Detroit “Bridgerton Ball” Turns Out to Be a Total Scam
Despite the best efforts of some fans of the popular Netflix show Bridgerton, the Detroit Bridgerton Ball was anything but a good time Sunday night. Based on the accounts of the attendees, the whole event was nothing short of a scam.
To be clear, there is a touring Bridgerton experience called "The Queen's Ball", which appears to have some direct connection to the show. However, Detroit was not among the 11 cities to host such an event. Someone decided to step in and fill the gap by hosting a "Bridgerton Ball" in Detroit on August 25.
Things got fishy when the event, which was held at the Harmonie Club in downtown Detroit, was postponed to September 22 just three days before the original date.
Tickets to the event were anywhere from $150-$1,000 based on experience packages and photo opportunities. The 17+ event lasted from 6 pm until midnight.
Another suspicious aspect of the event was the website. It's a two-page website, one page with basic contact info and a single small paragraph of information about the event, and the ticket purchase page, which gave a bit more detail on the event, though everything presented to attendees was still quite vague, complete with simple grammatical errors.
Once attendees got to the "party" they found a venue that failed to live up to expectations or even the basic theme of Bridgerton. Accounts of the night include an unexpected mocktail bar, a seemingly rigged best-dressed contest, and a stripper.
The event was put on by Uncle N Me LLC (unlisted on the website, by the way), which apparently raked in a ridiculous amount in revenue. WXYZ 7 Detroit News reported that they went to the venue to interview those who attended and potentially someone from Uncle N Me, or co-owner Chelsea Beard, but were unsuccessful in the latter attempt.
One comment from a Reddit post detailing the event summed up the frustrating night:
We showed up at 6:50ish. No one asked for our tickets so we just walked in. All attendees looked absolutely decked out but there was zero direction. We essentially followed the crowd to the third floor where we saw LOCAL FREAKING VENDORS selling goods like we were at a local festival. Look I love Japanese KitKats just like the next person but not at a Bridgerton Ball. I saw a guy walk by with a sparkling beverage and say, "no alcohol". After seeing people sitting on the floor in disappointment, my wife and I left. Luckily we met some other disappointed patrons in the elevator and went to The Candy Bar where we all had a much better time.
It's unclear what, if any, action those who attended the event can take against Uncle N Me.