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Booking that anticipated holiday is always exciting, but for one traveller, they were left completely disappointed after their parents booked a surprise getaway

Being whisked away on a surprise family holiday when you’re younger couldn’t have been more exciting. But for one unfortunate teenager, their trip ended in total “misery” – and it wasn’t because of the destination or weather.

With the summer holiday season in full swing, one traveller opened up about a family trip to Butlins when they were 14, which has clearly had a lasting impact. In a Reddit post, they shared the “one small detail” their parents failed to mention for the surprise getaway, leaving it far from what they expected.

The holidaymaker shared: “When I was 14, my mum and stepdad packed us all into the car for a surprise holiday at Butlins (we didn’t find out until we were there).

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“One small detail they also forgot to mention was that they also didn’t pay for me to actually go into the resort, so I had to get into the boot of our car at the closest petrol station, sleep on the floor of the chalet, and couldn’t use any of the facilities.”

They added: “It was just a week of misery, getting to watch my siblings have fun, whilst I couldn’t even bring a stack of books, because I didn’t know we were going away for a week in the first place.”

The post was flooded with sympathetic comments as one user asked: “Did they at least apologise to you?”. The disappointed traveller replied: “They did not. They actually told me I should’ve been grateful to have been brought along at all.”

This is just one of the holiday disasters that holidaymakers have shared on the online platform. Another on Reddit recalled the time they were asked to relocate their hotel in Turkey or pay for their stay again during the midst of their vacation.

They wrote last month: “Went to Turkey years ago and bang in the middle of the holiday, our holiday company went bust.

“The hotel called a meeting and told us all to pack our bags or else pay the bill again. We paid again, thinking that anything was better than being on the streets in a strange land. Our fellow holidaymakers objected, and the staff and guests all fell out. Things were getting heated, so we decided to bail out and return later on in the evening.”

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They continued: “Fast forward four hours, we landed back to a practically deserted hotel. We were personally welcomed by the manager, who was all over us like a rash from then on. He must have thought we were millionaires, because it turned out that we were the only guests to have paid again.

“We also learned that some of the guests and staff had been arrested for throwing punches and were taken off the premises. The remaining guests were nowhere to be seen, but I read on TripAdvisor afterwards that they had left their luggage in the hotel temporarily until they managed to change their return flights.

“Apparently, when they opened their luggage back at home, they found that it was full of Mars bars, wrappers removed, that had melted in through their clothes. Fun times.”

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This season of “Love Island USA” has lost yet another contestant after their past use of a racial slur resurfaced online: Cierra Ortega left the villa and will not return.

“Love Island USA” narrator Iain Stirling announced during the Sunday episode that Ortega, 25, had departed the hit dating competition series to deal with “a personal situation.” Though he did not provide additional details about her exit, Ortega recently landed in hot water for her repeated use of a slur for Chinese people — and often Asian people in general — after social media posts resurfaced online.

In an Instagram story from 2023 that made the rounds on Reddit and X, Ortega used the slur as she explained her Botox procedures, writing, “I love getting a mini brow lift to open up my eyes and get that snatched look.”

Another post that raised flags among critics was a 2020 TikTok video where Ortega uses a version of the slur to describe her smile in an Instagram caption. “Love Island USA” streamer Peacock and parent company NBCUniversal did not comment to The Times about the terms of Ortega’s exit, but the reality star’s parents spoke out online about “one of the most painful weeks of our lives.”

In a lengthy statement shared to Ortega’s Instagram story Sunday evening, her parents wrote, “We’ve seen the posts, the headlines, the hurt and the hate.” While acknowledging the outcry and upset around the resurfaced posts, Ortega’s parents alleged that their daughter has also been subject to online hate including threats and “cruel messages.” Ortega’s family, friends and supporters have been caught in the crossfire, they wrote: “it’s heartbreaking.”

The statement added: “It’s uncalled for. And no one deserves that kind of hate, no matter what mistake they’ve made.”

The missive also confirmed that “Cierra is not in the villa” and had yet to “process any of this or speak for herself.” Confident that Ortega will “face this with honesty, growth and grace,” her parents wrote that the reality TV personality will take accountability on her own terms.

