A group of three women vacationing in Nebraska were stunned to learn that one of the bedrooms in their Airbnb had a fake bed.
Erica Mendelson, one of the women on the trip, filmed a video of what appeared to be a bed and posted to her sister’s TikTok page.
“It’s not what it seems,” one of the women said before Mendelson tore the blanket, revealing not a mattress but two folding tables.
The video, which was viewed 8.7 million times in one day, attracted thousands of interested commentators who, like the travelers, could not believe the audacity of the person who rented this house.
“That money should be back in my account as soon as I reveal that blanket,” one of the top comments read.
The video, shot by Erica Mendelson, shows that one of the bedrooms has a fake bed: two folding tables under a blanket
“This is so illegal,” another person wrote.
Another viewer was outraged that he had to add another step to his rental checklist, writing: “I always check for bed bugs but now I have to check for BEDS!!?!?”
Others joked that this Airbnb was BYOB: “bring your own bed.”
Astute commentators came to the conclusion that this house is probably staged.
Normally, as someone pointed out, homes on the market are usually staged to make it more attractive to potential buyers, but not to short-term renters who actually need furniture during their stay.
‘I understand if you put a house for sale, but for an Airbnb???’ someone wrote.
DailyMail.com reached out to Airbnb for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Mendelson recorded a follow up video explaining that there would be four women traveling to Nebraska, but one of her friends had to stay home to care for their sick child.
Mendelson then gave a tour of the entire house and showed that there are indeed real beds with real mattresses
Erica Mendelson, pictured, explained that only three people stayed in the house, which meant everyone had a bed
So since there were only three people staying in the house, of which she said there were three real beds upstairs, everyone was spared the indignity of being expected to sleep on folding tables.
And since the fake bed was downstairs, Mendelson said she and her friends didn’t stumble upon it until 15 hours after checking in.
Mendelson then gave a tour of the entire house and showed that there are indeed real beds with real mattresses.
After venturing into the upstairs bathroom, she headed downstairs where she revealed other strange things about the rental.
She showed the large basement room, which was noticeably empty except for two cameras on tripods and an old-fashioned popcorn machine.
“The cool thing is this is a movie room with not a single TV in sight,” Mendelson said.
Internet sleuths took their house staging theories in a whole new direction once they saw the creepy room with an unknown purpose.
“Yes, that’s a movie room, but not where you watch a movie, you make one,” one person wrote.
‘Suppose that’s a tough house to make films in. And not a real airbnb. And the downstairs is all props,” someone else theorized.
A third raised concerns about cleanliness and seemed to be in favor of using blacklights: ‘That place was definitely set up for a reason. I would turn off all the lights and use one of those special strobe lights.”
Mendelson’s sister, Kristen Downard, who was not traveling but posted the videos, wrote in a comment that her sister wouldn’t complain about the house.
That’s despite the numerous strange things they found, including a small sink and a gaping hole in the laundry room that appeared to lead to the crawl space.
Although the group has not filed a formal complaint, Downard told DailyMail.com that Airbnb contacted them after the two videos went viral on TikTok.
She said the company has given them a full refund, although Airbnb did not confirm this in time for publication.