Their mistake was showing up to court. They should have let it defaulted and then sued in unlawful detainer. There could have been defects, etc, on the pleadings that are waived by appearance, so why waive it it's a loser anyway? People are so fucking impatient. They think they're going to run in and tell the judge they're story, and he's just going to agree. It's a game, and a long one at that. Going to court is not always the answer.