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Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
The Fortune Hotel's Stephen Mangan's 'struggle' as he admits 'I'm the wrong person'
Taking the helm of The Fortune Hotel for a second season, Stephen Mangan recently revealed one of his biggest struggles on the hit ITV show - and it may surprise fans. TV fans may love The Fortune Hotel's rows and betrayals - but for Stephen Mangan, the drama is sometimes difficult to handle. The Fortune Hotel opens its doors once again for a second season on ITV, and host Stephen Mangan was the first to check in. 'It's a month in the Caribbean in November,' says Stephen. 'I did not need to be asked twice.' The format sees ten pairs check into the luxury Caribbean resort, where each are handed a briefcase. One holds £250,000, another contains an Early Checkout card and eight hold blank cards. The aim is simple: find the cash and keep it. In this new series there are more high-stakes challenges than before as the contestants compete to figure out who has which case before the nerve-shredding nightly case swap. While there's change in the air, the Lady Luck bar remains a staple in The Fortune Hotel, where the atmosphere was always tense. 'I walk in and you can cut the tension with a knife because people have formed alliances,' Stephen says, 'But they don't know if they can trust the partners.' Stephen promises emotional eliminations. 'There are often a lot of tears, there's a lot of whispering but people are shaking with nerves. You're out of the hotel that night,' says Stephen. The show is brutal but the contestants are never abandoned. 'We never leave them on the streets,' smiles Stephen. 'They go to another hotel down the road and they fly home the next day.' And when pairs aren't rowing, duos are turning on each other - with Stephen caught up in the middle. 'It's jaw-dropping because you think, 'If you're not going to work as a team, you're screwed. In some ways, I'm the wrong person to host it, because when people start arguing with each other, I want to calm everybody down,' he says. 'But that's what everyone wants to see. I find it hard sometimes to stand by and watch.' His other struggle is keeping his cool, literally. 'Trying not to sweat too much,' he says, 'It's very hot, nobody wants to see a clammy host!' 'There were so many points in this second series where you thought, 'that's where this episode is going to end,'' says Stephen. 'Then something would happen. People would behave in the craziest way and self-sabotage when they were in a great position. People under pressure do odd things.' Though filming took place at the Silversands hotel in Grenada again, bosses made sure not to pull the same tricks on participants. 'We're back at the same hotel,' Stephen says. 'But we start with much more drama. People on the show watched the first series, and they've come with a plan. Part of our job is to keep pulling the rug from underneath them.' The first twist of the season sees eleven pairs land in Grenada - but only 10 can actually check into the Fortune Hotel. Racing to the main reception and attempting to grab a room key on a floating buoy was no easy feat for participants. But the challenge only seemed to make them bolder. 'In the first series, everyone was very cautious,' Stephen remembers. 'They didn't want to swap cases, they felt it might give away information. That went completely out of the window. It was getting to the point where I couldn't get a grip on what was going on. I never knew where the money was.'
Scottish Sun
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Hit reality show confirmed to return to ITV this summer following fakery row
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HIT reality show's return to ITV this summer has been confirmed - and with big changes in store. Viewers were enthralled last year watching series one and will soon get to see more. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 The Fortune Hotel is returning this summer Credit: Rex 4 Stephen Mangan hosts the hit ITV reality competition Credit: Rex 4 A new batch of contestants will soon enter the game Credit: Rex Hosted by Stephen Mangan, The Fortune Hotel sees competitors forced to lie to each other in order to claim a £250,000 prize. The hit show will be back on viewers' screens this summer. In a change from the first series, the show will reportedly be airing two episodes per week across four weeks. Last time around, eight episodes aired on consecutive nights for two weeks. An accompanying podcast hosted by comedian Ellie Taylor is also said to be in development. Titled "Late Check Out", it will take listeners behind the scenes while offering an exclusive look at The Fortune Hotel's challenges and shock twists. The podcast is subject to funding and has not yet been formally commissioned, according to TVZone. Following series one, ITV confirmed applications and the audition process for next series's hopefuls had begun. Meanwhile, The Fortune Hotel previously faced a "fakery row" concerning the first series. The show came under fire for scenes that viewers felt were scripted/faked for dramatic effect. 'Why do this to us?!' rage The Fortune Hotel viewers as they threaten to boycott show after 'cliffhanger' ending Suspicions were raised on the programme over the validity of scenes after fans spotted a damning pattern between certain contestants. In particular, couples who had been handed the Early Checkout Card - which put them at risk of being kicked out of the Grenada hotel and out of the running for the money. Viewers noticed a streak of those with the Early Checkout card winning challenges and therefore saving their place. A total of 10 couples compete - with only one pair being armed with a briefcase containing the whopper cash prize. Eight suitcases are empty, with one containing the dreaded early checkout card, leading to elimination. From there, the challenge begins in order to find which case the cash is in. The first series saw mother and son Jo-Anne and Will emerge as the winners - but who will follow in their footsteps? The Fortune Hotel airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
