A schoolteacher's dream of winning a life-changing £93,000 jackpot on ITV's The 1% Club was dashed by a deceptively simple picture puzzle that left viewers divided over its fairness.
The Final Question That Cost £93,000
In the latest episode of the popular game show hosted by comedian Lee Mack, teacher Amena found herself as the sole contestant qualified for the final round. The challenge required solving what's billed as the show's toughest question - one only 1% of the public is expected to answer correctly.
The Tricky Book Measurement Puzzle
Mack presented Amena with this visual conundrum: 'Three volumes of a cookery book series are lined up in order, next to each other on a shelf. The total thickness of the pages of each volume is 5cm and each cover is 5mm thick. What is the distance in centimetres between the first page of volume one and the last page of volume three?'
The contestant had just 30 seconds to study the on-screen image of three books and calculate her answer. '14.9cm,' Amena confidently replied when her time elapsed.
To her disappointment, this proved incorrect. The host revealed the correct answer was actually 7 centimetres - less than half her calculation.
Why The Answer Was So Surprising
Lee Mack explained the reasoning that had tripped up many viewers: 'When stored upright, the first page of the book is on the right and the last page is on the left. So you only need to measure the pages of one book and four covers.'
This meant contestants needed to consider the physical orientation of books on a shelf rather than simply adding all measurements together. The calculation involved just one book's 5cm of pages plus four covers at 5mm each (totalling 2cm), resulting in the 7cm answer.
Viewer Reaction to the Controversial Question
The puzzle sparked immediate debate on social media platform X, with many viewers questioning whether the question was fair.
One frustrated viewer wrote: 'That was a bl**dy dodgy last question.'
Another commented: 'That 1% Q makes no sense whatsoever.'
While some expressed sympathy for the contestant: 'Feel sorry for Amena but she did great to get to 1% question,' others were more critical of the show's approach: 'That 1% question was a trick question bang out of order and in bad taste.'
Not The First Puzzle to Baffle Viewers
This isn't the first time The 1% Club has left audiences scratching their heads with seemingly ambiguous questions. A previous episode featured a flag puzzle that generated similar controversy.
That question asked: 'If you take away all the flags that have stars, circles, red crosses, black stripes, and the colour green, which one is left?' with nine national flags displayed as options.
Viewers noted the wording's potential ambiguity, with one arguing: 'All of them because none of them have stars, circles, red crosses, black stripes and the colour green...' referring to the use of 'and' rather than 'or' in the question's phrasing.
Another added: 'None of these flags has stars, circles, red crosses, black stripes and the colour green. In fact, Scotland (D) doesn't have any of those!'
The Show's Unique Approach to Quizzing
The 1% Club, which airs on ITV1 and streams on ITVX, distinguishes itself from traditional quiz shows by focusing on logic, common sense and problem-solving rather than testing general knowledge. Contestants face increasingly difficult puzzles, with the final question designed to be solvable by just 1% of the population.
While Amena's £93,000 dream ended at this tricky book measurement puzzle, her achievement in reaching the final question against the odds demonstrates the challenging nature of this unique game show that continues to spark debate among its dedicated viewership.