Ortega left “Love Island” a month after contestant Yulissa Escobar faced similar backlash. Escobar was out by the season’s second episode amid social media outcry over her use of a slur for Black people. Video posted on Reddit and TMZ showed Escobar using the slur during a podcast conversation. Escobar apologized for using the slur, writing in a statement that she “used it ignorantly, not fully understanding the weight, history, or pain behind it.”

Until Ortega breaks her silence on the controversy, her parents said they have a request for supporters and critics alike: “We’re simply asking for compassion. For patience. For basic human decency.”

The “Love Island USA” Season 7 finale will air Sunday on Peacock.

Fans and former contestants have shared their outcry after Australian Survivor presenter Jonathan LaPaglia confirmed he has been axed from the show

Australian Survivor fans are devastated as decade-long host Jonathan LaPaglia announced he will no longer be at the helm.

The iconic actor and Survivor presenter has led the Australian version of the hit reality competition series on Network 10 since 2016.

On Monday (30th June), LaPaglia, affectionately known as ‘JLP’ by contestants and fans, took to Instagram to confirm the sad news.

“Australian Survivor has seen some of the most epic blindsides over the last 10 years, but this one might just be the craziest of them all….because it happened to me,” he shared.

“I received a call from the Network thanking me for all my hard work and dedication to the show but for next season they are ‘going in a different direction’.

“Ratings had dipped a bit recently and they wanted to do something drastic to shake things up. So for the first time ever this is not a tribe swap, but a HOST SWAP®️ Yes, you read that right.”

He went on to thank the cast and crew, as well as the show’s loyal legion of fans, for all their support over the past 10 years, calling the hosting gig “one of the greatest adventures of my career”.

Thankfully, there’s still one more season with JLP as host for fans to look forward to, Australian Survivor: Australia V The World, coming up later this year on Network 10.

“Probably our best season EVER!” he claimed, before adding an emotional sign-off: “(Ps. Whoever said a blindside is the most humane way to put someone down is an idiot. It hurts like a b***!)”

His post received an outpouring of support from fans and several former Survivor contestants.

Matt Tarrant, who competed in JLP’s first-ever season, replied: “Mate, this is genuinely devastating.

“One of my favourite memories of the game is you pulling out the beers from the crew fridges for us Season 1 Cast at the finale because no one else cared about us at that point, absolute gem of a bloke – good luck for whatever is next JLP.”

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And two-time competitor Flick Eddington wrote: “HUGE MISTAKE!!! It honestly won’t be the same without you!!! This news breaks my heart!”

She then cheekily suggested: “Maybe you can come back as a contestant and blindside everyone!”

Viewers have also slammed the decision on Reddit, where one user decried: “Ratings dipped a bit recently so they ditch the host? Aussie Survivor has its faults, but JLP wasn’t one of them.”

Someone else slammed the move: “Needless to say completely shocking news. Awful choice by production.”

“This is so damn stupid,” a third fan wrote. “Maybe if they wanted to save on costs they could make it shorter than 50 days lol.

“Worst decision they have ever made. Channel 10 has been going down for a while though.”

Survivor fans – will you continue watching once JLP officially steps down?

Australian Survivor is available on Network 10 and 10play and can be streamed on Prime Video in the UK.

Tourists are warning fellow flyers to brace for pat-downs especially if you are bit sweaty at airport security especially if it’s hot and your trousers are clinging in awkward places…

Flying is stressful enough. Add unnecessarily hot weather to the mix, and, being a nervous flyer plus a public groin search, it’s chaos. According to travellers online, if you’re even slightly sweaty, especially down there, airport body scanners might just flag it.

One tourist took to Reddit to share their baffling experience after being stopped for a pat-down in the same spot, not once, but twice, while going through a US Transport Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint, UNILAD reports.

They wrote that they were a “5’8″, 169lbs, midsized adult woman”, and explained: “My crotch was flagged twice.” They added that they were wearing “bike shorts and normal underwear”.

