Bridgerton fans have slated the organisers of a disastrous regal ball in the US after paying up to $1,000 for the ‘scam’ event.
Fans were told they would be stepping ‘into the enchanting world of the Regency-era’, with all the ‘sophistication, grace, and historical charm’ of a typical 19th century night of luxury.
There were promises of a lavish dinner, orchestra music, ballroom dancing, professional photos and a valet. But when attendees arrived they were greeted by tacky decorations, supposedly raw food and a pole-dancing stripper.
Guests were left stunned by what the saw, having shelled out up to $1,000 on the event, hosted at the Harmonie Club in Detroit, and hundreds more on ball gowns, flights, hotels and Airbnbs.
The ball was such a failure that it is now being compared to the notorious Willy Wonka festival in Glasgow, with fans of the Netflix drama, including one of the show’s stars, in uproar about the so called ‘scam’.
Tickets for the ball cost a minimum of $150 but some fans spent up to $1,000 on the Duke and Duchess option, which was supposed to come with dinner, orchestra music, professional photos and a valet, according to AV Club.
But when they arrived at the venue on Sunday they were served school cafeteria-style food on disposable plates with plastic cutlery. Cups had to be reused because the organiser had not ordered enough, while the wait staff were also just people wearing jerseys and jeans.
The venue had reportedly been decked out in tacky decorations, with a lone violinist instead of the grand orchestra promised.
The only dancing appeared to be from a scantily-dressed pole-dancer who said she was hired just three hours before the event.
‘This is truly a horror story and I’m just completely awestruck seeing everything that happened,’ said the acrobat Tink, who performed at the event.
‘Normally it’s not like that. Normally when you go to a show, especially [for] a circus performer, it’s an amazing experience. You get wowed, thrilled even. It’s a little dangerous and I’m sad they didn’t get to experience that,’ she insisted.
Tink went on to note that organisers Uncle & Me LLC also selected and approved her skimpy red outfit.
‘I just feel very bad for all the patrons who showed up to the event, just because my goal as a performer is to bring happiness and cheers to everyone,’ she said. ‘So it kind of just bummed me out knowing everyone was so unhappy with the outcome.’
Guests say they were told there would be a $2,000 cash prize for best dressed and therefore many spent hundreds of dollars picking out the most extravagant dresses and suits.
But the competition never happened, nor did the organisers choose a Diamond of the Season like they do on the show, according to one attendee.
Despite its name, the Detroit Bridgerton Themed ball was not licensed or sponsored by Netflix, which hosts its own touring event called The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience.
One Bridgerton fan said she ‘hadn’t even walked in’ to The Harmonie Club when she saw more than 60 people leaving. ‘People told me to just go bar hopping with them,’ the TikToker said.
Another TikToker, named Nita, told how the woman who was supposed to portray Queen Charlotte was pushing her business card and telling her to follow her on Instagram, while another, Myster Whitfield, recounted how the queen greeted him by saying: ‘What up doe?’
To help with the music, Nita said, organisers installed glow-in-the-dark speakers, and the only performance was one woman pole dancing in a red bikini. ‘I never seen a pole in the show,’ Whitfield said.
By the time the night ended, the event organisers were playing the song Soulja Boy, Nita noted. Other also claimed that nobody was at the entrance checking their tickets, so anybody was able to walk in.
Another attendee, Ashlyn Cook claimed there are more than 50 fellow angry guests, including ‘two with injuries’ who are looking to sue organisers Uncle & Me. At least one reveler has reported the organisers to police.
‘Nothing in your ticket you actually got,’ Cook explained. ‘Because of how poorly executed it was, it seems like a scam. I feel ripped off and cheated, they need to be held accountable.’
‘People with diabetes, low blood sugar were crying because there was no food being served,’ Cook explained. ‘People ended up across the road getting Domino’s because there was not enough.’
Cook added that a chaotic system meant that guests who had not paid for dinner ended up joining the line for food, which was already scarce leading to long lines of ‘angry, hungry people’.
Prior to that she said that attendees were left standing in the rain for hours while waiting to be admitted.
‘It’s sad. It needs to not happen again. This was supposed to be my birthday gift. I’m a mum-of-two, I care for my disabled veteran husband, this was supposed to be a fun night out.
‘We had such promise but it turned into anything but what we paid for.’
One of those allegedly injured is a woman who says she fell due to ‘overcrowding’ and sustained a cut which required a tetanus shot as there were no medical staff on site to help her.
Cook said issues began even before the event when an original date got scrapped and the ball was rearranged with no refunds offered.
‘It’s been a mess for sure,’ a spokesman for the Harmonie Club, where the event was held, told as he speculated on what went wrong. ‘If I had to take a guess, I’d say it was improper planning and organization.’
The historic venue was merely the backdrop for the chaos and is in no way affiliated with organisers Uncle & Me.
‘Unfortunately, you know, one of our first major events held in the property and all of the feedback has been a beautiful property, right?’ he added.
‘We got affiliated with the event and it not it’s not a good image. We’re being contacted about it pretty frequently.’
He explained that the venue conducted thorough checks prior to taking the booking, including making sure organisers had insurance used and approved vendors.
While they had never worked together before, the venue looked to Uncle & Me’s previous events as evidence they could deliver.
The ball wound up being so boring that photos and videos posted online showed women sitting on the floor in ballgowns scrolling through their phones.
It has now been compared to other failed ventures such as a notorious Willy Wonka festival in Glasgow that ended in disaster and the infamous Fyre festival disaster in the Bahamas.
British actor Ben Miller, who appeared in the first series of the Netflix historical drama, in which he played Lord Featherington, admitted that while he found it ‘quite a funny story’, he felt ‘very sorry for the people’ who attended the shambolic event.
Appearing on the Good Morning Britain sofa earlier this morning, the actor gave his verdict the event, telling presenters Martin Lewis and Susanna Reid ‘it doesn’t represent the world of Bridgerton’.
Despite the outcry, Miller said he would be happy to reprise his noble role to star as a cameo in a ‘special exhibit’ if it was ever held again, adding that he would charge a ‘very reasonable’ fee.
The event company’s owner Chelsea Beard has already taken to Instagram to address the backlash.
‘We understand that not everyone had the experience they anticipated at our event on Sunday night at The Harmonie Club, and for that, we sincerely apologize,’ she said.
‘Our goal was to create a magical evening, but we recognize that organizational challenges and unforeseen changes, including a last-minute venue and date change, impacted the experience for some guests.
‘Unfortunately, some nonrefundable deposits from the original bookings resulted in losses on our end, which added to the challenges. Nonetheless, we take full responsibility for these shortcomings.
‘Please know that we are working diligently to address all concerns and will be reaching out with further details shortly. Your feedback, both positive and constructive, is greatly appreciated. You can expect an email with next steps.’