Reality TV sometimes captures real-life drama, but other times it creates its own. At least Burbank bar owner Joe Handy said his real drama began when the cameras stopped rolling.

Spike TV reality-makeover program “Bar Rescue” and its host, restaurant consultant Jon Taffer, took over Handy’s Champs Sports Pub for two days last month to help turn around the struggling establishment.

However, the facelift wasn’t what Handy expected.

“It didn’t turn out real well,” said Handy, who founded the bar with his wife Helen in 1983. “It’s so bad, I contacted an attorney and I’m trying to recover our losses.” Handy wouldn’t elaborate on what he specifically disliked.

“Bar Rescue” – produced by Redondo Beach’s 3 Ball Productions, one of the producers of the “Biggest Loser” – features Taffer and a team of hospitality experts who take over bars on the brink and try to improve their business.

At Champs, Taffer and his team streamlined the bar’s back-of-the-house operations, added a convection oven to the kitchen, revamped its menu and upgraded and repositioned the televisions to encourage customers to interact with each other. The aging bar also got a good cleaning and fresh coat of paint.

Todd Nelson, co-chief executive at 3 Ball, said Handy seemed pleased with the refreshed Champs when it was unveiled during filming. But he said buyer’s remorse may have set in after the camera crews left.

“When the cameras go away, it’s like ‘Uh, what just happened?’” Nelson said. “I think they were thinking, ‘They are going to come in, and we are going to get a brand new bar.’”

Nelson said “Bar Rescue” does light remodels, not like “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

“It’s creating that foundation that they can build upon,” he said.