In its near three-decade history on air, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has seen big winners - and an unlucky few who lost out on life-changing sums of cash. Only seven contestants have thus far won the ITV show's jackpot, but plenty more found themselves tripped up by difficult questions.
Jen Essery Lillikakis: A Costly Gamble
In Sunday's episode, Jen Essery Lillikakis took to the hot seat hoping to win big to pay for an exotic honeymoon with her newlywed husband Kyri, who was seated in the audience. She tackled the early questions on topics including art, Shakespeare, sportswear brands and cookery with ease, before being left baffled. Jen's luck took a big downturn on the £500,000 question, when host Jeremy Clarkson asked her: 'According to Guinness World Records, which of these has travelled at over 260 miles per hour during a competitive game or match? Tennis ball, ice hockey puck, badminton shuttlecock or table tennis ball?' She used her sole remaining lifeline, Phone A Friend, to ask her dad Chris, but he didn't know the answer. Jeremy issued a stern warning, saying: 'You are now completely on your own and have no more lifelines. If you get this wrong, if you go for it and get it wrong, you lose £186,000.' He also pointed out that she could choose not to answer and walk away with £250,000. She responded: 'Would I be more annoyed at giving it a go and getting it wrong… or not giving it a go?' Jen selected ice hockey puck, only to soon discover the correct answer was badminton shuttlecock. Reacting to the monumental loss, Jeremy said: 'Oh my god you have just lost £186,000! It is unbelievable you took a punt on that. You need a bravery award for that.' Taking it on the chin, Jen said: 'Well, that's fine. I have won £64,000' - due to setting this as her safety net earlier in the game.
Other Unfortunate Contestants
Nicholas Bennett (May 25, 2025) - Lost £375,000
Nicholas, a data analyst from West Hempstead, correctly answered 14 questions before it all went wrong. On the £1,000,000 question, he was asked: 'Which of these words, each coined by a famous writer, was derived from the title of a fairy tale about three princes?' The options were Pandemonium, Serendipity, Utopia, or Yahoo. He used both Ask the Host and Phone A Friend lifelines, but neither knew the answer. He opted to take a risk by choosing Yahoo, only to discover the right answer was Serendipity.
Duncan Bickley (October 21, 2000) - Lost £218,000
Helicopter instructor Duncan, from Brentwood in Essex, got through 13 questions during his game. The 14th, for £500,000, asked: 'What was the name of Amy Johnson's plane in which she flew solo to Australia in 1930?' The options were Achilles, Pegasus, Hercules, or Jason. He used his last lifeline, 50/50, leaving Pegasus and Jason. Believing Pegasus was a winged horse, he chose it, but the answer was Jason.
Rob Mitchell (November 1, 2003) - Lost £218,000
Rob, a database administrator from Leicestershire, reached the £500,000 question. The question asked: 'How many inches tall is an Oscar statuette?' Options were eight and a half, eleven, thirteen and a half, or sixteen. He used Phone A Friend to ask his sister-in-law Moira, who didn't know. He chose eleven, but the answer was thirteen and a half.
Eleanor Ayres (January 1, 2019) - Lost £125,000
Eleanor, a proofreader from Cambridge, came up short on the £500,000 question. The question: 'The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole on 14th December of which year?' Options were 1891, 1901, 1911, or 1921. She used Ask the Audience, which chose 1901 (47%), but the correct answer was 1911.
Jim Titmuss (April 5, 2000) - Lost £93,000
Computer consultant Jim, from Middlesex, reached the £250,000 question. The question: 'Where was the highwayman Dick Turpin hanged in 1739?' Options were Glasgow, Carlisle, Norwich, or York. He used 50/50, leaving Carlisle and York, and incorrectly chose Carlisle.
John Brandon (December 23, 2000) - Lost £93,000
Railways manager John, from Tunbridge in Kent, reached the £250,000 question. He was asked: 'Which of these sports has an even number of players in a standard team?' Options were Baseball, Rugby league, Netball, and Volleyball. He initially decided not to gamble, but then reasoned Baseball has 10 players, Rugby league 13, Netball 7, and Volleyball 7. He changed his mind and selected baseball, but the correct answer was volleyball.
Sheila McHale (February 8, 2001) - Lost £93,000
Sheila, an IT consultant from Weston-super-mare, reached the £250,000 question. She was asked: 'Which is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust?' Options were Silicon, Iron, Aluminum, and Potassium. She used 50/50, leaving Iron and Aluminium, and chose Iron, but the correct answer was Aluminium.
Robert Brydges and Judith Chalmers (September 9, 2003) - Lost £93,000
A special episode saw past jackpot winner Robert Brydges team up with former travel presenter Judith Chalmers. They reached the £250,000 question: 'Which of the Great Lakes of North America has the smallest surface area?' Options were Ontario, Superior, Michigan, and Erie. They incorrectly chose Erie, with the actual answer being Ontario.
Ken Owen (February 26, 2005) - Lost £93,000
Promotional products manager Ken, from Kent, reached the £250,000 question: 'Kermit was one of the middle names of which First Lady of America?' Options were Mamie Eisenhower, Edith Roosevelt, Patricia Nixon, or Nancy Reagan. Ken answered Nancy Reagan, but the right answer was Edith Roosevelt.
Jerry Walder (March 4, 2006) - Lost £93,000
Patent agent Jerry, living in Suffolk, got tripped up on the £250,000 question: 'Which of these actors was knighted in 1953?' Options were Laurence Olivier, Charlie Chaplin, John Mills, and John Gielgud. He used 50/50, leaving only Mills and Gielgud, and incorrectly chose Mills.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
