Four in a Bed viewers have been left furious over one contestant's feedback during a new series of the Channel 4 competition set in Northern Ireland. The series concluded with a payment day episode airing on Friday, October 2.
Belfast city-centre luxury apartments owner Melissa criticised Enniskillen hotel owners Shaun and Aoife over their taste in decor. Having walked into her home for the night, she commented: "It's nice and bright," before inspecting the panelling and wallpaper above the bed.
She said: "We've got panelling here, an LED light and this pattern here, there's far too much going on, it's a bit tacky." She also rated them a low score of six for facilities, citing a lack of fridge and coffee machine in her room.
Hosts respond to criticism
"That's disappointing," the hosts remarked at the time, before bringing up the issue around the payment day table. "I really hope there is some justification for these comments," Shaun added.
During Friday's episode, Aiofe asked Melissa about her "harsh" criticism of the decor, with Melissa replying: "It might have been your personal taste, but you need to keep it as neutral as possible." Shaun hit back: "I think the language, dated and tacky… there's so many words available to us."
Melissa argued: "What I say is what I think." Another contestant jumped in to say that Melissa didn't need to use the word tacky, though she stood by her comment, saying she didn't know what else to use to "describe three different patterns". "Busy," Shaun quickly replied. Melissa said: "Tacky to me, I don't think it's that bad of a word."
Score dispute
"It's too subjective," Shaun added, saying: "It really undermined the value of the rest of the feedback." He went on: "An overall six is a hard score," saying it was a "strategic" move of Melissa to underpay her competitors. He added to the cameras: "Feeding back in that way, it was low in quality, high in ego and that isn't a set of characteristics that command respect."
Melissa meanwhile said: "I never knew tacky was such an upsetting word." Viewers jumped in to Shaun and Aiofe's defence, with one writing: "Calling someone's decor tacky is rude and untrue." Another called Melissa "awful" after her comments, while someone else said: "Oh shut up Mel! The decor might not be to your taste but it is not tacky, and a standard white bathroom is not dated. She really rates her own abilities."
Another said that Mel "showed her true colours", while someone else said Mel was "desperate to mark every B&B down just so she wins the competition". Four in a Bed is available to watch on Channel 4.
