Queen Charlotte would never. If you thought the disastrous Willy Wonka immersive event was the worst flop we were going to get this year, think again. A shockingly bad Bridgerton event is now making headlines, and it's an equally wild ride.
Attendees of an unofficial Bridgerton-themed ball were promised a glamorously royal evening — but Lady Whistledown would have had a lot to say about this event, because instead of breathtaking floral arrangements and delicate refreshments, attendees were treated to limp lettuce, KitKat candy bars, cheap backdrops, and a pole dancer.
So what exactly happened at the Bridgerton “scam ball” in Detroit? Let's break it down.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the event (which was not at all affiliated with Netflix or Bridgerton production company Shondaland) was put on by a Detroit events company and invited fans of the popular series to “step into the enchanting world of the Regency-era… for an evening of sophistication, grace and historical charm." (Note: Their website is now-defunct.) The event was clearly inspired by Netflix's official immersive traveling party series The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience, which has been held in 11 cities around the world — Detroit not included.
Guests of the copycat ball were reportedly encouraged to dress up in their best gowns and suits and compete for the title of Diamond of the Season, with a “chance to win $2,000 cash for best dressed." According to local station WBCK, tickets to the event started at $150 but ranged up to $1,000 for special packages at higher price points with perks that were not fulfilled. The event was originally scheduled for August, but was canceled and rescheduled to September 22.
Attendees immediately took to social media to share their frustration and disappointment. X (formerly known as Twitter) user Rachel Eaton shared all the details in a viral thread, calling it a “SCAM in Detroit that I (and hundreds of others) spent $300 on.” Others headed to TikTok and Reddit to post videos of an almost empty room with spare decorations, unappetizing (and raw?) food, and guests looking confused in their Bridgerton-inspired gowns, with some even sitting on the floor. (Reportedly only “VIPs” got chairs.)
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According to attendees, they were forced to wait outside in the rain long after the event was supposed to start; once inside, the food being served — by staff wearing sports jerseys? — apparently ran out quickly, with no additional staff on hand to clean up dishes. The decor was equally underwhelming on a “Party City/Dollar General level,” Eaton described on X, sharing a pic of two “thrones” in front of a plastic floral backdrop. The “queen” in attendance apparently used her photo opps to hand out business cards in attempt to grow her social media following.
There was no string quartet playing orchestral versions of pop songs, but rather a lone violinist trying to carry the job. There was also a lone pole dancer, randomly set up in the middle of the room. Tink, the dancer, aerialist, and professional circus performer who worked the event spoke to The Cut on Thursday about her side of the experience, noting that out of her “full menu of acts” in her email quote, the organizers “decided to go with dancing pole.”
“[The organizers] just told me it was a Bridgerton ball. I’m not too big of a fan of Bridgerton. I didn’t really know what it was, but I did look it up before I went,” Tink said. “I packed a bunch of different costumes, and they approved the one I wore when I got there… I had a few costumes that I wore for a Chicago Great Gatsby–themed event, and that’s what they went with.”
“The way it was described was this would be [a] Bridgerton event and we were going to have classical music, a good dinner, and there was going to be a play, and they were going to pick diamonds [of] the season,” attendee Amanda Sue Mathis told Detroit news station WXYZ Detroit on September 24. “They were going to give away all of these prizes. And we went in, and it’s completely empty in there.”
Many guests had spent a hundreds of dollars prepping for the event and looked regal in their gowns, crowns, and jewels — adding even more to the letdown of the event. “I mean all of these dresses that you see on these beautiful women, we've all been getting them tailored to fit us,” Mathis said. "So we spent extra money on costumes, all of this beautiful beading, getting our hair done, our nails done for this to be the way that it is. It's heartbreaking.”
On September 25, Uncle N Me LLC co-founder Chelsea Beard released a statement to her personal Instagram about the public backlash to the event with comments disabled.
“Dearest Gentle Readers, 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," Beard wrote. “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.”
