The Fortune Hotel‘s Mike and Jake told Yahoo UK that they have no regrets about giving away the £250,000 prize money on the first night.
The brothers were the first pair to secretly get their hands on the fortune in the latest series of the ITV show fronted by Stephen Mangan. By the end of episode two, in a huge twist, they were going home with the early checkout card. James and Yasmin dealt them the final blow when they swapped their case with theirs on the second night.
Unexpectedly, on the first night, the siblings had chosen to swap their case that had the £250,000 fortune with retired couple Fred and Min. They knew Fred and Min’s case would be empty as they were the fortune holders.
Mike and Jake got cold feet about keeping the £250,000 case because they had given the early checkout card to Fred and Min, who had passed it to Nella and Tope. They worried Nella and Tope would suspect they had the money.
“We don’t regret it,” Mike told Yahoo UK. “In hindsight, we’d have probably played it a little different.”
Mike and Jake gave away their case containing £250,000. (ITV)
“It felt right at the time [with the moves we made],” Jake said. “I didn’t want to upset anybody [by giving the checkout card], so we thought we’d just be fair, put it to the back of the line [Fred and Min]. But in the end it turned out to be our downfall, didn’t it?”
Mike and Jake freely gave them the prize money on the night when the contestants holding the special suitcase could secure a guaranteed £10,000 to take home. Little did they know, this move would soon lead to their downfall.
Jake said: “We had to really [give away the case], because I think the [early checkout] card could have come to us if we didn’t, so we didn’t want to give anything away, you see.”
Mike explained: “When that card went in front of us, it was too much of a risk to keep it [the prize money]. We could have gone straight home there and then, you know.”
Fred and Min to win
Fred and Min could win The Fortune Hotel. (ITV)
There is no bad blood as the kind-hearted brothers were delighted to have given Fred and Min the opportunity to bank £10,000 from the prize pot. “We were happy with that,” Mike said. “Out of everyone, to be fair.”
Jake agreed: “You wouldn’t think they’d [Fred and Min would] do that good. They’re a bit older, and they weren’t that good at the challenges.”
In fact, they would love to see Fred and Min go all the way and win the show.
Mike said: “They come last in the challenge, so I thought this is brilliant! I thought if they [Fred and Min] could get to the final, and they win this. It’s gonna be awesome because we’ve helped them as well.”
Although they got the early checkout card, Mike and Jake didn’t have to check out straight away. Onscreen, it appears on the show that the contestants have to leave the five-star resort without a moment to lose.
Free all-inclusive holiday in the Caribbean
Infinity Pool of the Silversands Hotel on The Lime, Grenada by night. (Alamy)
So they may not have won the £250,000 fortune, but Mike and Jake felt like winners as they got four extra days for free, at another all-inclusive hotel.
“We loved it,” Mike said of filming. “And then when we got out as well, they gave us wristbands to an all-inclusive for four days. We weren’t flying home. We made the most of the all-inclusive bar for four days in the Caribbean!”
Their experience at The Fortune Hotel may have been cut short after just days of filming, but they had the chance to experience a lot. Mike and Jake were in possession of the fortune; they lost it, they took part in the challenges, experienced the Lady Luck bar, and, of course, were dealt the blow of the checkout card.
The Fortune Hotel series two line-up: Maz, Max, Briony, Chelsey, Atholl, John, Mike, Jake, Allan, Jacob, Stephen Mangan, Guv, Gurks, Yasmin, James, Nella, Tope, Jeremy, Sue, Fred, Min, Martina & Briony. (ITV)
“It was a sick experience,” Jake said. “Wouldn’t change it for the world.”
At first, the brothers were “gutted” to get the early checkpoint card, but they soon were delighted to get their lives back. “You’re not allowed your phone,” Mike explained. “You have to get told where you can go and stuff like that, which is fine because that’s what it’s about [filming]. When we were out, we got our lives back!”
He added, “All of a sudden, it’s back in the real world. We don’t have to ask if we can have more than one alcoholic drink.”
Jake joked: “So we had 20 instead!”
The Fortune Hotel airs on ITV1 at 9pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
