6 days ago
The Fortune Hotel star reveals ‘stressful' edited down game show left out shock scene as pairs battle it out for £250k
THE Fortune Hotel star has revealed the 'stressful' reality of filming the hit ITV game show.
Contestants were pushed to the limit as they battled it out for a life-changing £250,000, but one star says viewers didn't see the half of it — including a dramatic scene that never made it to air.
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Hosted by Stephen Mangan, the hit ITV game show returned for a second series.
Viewers watched 11 pairs make their debut - but were immediately faced with a twist.
Only 10 pairs would get a room in The Fortune Hotel - as one duo would be eliminated at the first hurdle.
The contestants took part in a tense boat race, with the first five pairs to arrive guaranteed safety.
However, the bottom six were at risk of leaving before the contest fully began.
One by one, they picked a case while hoping they didn't find the dreaded early checkout card.
Luck ran out for best pals Briony and Chelsey, who picked the doomed case and were booted off the show before they even stepped foot inside The Fortune Hotel.
The rest of the contestants continued to their first challenge and headed to the harbour.
They were tasked to find a room key and make it to the hotel - but there were only 10 rooms.
The land and sea race determined who was at risk of heading home.
Stephen explained: "Your first challenge is to find a room key and make it to the hotel. But there are eleven pairs here and there only ten rooms available at The Fortune Hotel,.
"Only the first five pairs to arrive at the hotel will be guaranteed a room. If you're among the bottom six pairs, then you will be in danger because one of those pairs will be heading home."
It was utter chaos as the couples were stumped over the puzzle, as well as how to drive and manoeuvre the boat.
Contestant Atholl spoke out about how stressful the task really was.
The Fortune Hotel season 2 cast
A second season of The Fortune Hotel has begun, and the stakes have been raised once again. Hosted by Stephen Mangan, the second series will see 22 new contestants check into the hotel in pairs.
Across the eight episodes, the teams must use strategy, observation, and a good poker face to figure out who's holding the fortune - and try to steal it - all while dodging the early elimination card.
Which pair will take home the life-changing £250,000?
Below is a full cast list:
Marilyn and Maxine
Chelsey and Briony
Atholl and John
Jake and Mike
Allan and Jacob
Gurks and Guv
James and Yasmine
Nella and Tope
Sue and Jeremy
Fred and Min
Martina and Briony
Taking to X, he wrote: "You have no idea how stressful this was and or how edited down this is #TheFortuneHotel".
He added: "This doesn't show the part where our driver stopped and asked us where we wanted to go next #DidntHappenToAnyoneElse #TheFortuneHotel".
When they eventually arrived, five couples selected their cases.
Jake and Mike claimed the £250,000 prize.
The final six pairs played a high-stakes game of suitcase roulette - desperate to avoid the dreaded early departure card.
But viewers have to wait till the next episode to see who's next to get the chop.
The second series promises never-before-seen twists as Stephen teased: "It's brilliant getting a second series, because you can really lean into the stuff that people at home loved in the first series.
"And there's more of that- more great challenges, more twists and turns, more drama. But also, a second series means that all the contestants have already seen the show.
"It was a brand new show for the first series, no one had seen it, no one knew what to expect.
"Now they've all come with a game plan so our job is to keep throwing them curveballs, so they can never relax and they never know what's coming."
Atholl, 30, and his dad John, 58, are the current favourites to win the show.
Coming all the way from Scotland, they travelled far for the show, so they didn't plan to go home empty-handed.
This father and son duo is ready to get their hands on the £250,000 cash prize.
Atholl said: "A lot of people are drawn to me, I'm quite a friendly person. My dad can deal with who the liars are as he's a retired police officer so has done a lot with body language.
"Even when I was growing up, I could never lie! From being his son, I'm a great judge of character. If I have an inkling on something, I'm never normally wrong. I also remember details well, my memory is really good."
Ex-police officer John added: "It's the ability to listen to people and gather information. Body language does tell you a lot."
The Fortune Hotel airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
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