Anthony looks at the staffs who have tried to get in his way when he tries to ensure the guests' safety and comfort.
#10 Epic Showdown: Hostile Housekeeper
At the Crookston Inn in Crookston, MN, Anthony arrives and finds the head housekeeper Rachel interviewing a prospective employee in the pool area. Afterward, Rachel says that she's pissed off all the time and she isn't planning on changing for anyone. When Anthony asks if she's ever been fired, Rachel tells him to stay out of her way and walks off. The rooms are filthy and Anthony and the owner made her a regular housekeeper.
#9 Epic Showdown: Water Pan-Gate
Anthony visits the Capital Plaza Hotel in Frankford, KY. When Anthony comes in, he sees lights out on the stairs. The waterfall is grimy and the furniture is flimsy. Chad, the guy supposedly in charge of maintenance, was brewing beer in the kitchen. Anthony confronts Chad, who says that he gets a commission off of the beer. Then the production team tells Anthony that a maintenance man came in and emptied a pan of water from the ceiling. Anthony confirms that there's a pan full of water in the suspended ceiling, and brings Chad and the GM, Mark, in to see the problem. Chad knows about the leaks, and Anthony pours the water out of the pan and then drops it on the floor. He says that if he was the GM then he'd terminate Chad immediately, and tells Chad that he shouldn't be the director of facilities. Chad insists that the staff is motivated, and the production crew told them to stay stuff. Anthony doesn't believe it and gets angry, and Mark says that Chad has to make things work right.
#8 Epic Showdown: Mama's Boy
At the Ocean Crest Resort in Noclips, WA, Anthony is called in to help the hotel. The owner, Barb, is working herself to the bone 90 to 100 hours a week, but her son Joss comes in whenever he feels like it, usually about noon. Anthony points out that his mother is working 30-40% more than her, Joss tells Barb that he waits for people to do what they say they're going to do, and his mother says that they either have to sell the business or lose it. Anthony secretly listens in and later confronts Joss, and says that he has to take responsibility. Eventually, Joss steps up and promises his family that he'll carry on the legacy.
#7 Epic Showdown: Front Desk Face-Off
At the Periwinkle Inn in Cape May, NJ, Anthony admires the exterior but discovers that the front desk is built like a teller's cage. He pulls the windows out and the owner, Claudia, wasn't happy. She thinks Anthony is disrespecting her, and insists that the windows were up for security reasons. Anthony says that he came there to help her, and it's up to her whether she throws him out or accepts his help. Once Anthony improves the place, Claudia is happy and they jump into the pool together.
#6 Epic Showdown: Talking in Circles
Anthony goes to the University Inn in Atlanta, GA, and finds a sign that looks like gravestone. He meets with their marketing team, and the woman Jessica talks in circles. She doesn't care what the STAR Report says, and says that occupancy wasn't measured the previous year. Anthony asks for a report showing where the hotel stands, and Jessica refuses to give it. The owner finds Jessica's answers uninterpretable, and Anthony agrees.
#5 Epic Showdown: Rock Bottom
At the Simmons Motel in Hershey, PA, Anthony finds some serious problems beneath the lovely exterior. The GM Whitney is having his elderly mother doing his job for him. Sometimes Whitney has had his mother come out late at night to help a guest. The online reviews said that Whitney had arguments with guests and whiskey on his breath. The FD agent says that Whitney has come in drunk. When Anthony confronts Whitney, he says that he's been in rehab three times and already had a couple of drinks that day. Whitney insists that he can quit anytime that he wants, but Anthony brings in a social worker to stage an intervention. Anthony calls Whitney a coward when he tries to walk out, and Whitney tosses out excuse after excuse. He finally agrees to go to rehab and Anthony gets him there.
Anthony looks at the times when he argues with his designers. On one show at the Las Olas Beach Resort in Panama, designer Lauren Mack's work is running behind schedule, Things aren't ready on the final day, and Anthony wonders if he should shut down the pool renovation. Lauren asks for some time and heads off. Anthony talks to one crewman who agrees that he's never seen a renovation with so little done on the last day. In the end, Lauren and her team get everything done in time.
#4 Epic Showdown: Cajun Fire
At the Empress Hotel in New Orleans, LA, Anthony discovers that the "beds" are mattresses on the floor and holes in the bathroom floor. The owner Joan makes the staff work with one rag all day cleaning the bathrooms, and doesn't let them use maps. The staff can't give refunds if the sheets are stained. Anthony talks to Joan and says that she's running a shithole. Joan says that the guests put holes in the wall and tear sheets, and Anthony says that's because she's running a shithole. She insists that she's not putting money back into the hotel, and Anthony says that she's running a hotel that has no place in the country. He works with Joan's sons to devise a plan to take over, and she agrees to let them lease the hotel.
#3 Epic Showdown: Temper Tantrum
Anthony goes to the Sea Shell Motel in Virginia Beach, VA. Chris' parents own the hotel, and Anthony finds Chris spoiled. She admits that she yells at the guests, and doesn't know what a hotelier is. Chris' sister and brother-in-law want to run the hotel, and they don't want to take over the hotel if Chris is involved as an owner. When Anthony meets with the family, Chris curses and storms outs.
Honorable Mention
Before moving onto the top two, Anthony reviews the Waldorf Niagara Hotel at Niagara Falls, NY; the Houndslake Country Club at Aiken, SC; the fortune Hotel in Las Vegas, NV; the Floridian Hotel in Homestead, FL; the Catskill Mountain Lodge in Palenville, NY; the Chipman Hill Suites in New Brunswick; and the Hollywood Liberty Hotel in Hollywood, CA.
#2 Epic Showdown: Jealous Ex-Bartender
At the Charles Inn in Bangor, ME, Anthony finds the attached bar extremely noisy. The bar owner, Paul, says that it belongs to him and Connie, the hotel owner. Connie says that Paul is more like a scorned lover, and he's been verbally abusive towards her. Connie's daughter shows Anthony a text that Paul sent to Connie and Anthony realizes that it's serious. He brings Paul and Connie together, and Paul says that he'll leave. However, Anthony soon receives word that Paul is causing a commotion outside of the hotel. When he arrives, Paul and his friend curse Anthony out and threaten to have him arrested. Anthony tells Connie not to get involved with Paul again.
#1 Epic Showdown: Anice Way to Die
After recapping the last nine epic showdowns, Anthony reveals the #1 Epic Showdown: the Anice Inn and Suites in Orlando, FL. The ceiling is falling apart from leaking, the toilets are filled with urine, and 25% of the rooms have bed bugs. There is mold in the walls and a killer bee infestation, and the staff is begging to escape. Anthony confronts the owner, Ms. James, who keeps saying that she doesn't know about the problems before Anthony told her about them. He tells her that if she doesn't stop with the excuses then he's leaving. When Ms. James needs to put up money she claims that she has to fix emergency situations, she is unable to do it and Anthony walks off with his crew. He then filed an official consumer complaint with the state of Florida. Ms. James is complying with the regulations and the Anice Inn is open.
Written by Gadfly on Jul 12, 2016