By The New York Times (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-25 19:53:46 | Updated at 2024-09-30 07:27:10
4 days ago
U.S.|They Were Promised a Charming ‘Bridgerton’ Ball. They Got a Pole Dance.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/us/bridgerton-ball-experience-detroit-scam-new.html
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A Detroit event evoked memories of Glasgow’s Willy Wonka debacle. We look at how they stack up against each other.
Sept. 25, 2024, 3:28 p.m. ET
It was a terrible event that was poorly planned, way too expensive and ultimately a big downer, attendees said.
But was it as bad as that other terrible event that was poorly planned, way too expensive and ultimately a big downer?
Let’s take a closer look at Detroit’s Bridgerton Ball, which thoroughly disappointed its hundreds of attendees on Sunday, and compare it to the ne plus ultra of badly themed events-gone-wrong, the Willy Wonka “Chocolate Experience” in Glasgow in February. In the end, which event left attendees more bored, angry and ripped off? You be the judge.
The Promise
For $150 a ticket, attendees of the Detroit Bridgerton-Themed Ball could attend “an evening of sophistication, grace, and historical charm,” according to the event’s website. “Experience a night like no other filled with music, dance, and exquisite costumes.”
The event piggybacked off the popular TV series, which spins romantic yarns set in high society England of the early 1800s.
“We were going to have classical music, good dinner. There was going to be a play,” Amanda Sue Mathis told WXYZ-TV in Detroit. “They were going to pick Diamond of the Season,” she said, referring to an award in the series that gets presented to the most eligible lady.