The Sun
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Hit reality show confirmed to return to ITV this summer following fakery row
A HIT reality show's return to ITV this summer has been confirmed - and with big changes in store. Viewers were enthralled last year watching series one and will soon get to see more. 4 4 4 Hosted by Stephen Mangan, The Fortune Hotel sees competitors forced to lie to each other in order to claim a £250,000 prize. The hit show will be back on viewers' screens this summer. In a change from the first series, the show will reportedly be airing two episodes per week across four weeks. Last time around, eight episodes aired on consecutive nights for two weeks. An accompanying podcast hosted by comedian Ellie Taylor is also said to be in development. Titled "Late Check Out", it will take listeners behind the scenes while offering an exclusive look at The Fortune Hotel's challenges and shock twists. The podcast is subject to funding and has not yet been formally commissioned, according to TVZone. Following series one, ITV confirmed applications and the audition process for next series's hopefuls had begun. Meanwhile, The Fortune Hotel previously faced a "fakery row" concerning the first series. The show came under fire for scenes that viewers felt were scripted/faked for dramatic effect. 'Why do this to us?!' rage The Fortune Hotel viewers as they threaten to boycott show after 'cliffhanger' ending Suspicions were raised on the programme over the validity of scenes after fans spotted a damning pattern between certain contestants. In particular, couples who had been handed the Early Checkout Card - which put them at risk of being kicked out of the Grenada hotel and out of the running for the money. Viewers noticed a streak of those with the Early Checkout card winning challenges and therefore saving their place. A total of 10 couples compete - with only one pair being armed with a briefcase containing the whopper cash prize. Eight suitcases are empty, with one containing the dreaded early checkout card, leading to elimination. From there, the challenge begins in order to find which case the cash is in. The first series saw mother and son Jo-Anne and Will emerge as the winners - but who will follow in their footsteps? The Fortune Hotel airs on ITV1 and ITVX. 4
The Irish Sun
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Hit reality show confirmed to return to ITV this summer following fakery row
A HIT reality show's return to ITV this summer has been confirmed - and with big changes in store. Viewers were enthralled last year watching series one and will soon get to see more. 4 The Fortune Hotel is returning this summer Credit: Rex 4 Stephen Mangan hosts the hit ITV reality competition Credit: Rex 4 A new batch of contestants will soon enter the game Credit: Rex Hosted by Stephen Mangan, The Fortune Hotel sees competitors forced to lie to each other in order to claim a £250,000 prize. The hit show will be back on viewers' screens this summer. In a change from the first series, the show will reportedly be airing two episodes per week across four weeks. Last time around, eight episodes aired on consecutive nights for two weeks. Read more on The Fortune Hotel An accompanying podcast hosted by comedian Titled "Late Check Out", it will take listeners behind the scenes while offering an exclusive look at The Fortune Hotel's challenges and shock twists. The podcast is subject to funding and has not yet been formally commissioned, according to Following series one, ITV confirmed applications and next series's hopefuls had begun. Most read in Reality Meanwhile, The Fortune Hotel previously faced The show 'Why do this to us?!' rage The Fortune Hotel viewers as they threaten to boycott show after 'cliffhanger' ending Suspicions were raised on the programme over the validity of scenes after fans spotted a damning pattern between certain contestants. In particular, couples who had been handed the Early Checkout Card - which put them at risk of being kicked out of the Grenada hotel and out of the running for the money . Viewers noticed a streak of those with the Early Checkout card winning challenges and therefore saving their place. A total of 10 couples compete - with only one pair being armed with a briefcase containing the whopper cash prize. Eight suitcases are empty, with one containing the dreaded early checkout card, leading to elimination. From there, the challenge begins in order to find which case the cash is in. The first series saw mother and son The Fortune Hotel airs on ITV1 and ITVX. 4 Who will win big this time around? Credit: ITV
