”? Jacked people looking for other jacked people. Then they make jacked-up kids.
Oh, George, so serious…I’m just a salty lesbian lookin’ to bump beer steins and clams with likeminded and “jacked-up” dames, so you have nothing to worry about concerning me pushing out any unruly tykes. However, if you share your email, that could change for the both of us, yah big lug!
LOL 😂
Well said, certainly not professionals were at this bar. Just awful people, enjoy jail!!
Debbie oh Debbie
crankydebbie@aol.com
I think you’re a bit nuts if you use a email that is not for Junk for something like this! I also think that the statute of limitations has likely run out on any person suing based on wrongful termination or assault even with video evidence!
Still open darn near a decade later….
Thanks for the info.
The owner’s wife, Karen, sure fits the stereotype associated with the name.
Those people who were hit should have pressed criminal charges as well, especially the lady who fell or was pushed down.
Those owners were a couple of bullies that looked like they just wanted to recreate high school drinking parties replacing the local teen hangouts with their bar. I don’t know how they pay their bills.
Who the hell are you talking to?
David peters, thats my grandfather🤦♀️
So sad that the liquor licensing board let them get their license back. I wouldn’t be seen parking there much less going inside. Very sad when owners can’t see what they are doing wrong and strive to do better. Letting the spoiled, entitled brat back in to abuse the help was more than I could take. If I was an employee, I’d be serving them with papers and own the bar!!!!
I miss BAR RESCUE!!! 😔😔😔
It’s back, baby! Sunday nights on Paramount. Get after it!
I didn’t feel sorry for him at all and now he’s in jail for sexual assault.
I went into that bar shortly after Jon had been there and left…it was the nastiest and worst bar I had ever been in..just totally gross
That doesn’t surprise me haha.
I cant believe that podunk State let them have their liquor license back. How can the State support that? You’re supposed to be responsible when you have one of those licenses. Nothing about those owners was responsible. The husband has criminal charges against him. That license needs to be yanked for good.
I totally agreed that O Face is/was a extremely poor bar….
My question is – Why did Jon not look up the background of the bar, etc. and not go there to begin with? It was a waste of time and money to go there and there are definitely other bars that can use his time.
So yes, 👎bad bar, but also 👎bad Jon
I think they just went there for the drama because the Bar Rescue producers knew that there would be fireworks if you put Jon Taffer in the same room with the O Face bar owner.
Y’all (every comment section on every episode) need to remember this is a reality show. I’m sure the bar was bad but of course, the producers (including Jon Taffer) are going to pick and choose bars they know they can make a good show out of.
Something to keep in mind as you watch reality shows is all the “movie magic” that happens in editing. You can turn any situation into a completely different narrative by mashing clips together.
They choose whether they want to portray these bars in good or bad lights and exactly when they want to change that portrayal. The order they show us clips are not always in the order they were filmed.
You can tell by outfits sometimes or by paying attention to the interviews and listening carefully for the past tense vs present, etc. Although movie magic is typically pretty good at keeping this in mind during editing as well, they slip up here and there.
If we got to see all the applicants who ask for help and compared them to the ones they pick I’m sure we’d notice a pattern. I mean they’re not going to rescue a bar they know can’t be rescued.
They already do the building plans and etc well before filming. I mean think about it you need permits and market research which both take time to complete.
It’s almost humorous watching these shows knowing that filming had to ask Jon and this expert to stand there and act as though they’re building the plans right there lol.
In this episode in particular I found it funny when the expert tried to explain the term “O-Face” obviously keeping in mind this was for television and making it a more dictionary response. Then Taffer turns around and says “orgasm” and the expert chuckles realizing he didn’t have to make it sound so PG-13. It’s reality TV Periodt.
I agree, I watch to see the extreme tics and over-acting by Jon, I believe someone did a study, there is like a 68 percent fail rate on these “rescued” bars, I’m sure the show would have you believe that’s the fault of the owners, but most people aren’t that gullible
How could you show this abortion of a bar in a good way? Shitty bar = good tv.
