BBC Bargain Hunt expert cringes over 'painful' rotten table as fans blast 'huge mistake'
BBC One Bargain Hunt viewers were left cringing during Monday's episode after one team made a "painful" buy and auctioneer expert James Lewis couldn't believe the cost.
Bargain Hunt: Expert says table buy was 'painful'
Bargain Hunt presenter James Lewis was shocked when a contestant made an unfortunate purchase during the latest classic episode of the BBC series.
The auction expert, James Lewis, was lost for words after discovering the price of a decorative piece chosen by a team he deemed "clueless". In this episode, two new teams participated in the daytime show, with Nick and Celina, a married couple, competing as the red team.
Meanwhile, the blue team included Steve and Dawn who were also a married duo. The contest between the teams was intense as they sought out potential treasures in Worcestershire.
Caroline Hawley and Philip Serrell, the show's experts, were on hand to guide both the red and blue teams. After an enthusiastic pursuit, each team selected three items they believed would fetch the highest profit.
However, it was the red team's decision to spend £75 on a decorative table, their most expensive item, which caused auctioneer James to grimace, exclaiming: "Oh that is painful."
James suggested that a large wooden bear should have been their main expense. Many viewers agreed, voicing this sentiment on social media in response to the blunder.
One person commented on X, previously known as Twitter: "Nothing special about that Moroccan tourist table, they paid way over the top for it."
Someone else said: "That table won't do anything."
"What were they thinking. Those table and chairs are rotten. Huge mistake," another person added.
"Gosh why would you pay that for the most mediocre furniture. Crazy," tweeted someone else. And another BBC One watcher agreed: "They'll be kicking themselves over this one."
At the auction, the red team was disappointed when their table only sold for £50, which meant they lost money.
But then, things looked up when their wooden bear, bought for £100, sold for double at £200.
People on social media weren't shocked that the wooden bear got a good price. One user wrote: "Seems there's money in bears," and another said: "Carved figure a bear minimum of £120."
In the end, the red team ended up with a profit of £115 and won the day. This was after the blue team ended up losing £25 altogether.
Bargain Hunt is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.