Lucky guest choreographs Strip casino’s world-famous fountain show

For the first time in its 25-year history on the Las Vegas Strip, the world-famous fountain show at the Bellagio casino-hotel was choreographed by a guest.

A 54-year-old accountant from Georgia, to be exact.

Scott Krupa redeemed millions of Marriott Bonvoy rewards points to bid on, and win, the once-in-a-lifetime experience at the MGM Resorts International casino. A neighborhood showman who times his Christmas lights to music during the holidays, Krupa and his fiancee, Michelle, watched his creation came to life Monday morning on the biggest stage in Las Vegas.

“The fountains (at Bellagio) have always been a big part of our travels,” he said of their annual trip to the desert. “It’s always something that we come to see on purpose, not just walking by. We come and we will sit here for an hour and watch the show …This, to me, was just an extension of that passion.”

Krupa’s show — the 40th at the Fountains of Bellagio — was set to U2’s “Beautiful Day.”

Marriot International and MGM Resorts announced the launch of the MGM Collection with Marriot Bonvoy last summer. The long-term licensing agreement extends select member benefits between the two hospitality brands, such as the first-ever guest choreography of the Fountains of Bellagio show.

Amanda Voss, vice president of sales at Bellagio, said “this was just the beginning,” of the unique partnership behind Marriott Bonvoy Moments inspired by MGM Collection.

“All of our resorts have these kinds of experiences,” Voss said Monday. “We just needed a platform in order to show them to the world. And I’m really excited that these members get to experience them because they’re truly exceptional.”

Preparation for Monday’s live show began in May, when Krupa flew to WET Design studios in Los Angeles to select the music and learn the capabilities of the fountain’s technology. After weeks of planning, the final version was approved in late-July.

Krupa has been patiently waiting for his moment ever since.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” he said. “From day one of learning that I won the opportunity to today has been just absolutely amazing. It’s been very exciting.”

Over the course of several months, Krupa said he became aware of the fact that millions of people would eventually see his work. After watching the show Monday morning, Krupa’s thoughts turned to how others might interpret his work.

“My big hope after doing all this is that people enjoy watching this show as much as I enjoy creating this show,” he said. “The most important thing for me is people being happy with what I’ve done and it bringing them some joy, bringing them a great memory to take home.”

David Danzis can be contacted at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AC_Danzis on X.