I’m a Truck Driver and I try to go to as many Bar Rescues as I can. I’m not a dumb ass and I know how TV works but, you need to remember the camera doesn’t LIE! O’FACE is 1 of 2 bars I didn’t even want to visit especially after the shooting INSIDE the bar! Plus as a JACK DANIELS drinker I’ve been known to over drink in the 35+years of driving and I would not trust the employees to get me to a cab back to the Truck Stop! And what really gets me is the city let’s these LOSERS stay in business!!! Guess their waiting for someone to die then the politicians MIGHT close it but I doubt it if they haven’t by now! To the bars I have visited and the employees who helped me get to my home THANK YOU see you next time thru!!!
That’s all bull. Everyone knows what’s going on, just not when do human behavior takes over. The mess and filth is real, bugs real, there isn’t a lot that’s fake! Yes stress test people are leaned against, always say awful, spit out food .. that’s tv! But these bars get publicity, $100,000 + remodel, training, more publicity ect.. All free, if anything look at how many times bar rescue been scammed,! I’ve worked on sets, paid and volunteer , and it’s real except the tv drama, but it’s FREE! Look at these loosers who actually benefited from just the publicity,!! Karen knew it would close.. but even negative publicity saved them, they put money into bar, there was an outside influence, and look! Even with the legal issy, including a male sex offender convicted! They still open because bar rescue,! Do homework, read, really think! Bar rescue has 100% success rate by what promises, leave better than when came! Publicity before, during, after, and months later again! Free remodel, free training.. we work hard on these shows, owners lie, have legal issues, licencing issues, issues with landlord.. owners do just to sell, landlords often put limits in remodeling because plans to sell, owners or employ also have killed or drugs, gambling… If anything I always said, Jon or producers should verify, get in writing, reimbursed if fraud!!
perhaps true.. tho he did expose them for what they are. now the world can see their extreme failures.
My question is how has this man not been punished by the military in anyway? Having a man serving active duty with sexual assault charges and the slue of other charges he’s had. I know he wasn’t in uniform or anything but there has ro be some repercussions from the military end.
No doubt the USAF gave him a dishonorable discharge (retired AF paralegal here). He is a disgrace to the uniform. There is a word we call chicks like his wife: dependapotomous.
Bad bar, bad decision, good tv. That’s why.
The bar owners are pathetic, trashy people. Along with that skanky, foul, loud- mouthed ‘manager’ of theirs. If she laid a hand on Me, I would’ve had their bar and then Burn it to the ground. They have No clue on How to treat Cerrissa and Syck decently-their two Good employees. I hope Cerrissa quit and told these Losers to ‘shove it’. I hope Syck did the same. These two bar guzzlers, er, owners are repulsively rotten people. An old whore and a loud mouthed, vicious basta*d should get this bar closed. Now he is in jail on charges of sexual assault?! Is This true?! These two are human stains. I feel sorry for their daughter.
Syck was fired by those shitty owners. l hope he got a better job, he definitely deserves it. Best employee there.
What Jon should have done is after he left give Cerrissa a good lawyer.
well said. i couldnt have said it better myself. and yeah the daughter must feel worse then the bar looks
man Lady, did you tell it like nobody’s business? I agree with everything you said and more. That truck driver Amanda damn I bet she could beat a lot of guys up, and yo, Amanda just so ya know that is not a good or feminine thing to do. You made every bad choice possible, then you had the gall to look Jon in the face when you bulldozed your way back. Then the black-eyed white bleached hair slutty outfit has the nerve to say Cerrisa deserved it. I did not believe people like this existed. Sadly they do. Council Bluffs you need to raze that trash dumpster before the whole town is ruined. tlo
Wondering what self respecting man would do a girl with a DIRTY hat? Only those who don’t care about STDs.
Oface needs to be closed. I hope Amanda met her match and got her ass whipped. Cerrine and Syck should have sued them.
o face bar really so needs to be shut down and bulldozed by the city council of C.B. and, I can’t believe. Especially in a covid pandemic for the past 2 years, this bar still isn’t shuttered ever since the bar rescue Episode aird a couple years ago in 2014. I’m glad Jon walked out on this one. And you though the piratez tavern recuse episode was worse. Thank God that they closed their orginal location in MD back in 2015, and moved down to Florida under a new name bar refuge. ( a pun on the show)
I feel like o’ face bar really should have Been in a redneck state, Alabama right next to Florida where bar refuge is. my recommendation: Just stay away from that dumpster fire called o face. There are OTHER Bars in council bluffs that are way better than this redneck trailer trash dump you call a bar. 😡 and I’m very glad that (Matthew) the owner of the bar, is now in jail for 25 years for sexual assault. Serves him right.
