The 1% Club Sees Mass Elimination as Lee Mack Jokes About 'Shortest Show Ever'
The latest episode of ITV's popular game show The 1% Club delivered a shocking moment when a single question wiped out 25 players in one fell swoop. Host Lee Mack couldn't resist quipping about the rapid elimination, joking that it might have been the shortest episode in the show's history.
Jar Lid Puzzle Proves Fatal for Quarter of Contestants
The dramatic elimination occurred during the 70% question in series 5, episode 13, which aired on Saturday, March 7. The puzzle presented contestants with a table showing jar lids and open jars, asking: "If you were to place the lids back on the jars, how many lids would be left over on the table?"
The correct answer was three, but this seemingly straightforward question proved unexpectedly challenging. As the elimination sound echoed through the studio for each incorrect contestant, Lee Mack revealed that 25 players had been eliminated on this single question.
"For a minute then, I was worried that wasn't going to stop and it was the shortest show we've ever had!" the 57-year-old comedian joked. "We lost 25 people there, let's have a look at the answer... it's three! A lot of people went out on that one!"
Zoe Triumphs with £97,000 Win on Final 1% Question
Despite the mass elimination early in the episode, the show continued with remaining contestants tackling increasingly difficult puzzles. The ultimate challenge came with the 1% question that only the most exceptional minds could solve.
The final conundrum showed five clocks displaying different times: 12pm, 1am, 2pm, 5pm, and 12am. Contestants had to determine what word these times represented. The solution was "label" - each hour number corresponds to a letter's position in the alphabet (12=L, 1=A, 2=B, 5=E, 12=L).
Contestant Zoe correctly solved this puzzle, winning an incredible £97,000 prize. The speechless winner could only exclaim "Oh my God!" as her victory was confirmed.
Viewer Reactions to Challenging Final Question
On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), viewers shared their reactions to the difficult final question. One person declared: "No because the question was impossible!" while another wrote: "Nah couldn't guess the last question."
A different viewer expressed frustration with the explanation pace: "No. The explanation was too quick. I wish more time was allocated to explaining the answer to the 1% question, as it's always the most tricky, but the explanation is always rushed."
Show Format and Regular Broadcast
The 1% Club features 100 new contestants each week attempting to solve puzzles that escalate in difficulty. Starting with questions that 90% of people should be able to answer (according to the show's creators), the challenges progress to the final question designed for only the top 1% of problem-solvers.
The show continues to air every Saturday night on ITV and ITV X, offering viewers weekly doses of brain-teasing entertainment and the chance to see ordinary people win life-changing sums of money through intellectual prowess.
