Bridgerton Ball guests in Detroit describe royal pain and talk legal action

With Sunday’s Bridgerton Ball in Detroit being nationally ridiculed, rumors of lawsuits are swirling and the company behind the formal fiasco has gone quiet.

Visitors arrived at the historic Harmonie Club on Sunday in elegant Regency-inspired dresses, ready for an evening of sophistication based on Netflix’s hit TV series.

Instead, they say they got cheap decor, raw food and entertainment that barely, if at all, reflected the show’s early 19th century British setting, including a noticeably inappropriate stripper.

Alyssa Camille of Detroit documented the debacle on her TikTok account.

Camille said she paid $150 per ticket for her and her fiancé, but more expensive packages were sold for up to $1,000.

Upon entering the venue, customers realized that their enchanted evening was not exactly what they expected.

A lone speaker played skipping music from Bridgerton. Cheap sets and paper-thin backdrops for photo shoots were placed seemingly at random. The stark white walls were illuminated by bright lights.

“I don’t understand why they couldn’t just dim the lights or turn them off,” Camille said.

According to those present, there was uncertainty about when and how the meal would be served. Finally they were told to sit down and they would be served.

“But there were literally only two servers… and it was absolutely impossible to reach everyone,” Camille said. “It would be impossible.”

Those lucky enough to finally receive a plate say they received undercooked poultry, certainly not a meal fit for royalty.

“There was blood in the chicken,” Camille said.

After dinner, she and others noticed a strange addition to the ballroom: a pole.

“To our surprise, there was an exotic dancer, almost naked, dancing in our Bridgerton ballroom,” Camille said.

Another participant, Ashlyn Cook, helps bring together those who say they were scammed in hopes of filing a class action lawsuit. But, she said, it has been a challenge so far.

“I have now called 10 attorneys who are either being turned away or they will not pursue this type of class action,” she said in a Facebook post. “I HAVE A LAWYER TODAY TELL ME EVERYTHING IS SO PROMISING BUT HE HAS NOTHING ANY WHETHER ANYONE WOULD GET OUR MONEY BACK BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS IF THE LLC HAS ASSETS OR INSURANCE (sic), SO THAT MAKES US AT RISK.”

Legal action ahead?

Meanwhile, the real estate and development company that owns and operates Harmonie Club said it has nothing to do with the company that brought the event to Detroit.

In emailed comments to The Detroit News, Basco President and CEO Roger Basmajian said his company is “in no way affiliated with the promoters and organizations that rent our venue for events such as the Bridgerton Ball, hosted by Uncle & Me LLC and Chelsea Beard.

He said Basco provides support in the form of back-of-house facilities, plus concierge, security and safety services, but “the planning, programming and execution of the actual events are handled by the venue’s tenants, promoters and their teams.”

“We are very disappointed with the organizers of this event and their mistreatment of guests,” Basmajian added. “We are currently evaluating our monitoring procedures in an effort to help prevent such events from occurring at our facility in the future, as well as any legal remedies available to us against the promoters of this event.”

Uncle & Me LLC did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The company’s website also appears to be offline and its Facebook page has no posts since an Aug. 24 announcement that the Bridgerton Themed Ball was being postponed and its location moved.

If there’s been one positive for fans of the TV series, it’s the camaraderie – or some call it trauma bonding – that ensued. A Facebook group “Bridgerton Ball Scam – Detroit” now has nearly 1,000 members, with participants sharing their stories and updates on legal action.

“Obviously, Detroit showed up and showed up and really went all in, like we would,” Camille said, but “the event didn’t match anyone’s energy at all.”

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