The Chaser is back at it again, and their latest target is Sydney’s The Star casino in a video that takes the piss out of The Star’s handling of COVID safety.
Starring newcomers Aleksa Vulovic and Alex Apollonov, the stunt shows The Chaser comedians repeatedly attempting to enter The Star, while pretending to have COVID.
From dressing in hospital gown a to giving themselves 48 degree fever using a concealed heat-pack, the pair found that the majority of the time, they were still allowed entry into the casino.
“My head was still really hot after I got inside,” says Alex. “I must have drunk 3 or 4 of their complimentary water bottles. They’re obviously very used to catering for sick customers.”
Aleksa added that The Star staff seemed more interested in his wallet than his health, saying: “When I rocked up with my hospital gown and drip, the first thing they asked me was whether I had a Star Casino gold membership card.”
“I didn’t like getting harassed by casino security while we were filming, but I did like the introductory $10 credit they offered on my bronze membership card, so I’d definitely come back again.” he added. “While running from security guards we hid our drip in the park. Right behind the bin next to the tall tree, in case anyone wants it.”
However, the entire shoot didn’t quite go according to plan.
“The cops arrived as we were preparing ourselves in the park, saying numerous bystanders had reported an escaped hospital patient,” said Aleksa, with The Chaser’s Managing Editor Charles Firth adding: “The Star Casino doesn’t care about the well-being of its patrons under COVID. So it’s exactly the same as before COVID.”
The Chaser say they are not worried about retaliation from The Star, with Aleksa joking: “There’s no point suing us, we already lost all our savings on big wheel during our filming breaks.”
Aleksa and Alex started their career making video stunts on YouTube – most notably by going to North Korea for a hair cut, and were snapped up by The Chaser to make videos content – though they say making videos in North Korea was easier than at the Star.
“There were guards and cameras everywhere, we had a much easier time filming in North Korea.”
