The conclusion to this week's Four in a Bed aired on Friday, and there was drama aplenty as the winners were announced.
After the owners of the Cedarville Guest House, The Jewellery Suites, The Griffin Inn, and The Kedleston Country House took turns staying at each other's B&Bs throughout the week, it was finally time to reveal how much they each paid the other contestants — and to declare a winner.
Sian and Mary and Helen and Sally, the pairs who owned The Griffin Inn and The Kedleston Country House respectively were crowned the winners as neither received an underpayment from any couple, but the former were not popular among one of the other pairs — or viewers at home.
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Whilst Sian and Mary were not underpaid by any pair, they themselves were happy to pay less than they were charged for what they deemed unacceptable service and conditions.
This was most pronounced when Karl and Steph — the proprietors of The Cedarville Guest House — received their results.
They received a £10 underpayment from Helen and Sally — for what they deemed fair complaints — and even a £10 overpayment from young The Jewellery Suites owners Sophia and Dani, who felt they weren't charging enough.
However, when it came time for Sian and Mary to pay up, it was revealed that they only paid £30 out of the £60 cost for the room — an underpayment of £30.
Their reasoning for doing so was that they claimed The Cedarville Guest House was not finished to an acceptable standard and the room needed another coat of paint, and they singled out Steph for being "overdramatic" during an incident in which she came face to face with a tarantula — an animal she is deathly afraid of.
Upon hearing their justification, Steph angrily responded: "I'm absolutely astonished. I'd rather you not paid me at all."
Steph and Karl weren't the only ones unhappy with how the situation unfolded, with many viewers taking to Twitter to vent their frustration that Sian and Mary ended up being joint winners.
One said: "Wow, that’s a huge underpayment. No one can get a room for £30 anywhere"
"£30 is a f*****g insult," a second tweeted.
A third agreed: "£30 despicable game player".
Another commented: "Sadly this will be a Griffin win. Underpay everyone else but get decent folk to pay in full for their stay at your gaff."
"Well if they do win (god forbid) I am just pleased to know that they’ve done their reputations no favours whatsoever by appearing on this programme," a fifth echoed.
A sixth stated: "£30 underpayment!! Absolutely disgraceful game playing by these two! Also, you didn't win the competition... You came joint first. Some people will do anything for a win."
"Again the young the people have shown up the older ones in decency and humility," posted a seventh.
An eighth argued: "Sian - your place is nice, but you are not . You’re going to lose a lot of potential business by your dour, mealymouthed attitude."
A ninth shared: "Totally unfair to Carl and Steph. To knock 50% off cos of a couple of things. Showed themselves up as nasty snobs."
A tenth said: "What a sour faced and mean-spirited creature Sian is! Hope the Griffin Inn at Ruthvin gets the avalanche of negative feedback it deserves for this clown."
Meanwhile, an eleventh tweeted: "The Griffin didn't deserve it, The Kedleston did. Disgraceful underpayment of £30 from Sian & Mary & the comment about being over dramatic was terrible about someone facing a fear. Shame on them."
Not everyone was quite so critical of Sian and Mary, however, with one commenting: "I think the 30 underpayment was a too much, but they did have a point re small bed size and condition. But you couldn't stay anywhere for the amount that they paid."