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Another Redditor asked what many were probably thinking: “Were you sweating?” The woman replied honestly: “Probably a little, I’m terrified of flying, so I was nervous.”

While she wasn’t offended by the pat-down, she couldn’t help but wonder why she was targeted and her wife wasn’t.

And she’s far from alone. One man shared a similar saga online after noticing his “sensitive area” kept setting off the scanner no matter what he wore. He tested everything from double-knee trousers to pyjama bottoms in an attempt to get through unnoticed. Still, no luck, he was patted down every time.

Eventually, someone in the thread offered what seemed like the most plausible explanation.

“I’ve flown a lot over the last few years. I’m a bigger guy, and I’ve had that problem. My unscientific testing has told me the following. If I’m sweaty, I’m getting a pat down. The machine triggers on sweat, especially in the lower back and private areas.”

Apparently, sweat can create odd shadows on the scanner image, and that’s when TSA officers step in.

The seasoned flyer continued: “Boxer briefs over boxers, the boys need to be high and tight. Pants material doesn’t make too much of a difference. What does is sag. When you get in the machine, pull your pants as high up as you can. Sagging pants make a shadow or something, and it guarantees a pat down.”

And if you’re thinking this is all a bit much, they did offer one final word of reassurance: “The last thing is to be patient. They don’t want to search you down there any more than you want to be searched, but sometimes it’s just going to happen.”

So, if you’re heading on holiday and find yourself sweating buckets in the airport queue, maybe give those clingy trousers a miss. Or at least hoik them up properly before the scanner. And definitely don’t leave the fan at home to keep yourself cool, or you could be facing a sweaty pat down.

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Dumb and Dumber is one of the most iconic movies of the 90s, and fans have been left in hysterics after realising there was a clever joke that never made it to the final cut

The hit 1994 comedy film Dumb and Dumber had a lasting impact on a generation, thanks in large part to the brilliant comedic performances of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. The film’s massive success saw it open at number one at the box office, raking in almost $250 million worldwide on a modest budget of $17 million, resulting in significant profits.

However, a clever detail from the film has resurfaced on Reddit, leaving many in stitches, reminiscing about their childhoods. In the ‘Movie Details’ thread, a user highlighted a subtle joke that went largely unnoticed in the original cut. Although a deleted scene had initially revealed the joke, it remained a mystery to all but the most astute viewers in the final version.

The Redditor pointed out: “In ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ Lloyd Christmas was in love with Mary Swanson. Had they gotten married and she’d taken his last name, she’d be named Mary Christmas. It’s never mentioned in the movie”.

YardBarker further explained that this was not simply a coincidence, as evidenced by a deleted scene where Harry pieces together the connection, but ultimately, the filmmakers chose not to draw attention to the joke.

When the deleted scene was shared on the Reddit thread, it received some criticism from users who failed to find it amusing.

One commenter wrote: “Wow…I’ve seen a few deleted scenes and am glad they were deleted”.

Another user echoed this sentiment, stating: “I’ve seen an uncut version on TV a long time ago, and was like what the f*** is this? Over the top crude humour. It totally killed the innocent stupidity of the characters”.

One user joked, “So basically the sequel?” while another Reddit user poked fun, saying they act “like that doesn’t exist”.

A fellow user chimed in, “Wise man. I still refuse to see it as well. In some alternate reality, there was a sequel that was true to the original and hilarious. That’s what I tell myself anyway,”.

It appears they’re not alone in their disappointment with the movie’s comedic elements, as it holds a modest 67% on the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.

However, others shared fond memories of the film, saying they were “obsessed” with it as a kid and had watched it so many times it was “burned into their brain,” finding it “hilarious”.

In the same Reddit thread, someone shared a curious anecdote about encountering someone with a similarly unusual name in real life.

They wrote: “My high school had the graduating class photos from the 1930s on up to current, around the school.

“If I remember correctly in the 70s, there was a girl named Mary Christmas Tree. Her brother had an equally interesting name, but I can’t remember it now”.

A witty remark followed, “All we need to find is the Tree family tree and we will find his name”.