Luxury Game Show Faces Uncertain Future
ITV's Caribbean-based game show The Fortune Hotel is reportedly facing cancellation after just two series, with sources citing the programme's enormous production costs as the primary reason. The show, hosted by comedian Stephen Mangan, 57, concluded its second series in August 2024, but a third instalment now appears highly unlikely without significant financial restructuring.
Multi-Million Pound Budget Proves Prohibitive
According to a television insider speaking to The Sun's TVBiz column, the substantial financial investment required to produce the challenge show has placed its future in serious jeopardy. 'The huge sum of money involved in making the challenge show means that unless execs can find some inventive way to fund series three, it's highly unlikely to happen,' the source revealed.
The insider elaborated on the commercial realities, stating, 'When you're paying millions to launch a programme, it really needs to get the viewing figures to get any kind of return on the investment. Though it got a decent following, they just couldn't justify shelling out so much moving forward. The jackpot alone was eye-watering.' The show featured a massive £250,000 prize pot, adding significantly to its overall budget.
Show Format and Streaming Success
The Fortune Hotel, which first aired in 2024, transported ten pairs of contestants to the luxurious Caribbean island of Grenada. The game's central mechanic involved contestants swapping briefcases, with eight containing nothing, one holding an 'early check-out' card that resulted in immediate elimination, and the final case concealing the £250,000 jackpot.
Despite the financial concerns, the programme demonstrated solid performance on ITV's streaming platform. An ITV spokeswoman confirmed, 'Both previous series are on ITVX, where the show regularly ranked among the top ten shows. This summer, the second series received 4.4 million streams as part of ITV's biggest ever August.'
The first series was won by Jo-Anne and Will, while Neil and Tope claimed victory in the second series. Host Stephen Mangan had previously hinted that a potential third series would have moved to a new international location, telling the Table Manners podcast, 'We filmed the first series in Granada, and then we filmed the second series in exactly the same place. But I think if it goes again, we'll go to other parts of the world.'
Contestant Reactions and Show Legacy
News of the potential axing follows revelations from series two contestants Mike, 33, and Jake, 29, who were the first to secretly receive the fortune case but ultimately lost it. The brothers revealed they had no regrets about their gameplay, despite their early exit.
Mike admitted to Yahoo UK, 'We don't regret it... in hindsight, we'd have probably played it a little different.' Jake added, 'It felt right at the time, I didn't want to upset anybody [by giving the checkout card], so we thought we'd just be fair, put it to the back of the line. But in the end it turned out to be our downfall, didn't it?'
The brothers explained they felt compelled to give away the case because the early checkout card could have come their way, a strategic move that ultimately sealed their fate when James and Yasmin swapped cases with them the following night.
While the ITV spokeswoman stated that 'conversations are ongoing regarding the programme's future' and that 'another series hasn't been confirmed at this stage', the significant production costs and the show's failure to achieve blockbuster viewing figures suggest the luxurious hotel's doors may be closing for good. The Fortune Hotel remains available for streaming on ITVX.