Of all the bars on this show that I wanted to fail, this is the one I prayed for their downfall. Yet, like cockroaches, they are still here against all odds. Millions of people have seen you for who you really are, and you should be incredibly ashamed. A pitiful excuse of human existence.
I watched the bar rescue and Jon did the right thing walking out on that bar (if that’s what you want to call it). Talk about some trashy owners!! They don’t deserve to be owners of anything! The city should just tear down that crappy building, I don’t even think those crappy owners could get a good in fact food.
How could Matt be so enamoured of that lady?
If you like seeing Jon go ballistic, other good ones are Headhunters and Cashmere and Black Light District.
Here are the links to those other updates:
-Headhunters – https://realitytvupdates.com/bar-rescue/headhunters-metal-and-lace/
-Cashmere – https://realitytvupdates.com/bar-rescue/cashmere-dual-ultra-nightclub/
-Black Light District – https://realitytvupdates.com/bar-rescue/black-light-district/
Because that fat ass bleach blond pig is good at something they couldn’t show on screen.
I just watched the episode and made me upset. The owners are extremely rude, disrespectful and unprofessional and don’t get me started with the “manager” speechless, hate to say it but she’s so cheap and low class and should be ashamed of herself. The owner probably thinks she’s still in high school where mean girls gather around to make faces, unbelievable. The owners deserve to be out of their business for good.
Since this one still is open it must be considered a Taffer Success Story.
Mr. Taffer is like Chuck Norris: All his stories are success stories.
Also, the bar has kept Council Bluffs in the news. Way to go OFace! Clever name, too.
Council Bluffs has been slipping in the rankings in recent years and isn’t what it used to be, so a dive like this will certainly keep the city’s name at the top of any Google search.
I can’t imagine poking that fat platinum twat – uggghhhh!!!
To Hugh Jorgan:
You said it so much more succinctly than I.
Side note: What young woman would ever wear a baseball cap with “Dirty” printed on it? Might as well have it say “trashy slut”.
Interesting quote from the mayor….. inaccurate depiction “ ….. there you go another politician telling us we didn’t see what we saw. So the manager didn’t attack the employee in the parking lot and we didn’t see a video of the owner punching one of his employees……wow
I agree with Jon Taffer! God help the town or area where these people open another oface bar/dump. They cant handle the one they have. I’ll venture to bet sales r nowhere near “up”! REALLY. The report matthew gave on sales r up r surely lies since all they did was lie. They wanted a new bar so they could sit on their asses more comfortably! Watch that make-up karen. We can see thru it too 😣
Honestly after I watched this episode I don’t get how in the hell this place is still open especially with all the debt
My boyfriend lives in Iowa so he and his friends thought it be fun to check it out. When you scare off a bunch of big guys in their late 20’s you’ve got a major problem.
What scared them off? Always interested in firsthand experiences!
Disgusting pit run by filthy white trash that should have been culled from the herd a long time ago.
Nasty pigs. I can’t believe this place hasn’t been leveled yet.
How Matt could love this Rubenesque bleach blond bulldog faced bitch totally escapes me. She must have talents the show didn’t mention, OFace talents, if you know what I mean.
LMAO
That bell, I would have shoved it up her back side! And the so called manager, all because the poor lass was asked a question off a customer about what was in the ‘shots’ – it was probably spilt drinks all tipped in to make money! Bah, so glad Jon didn’t help, cause they would never have changed their ways!
Typical trailer trash, especially that fat nasty pig Amanda. Someone needs to kick her pathetic trashy ass. Why anyone would want to spend any time or money in this place is beyond me.
This Bar Rescue episode gives us “Poor White Trash” across the country a bad name. This town is probably allowing this bar to stay open to justify funding the police department.
i think that o’face bar was abusive to is own employees they all should be fired and closed that they did criminal cases against them that michael is a career sex offender and got arrested for he had done and stolen money to his own workers that had gotten paid and i want to thank jon taffer for shutting down o’face bar it is in my heart
o’face you were to smart your own bar is still closed and all that evidence is against you and that people lie Michael you pleaded guilty on your own bar and it will not never ever happen Amanda you got ass whipped and you are allowed to work no more bars in council Bluffs
humans are just crazy. chop his shlong off! love all the USA COMMENTS!!