A former contestant on the BBC quiz show Pointless has admitted they are still haunted by their embarrassing TV moments more than a decade after appearing on the programme. The participant, who wished to remain anonymous, shared their experience on Reddit, confessing that their unsuccessful attempt continues to trouble them even now.
Haunted by Failure
Discussing their experience behind the cameras, the participant posted: 'Two episodes of Pointless. I remain haunted by the failure 12 years later.' They elaborated on the first round, explaining that they had to identify pop musicians. Their opponents were secondary school teachers who were familiar with current trends and knew about Rita Ora. 'I still hold a grudge against her,' the contestant added.
Matters deteriorated further the next day when they were out in the first round with words ending in 'LK'. Their co-contestant achieved a fantastically low score with 'caulk', but the participant went seventh and gambled on 'backtalk', which is not in the Oxford English Dictionary. They scored the full 100 points, resulting in elimination.
Unexpected Reactions
The contestant noted that other participants were surprised when they returned to collect their belongings, as they had an intellectual aura that suggested they would perform well. 'They were mistaken. One slightly miserable hot chocolate in the Westfield Costa afterwards, and home we went,' they recalled.
Pointless has been a beloved early evening game show in Britain since its debut in 2009, hosted by Alexander Armstrong and formerly co-hosted by Richard Osman, who left in April 2022 after 13 years. The show challenges contestants' general knowledge as they compete for a substantial jackpot.
Behind the Scenes
This is not the first time a former participant has discussed their experience on the programme. Milly Fyfe, who appeared on the show last year with her husband Andrew, revealed what host Alexander Armstrong was like behind the scenes. Speaking to Express on behalf of OLBG, Milly disclosed that once the cameras stopped recording, Armstrong was not very engaging.
Milly said: 'I think with Alexander, because he's been doing it for so long and he's very busy with other things other than the show, there wasn't really any engagement with him off-camera.' She added: 'He was basically going over doing his emails, or he went into his dressing room. I was quite surprised. On camera, he was great. But equally, I thought he could have been a little bit more engaging with his contestants.'
Despite this, Milly praised BBC DJ Trevor Nelson, who appeared as a guest on the show. 'The guest, Trevor Nelson, was amazing. Richard Osman had left by the time I went on the show. But Trevor was lovely and just really nice,' she commented.
