A CONTESTANT on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel saw a massive jackpot slip through their fingers after stumbling on a devilishly tricky geography question.
The unlucky player had been cruising towards a life-changing win before the final question threw them completely off track.
Michael McIntyre kept the laughs coming as celebrity guests Motsi Mabuse , Jon Richardson , Tom Skinner , Carol Vorderman , Joe Marler , Rav Wilding and Joanne McNally spun into action, each hoping to guide the contestants to glory.
But with the pressure cranked up and the questions getting tougher, even this star-studded line-up couldn’t stop the night’s biggest prize from slipping away.
With the cash pot hanging in the balance, they were faced with a head-scratcher that left the studio gasping — and viewers at home shouting the answer at their TVs.
Michael couldn’t hide his shock as the contestant locked in their choice, only to watch the correct answer light up on the board seconds later.
The heartbreaking miss meant walking away with nothing, despite being just one question from the jackpot.
Contestant Mark opted for the highest jackpot question for a chance to win a massive £96,000.
But the high-risk failed to pay off as he got a Geography question massively wrong.
Could you get it right under the time pressure?
The question read: “Of these New Zealand towns and cities, which one is on the South Island? Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington or Queenstown?”
Contestant Mark admitted: “I don’t really know exactly, but my feeling is Wellington.”
The Apprentice star Tom Skinner couldn’t help Mark, as he confessed: “I’ve got no idea. You’ve got one in four chance here. Sorry.”
As the question lit up red, Michael revealed the right answer was Queenstown, before adding: “What a tough question!”
However, Mark got another chance at the Wheel, for a chance to win a smaller jackpot of £48,000, with help from Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse.
The question read: “Which of these words appears in the traditional vows used in Church of England wedding ceremonies? Marry, Cherish, Life or Forever?”
Hardest Quiz Show Questions
Would you know the answers to some of quizzing TV's hardest questions
- Who Wants To Be A Millionaire – Earlier this year, fans were left outraged after what they described as the “worst” question in the show’s history . Host Jeremy Clarkson asked: “From the 2000 awards ceremony onwards, the Best Actress Oscar has never been won by a woman whose surname begins with which one of these letters?” The multiple choice answers were between G, K, M and W. In the end, and with the £32,000 safe, player Glen had to make a guess and went for G. It turned out to be correct as Nicole Kidman , Frances McDormand and Kate Winslet are among the stars who have won the Best Actress gong since 2000.
- The 1% Club – Viewers of Lee Mack’s popular ITV show were left dumbfounded by a question that also left the players perplexed . The query went as follows: “Edna’s birthday is on the 6th of April and Jen’s birthday falls on the 15th of October, therefore Amir’s birthday must be the ‘X’ of January.” It turns out the conundrum links the numbers with its position in the sentence, so 6th is the sixth word and 15th is the fifteenth word. Therefore, Amir’s birthday is January 24th, corresponding to the 24th word in the sentence.
- The Chase – The ITV daytime favourite left fans scratching their heads when it threw up one of the most bizarre questions to ever grace the programme. One of the questions asked the player: “Someone with a nightshade intolerance should avoid eating what?” The options were – sweetcorn, potatoes, carrots – with Steve selecting sweetcorn but the correct answer was potatoes.
Mark said: “My feeling is Cherish.”
Motsi agreed: “My feeling is also Cherish.”
Feeling confident, Mark swiftly locked it in… and he was thrilled when it lit up gold, meaning it was the correct answer.
Mark cheered and punched the air as Michael and the celebrities applauded and celebrated with him.
He walked away with £48,000, and Motsi was left in tears.
Mark concluded: “Nothing like this has ever happened to me in my life. It’s pretty unbelievable.”
The Wheel is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
