A baffling brain teaser on ITV's The 1% Club left all five finalists stumped, with none able to answer the final question correctly. The episode, which first aired in May 2025, saw contestants fail to win a share of the £97,000 prize pot.
The question asked: 'What new word links the capitalised words below? My SON TED ate raw FOOD and got SICK, then went to BED with me by his SIDE.' Contestants offered guesses such as 'you', 'step', and 'nest', but none found the correct answer, which host Lee Mack revealed as 'sea'.
Mack explained that 'sea' could be inserted before each capitalised word to form new words: season, seated, seafood, seasick, seabed, and seaside. The answer left some viewers frustrated, with one calling it 'dumb' and 'misleading', while others claimed they solved it instantly.
Despite the divisive reaction, ITV has confirmed that The 1% Club will return for three more series, with Lee Mack continuing as host. The show's director, Sue Murphy, praised its broad appeal and unique format.
