When looking for a job after university, I once got invited to an interview via a recruiter who - as they do - said I'd be a great fit. I booked a train ticket for the Monday interview, with multiple hours of leeway, and said I'd be glad to attend.
On the Friday morning before the interview, the recruiter gave me a rough idea of what kind of technical questions they'd ask me.
They were nothing like my area of expertise.
If something like this happened to me today, I'd cancel the interview, apologise to all the parties, and wouldn't drive there on the day of the interview. But I was a poor student, I didn't drive, I'd already bought the train ticket and, with the limited funds I had, being able to go to any further interviews was contingent on me getting paid expenses for this interview.
So I spent the weekend dreading the interview, skipped Monday's lectures, and went to my ritual humiliation. During one excruciating question about AC motors, I came within seconds of telling the interviewers that it wasn't going to work out. But, to ensure I got the train fare back, I had to do appear to be trying my hardest.
Every person involved lost out that day.