The Fortune Hotel’s Stephen Mangan reacts to “brutal” first elimination

As 11 pairs excitedly made their way onto the beach to kick off proceedings, they were met with the first twist of the series as host Stephen Mangan revealed there were only 10 rooms available, meaning one of them would be leaving before they even got the chance to unpack.

The first of many challenges saw the pairs frantically attempt to work out a clue on a newspaper before heading off to meet Mangan, with the first five cementing their place in the competition. But for the remaining six, their place in the game was unsteady.

As Fred and Min arrived last, it seemed they were the ones about to go home, but that was until Mangan revealed the fate of the players lied in the briefcases and, unfortunately for best friends Chelsey and Briony, they were heading back home.

Reacting to the shocking twist, Mangan told RadioTimes.com and other press: "That first challenge is brutal, isn't it? At that point, because you don't know them, it's a bit easier. I obviously looked at their names and looked at their pictures, but I haven't met them as people, so they're more hypothetical at that point.

"But reading that they are going to be met on the tarmac at the airport and told that one of the pairs is not going to make it back is harsh."

To truly keep the suspense going, not even Mangan knew which briefcase had the early checkout card, so as to not inadvertently give it away.

He continued: "But to see them go off in that boat, I felt heartbreak for them because that's a tough. You [must be] so excited to be chosen to join The Fortune Hotel and you fly all the way to the Caribbean. You don't even come last in that challenge, you come ninth out of 11, which is not that bad, and the next thing you're heading off."

Describing the moment as "intense", Mangan teased that there is plenty more to come, adding: "That's just the beginning. The whole show is full of moments like that."

The Fortune Hotel continued on Thursday 7th August at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.

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