The Fortune Hotel fans speechless after major season two twist they 'never saw coming'

The Fortune Hotel fans were left speechless after a major season two twist they "never saw coming". Hosted by Stephen Mangan, the second series sees 22 new contestants arrive at the hotel in pairs.

They'll each be handed a mysterious briefcase. Most are empty, while one hides a life-changing £250,000 in cash, and another conceals the dreaded early checkout card.

At the start of the new season, which premiered on Wednesday night (August 6), the holidaymakers landed at Grenada airport, where they were greeted by Stephen.

READ MORE: British tourists urged to check hotel mirrors to avoid a holiday from hell

READ MORE: Woman told to check size of cabin bag and gives airline attendant perfect response

However, their excitement was soon dampened when the host revealed that one pair wouldn't be making it into the hotel.

"Your first challenge is to find a room key and make it to the hotel. But there are eleven pairs here and there only ten rooms available at The Fortune Hotel," Stephen explained.

"Only the first five pairs to arrive at the hotel will be guaranteed a room. If you're among the bottom six pairs, then you will be in danger because one of those pairs will be heading home."

The pairs were then escorted to the port, where they were tasked with unlocking their room key by completing a crossword.

After successfully making it to the hotel, the top five pairs chose their suitcases, with Jake and Mike secretly picking the £250,000.

Meanwhile, the bottom six pairs had to carefully avoid choosing a suitcase with an early checkout card inside.

At the end of the tense challenge, best friends Briony and Chelsey picked the unlucky suitcase, and were immediately sent home before even checking in to the hotel.

Another pair will also be sent packing after they receive the next early checkout card, but they haven't been revealed just yet.

After watching the season two premiere, several viewers quickly took to social media to share their surprise at the early elimination twist.

"Someone getting eliminated before it starts? Well I never saw that coming," one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Another added: "So much for ITV budget cuts flying 11 couples to the Caribbean only to fly one pair home back on day 1." While a third said: "Wow harsh start to the show I love it."

A fourth fan echoed the sentiment, saying: "With only 10 rooms available, one couple's time in paradise will end almost as soon as it has begun. Talking about overbooking."

Meanwhile, another viewer shared their suspicions that Briony and Chelsey could return, saying: "I'm guessing that Chelsey and Briony will get some kind of reprieve later in the series."

The Fortune Hotel is available to stream on ITVX