I rolled the dice at the Fortune Hotel and became obsessed with cracking the case – a simple error cost me £250k prize
NOT since I lost my luggage en route to Gran Canaria had a suitcase come to mean so much.
I was playing ITV’s brand new gameshow The Fortune Hotel and the contents of this shiny, metal case suddenly meant the difference between going home with a windfall or checking out early – and I rapidly found myself obsessed.
The new programme launches tomorrow (Mon) and sees ten lucky pairs faced with this same scenario.
In an elaborate game of strategy, deception and luck, they are tasked with swapping suitcases to try and end their three week stay at a luxury hotel in the Caribbean with a case full of £250k cash.
It’s been likened to The Traitors, card game Chase The Ace and even The White Lotus due to the luxurious setting.
But I swiftly learnt any comparisons or pre-planning were futile.
I played a mini version of the game during an afternoon and drew straws to select case number four.
In front of the group, I had to open the case and see what it was hiding inside so they could try and read my expression – and immediately came under suspicion because I tried to play for laughs by donning a pair of sunglasses.
My case was empty, but a number of my contenders thought they’d seen bank notes reflected in my decoy shades!
Thinking fast, I decided to lean into the accusation and let them believe I might be hiding the dosh.
Feeling like crafty Harry Clark, winner of this year’s The Traitors, I started to double check my case’s whereabouts, and acted as though it was heavy to carry.
I became so obsessed with my own gameplay I forgot I also needed to try and work out who really did have the case – which proved to be my downfall.
It all came to a head at The Night Cap, where contenders each evening swap their cases over a drink.
I was clueless so chose my target at random, entirely wasting my chance to actually win the money so ended up with another empty case.
We were just playing for fun, of course, but I was stunned by how swiftly I was drawn into the complexities of the game – I can’t even imagine how I’d unravel in three weeks’ of play and with £250k at stake.
I can’t wait to watch ten pairs of strangers play for real when The Fortune Hotel begins tomorrow night.
Watch on ITV1 at 9pm every night this week, Monday to Thursday.