A hotel owner on Channel 4's Four In A Bed has gone viral after overpaying his rivals by £220 in a bid to stop them winning the competition through what he called cheating.
The daytime show sees four hotel or bed and breakfast owners stay at each other's properties in turn, scoring their experience before paying what they believe the room is worth. The property that earns the most compared with its usual asking price wins.
In the episode's final moments, it was revealed that hotel owner Saban paid £500 for his stay at Mark and Anne's B&B, overpaying by £220, a rare outcome on the show.
Anne was close to tears as Saban praised the luxury of the stay and the attention to detail as his reason for the payment. He then turned to fellow contestants Ami and Mark and revealed the real motive behind the sum.
Why Saban overpaid
Saban said he had made the overpayment after realising that Ami and Mark were deliberately underscoring their stays in an attempt to win the competition themselves.
"The other reason is, there is no way I can allow you two to win," he said. "It was a game play from the start, the way I see it I cheated to stop the other cheaters winning."
Fans compare it to Come Dine With Me
The clip has since gone viral on social media, with one user branding it "absolute cinema." Another compared it to Come Dine With Me's famous 2016 moment, when Pete Marsh launched into a furious rant after finishing in fourth place.
Other viewers were equally enthusiastic. One wrote that it was "the BEST episode ever, he humbled them so bad," while another said: "This is what British TV is all about. Gimme more of this petty nonsense where everyone hates each other."
A third viewer went further, writing: "This is TV Gold. What an absolute legend. In the same way that the bloke broke Goldenballs as a gameshow, this guy has done the same here."
Saban wanted to pay even more
Saban has since discussed the move in an interview with LADbible, admitting he had actually wanted to overpay by an even larger amount but was stopped by bosses on the show.
"I just thought, look, you're not really taking this seriously," he said. "You know, you've got to be in a position where when you do go to places like this, what did you expect?"
He went on to describe conditions at another property on the show, saying: "Emma Louise had cigarette burns on the carpet. She had no smoke alarms in the room… but it was £75 a night and you can't complain much about that but I just thought 'that's not a reason to knock someone who's actually trying to put some effort.'"
Who is Saban?
Saban runs the Stone Court House Hotel in Maidstone, Kent. He said he saw an increase in bookings after his episode of Four In A Bed aired.
