Originally appeared on E! Online
A Bridgerton-themed Ball in Detroit was nothing short of a royal disaster.
Seven months after an infamous Willy Wonka-inspired pop-up in Scotland was described as a scam by attendees for underdelivering on its promises, fans of the Netflix series say that they felt the same at the Harmonie Club on Sept. 22. As eventgoers arrived in their most regal attire hoping to be transported to Mayfair, they said they were met with minimal decor, undercooked food and an exotic dancer for entertainment.
The event — which was organized by Uncle & Me LLC and not Netflix and Shondaland like The Queen’s Ball: A Bridgerton Experience — promised fans a “play/performance, music/entertainment,” “bar access” and “$2,000 cash for best dressed,” according to the website.
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“They promised us so much and we got none of it,” Ashlyn Cook, an attendee, said on TikTok Sept. 23. “There was no organization, there was no Diamond of the Season announced, there were no prizes.”
The ball — which offered tickets that ranged $120 to $1,000 — was first set for August but was canceled and rescheduled for the following month, co-owner Chelsea Beard shared on her Instagram at the time.
Fans in a Facebook group detailing their experience shared photos of their food with chicken described as “pink as a crayon” with photos of the meat. An additional $40 add-on allowed fans a photo opp, which one fan described on TikTok as “a prom send-off setup.” As for live music? Attendees say a solo violin player was stationed on one of three floors.
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E! News has reached out to Uncle & Me LLC and Netflix for comment and has not yet heard back.
The event company shared a statement with WXYZ Sept. 24, noting, “We understand that not everyone had the experience they hoped for at our most recent event Sunday night at the Harmonie Club, and for that, we sincerely apologize."
“Our intention was to provide a magical evening, but we recognize that organizational challenges affected the enjoyment of some guests,” the statement continued. “We take full responsibility and accountability for these shortcomings. Please know that we are working diligently to address all concerns to ensure that all guests have the enjoyable experience they deserve.… We are committed to doing everything in our power to make this right.”
Beard also addressed the outrage in an apology. “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,” she wrote on Instagram Sept. 24. “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.”
As disappointed attendees shared event details, many compared it to Willy’s Chocolate Experience. In case you missed it, the House of Illuminati organization opened the candy wonderland experience in February with what fans described as poorly done decor, two jelly beans for attendees and wildly disproportionate promises in their advertising.
The organization behind the Wonka experience apologized for the event and promised full refunds.
"Unfortunately last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue on and push through and now realize we probably should have [sic] cancelled first thing this morning instead,” they wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post at the time, per NBC News. “We fully apologize for what has happened and will be giving full refunds to each and every person that purchased tickets."
One user quipped of the Detroit event, “wake up babe willy wonka experience bridgerton version just dropped.” While another simply noted, “This whole event was a Regency Wonka World of a scam.”
