Competing to potentially win a life-changing sum of money on TV can certainly puts the pressure on quiz show contestants.
But some have managed to go so badly wrong on simple questions, that they doubtless left viewers howling at the screen.
With more than a third of Brits admitting that quiz shows are their top TV indulgence, GalaBingo.com has compiled 14 of the most hilarious wrong answers from popular shows, including The Chase and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
They include a man who struggled to identify the date that Christmas Day falls on, replying with ‘Wednesday’, while a Weakest Link guest claimed that apes had laid the foundations for the A5 motorway.
Scroll down to read their blunders and see if you would have fared better. The correct answers are at the bottom.
1. The weakest link
In UK geography, the road called Watling Street that now forms part of the A5 was built by which civilisation?
Apes
Romans
Saxons
Vikings?
A contestant hilariously thought that a civilisation of great apes had laid the foundations for the A5 motorway.
2. MILLION POUND DROP
Justin Timberlake won an award in October this year for helping to protect what?
Friends with Benefits
Trouser snakes
The environment
Sexy Backs
After misunderstanding the simple question, these guests lost £1,000,000 on their first turn, insisting that Justin Timberlake won an award for ‘protecting his film Friends with Benefits’.
3. TIPPING POINT
Created in a New York Bakery in May 2013, the ‘cronut’ is a cross between a croissant and what other food item?
A guest couldn’t work out which pastry rhymes with ‘cronut’ to reveal the inspiration for the dessert, and passed the question to another guest.
4. WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE
Which of these girls’ names it the title of a Jane Austen novel?
Emily
Emma
Jane
Sophie
This guest went home with nothing after selecting ‘Jane’ as the title of an Austen book instead of the classic novel ‘Emma’.
5. £100K DROP
The name of which pasta sauce derives from an Italian phrase literally meaning in the sailor’s style?
Carbonara
Puttanesca
Marinara
Arabbiata
Self-proclaimed £100k Drop superfans lost £100,000 on the first question, splitting their money between ‘carbonara’ and ‘puttanesca’ for the sailor-inspired Italian sauce.
6. WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?
Which word means the prevailing weather conditions of a region?
Front
Climate
Pressure
Forecast
This Who Wants to be a Millionaire guest used his ‘50:50’ lifeline and still got the answer wrong, walking away with no money after choosing ‘front’ as the ‘prevailing weather conditions of a region’.
7. TIPPING POINT
On which day Christmas is celebrated each year?
24th December
25th December
26th December
27th December
When asked on which day Christmas is celebrated each year, this confused contestant responded with ‘Wednesday’.
8. UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE
What was Ghandi’s first name?
Mahatma
Goosey
Karamchand
Back in the days when Bamber Gascoigne used to present University Challenge, one guest had a surprising name for Gandhi, responding ‘Goosey’ when asked for activist’s first name.
9. THE CHASE
In 2009, Sunderland scored against Liverpool when the football deflected in off what object?
Beach ball
Ice cream van
Sunbathing German
A guest had Bradley Walsh in stitches when she thought refreshment providers took a very hands-on role at football games.
10. WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?
Which is the second month of the calendar year to have only thirty days?
February
September
May
June
This guest didn’t know which months have 30 days and chose ‘September’ instead of ‘June’. He left the show with no prize money.
11. THE CHASE
The Statue of Liberty is a pale shade of what colour?
Pink
Brown
Green
A guest didn’t know what colour the iconic New York landmark, the Statue of Liberty, is – opting for ‘pink’ instead of ‘green’.
12. THE CHASE
Which of these are a TV channel launched in 2007?
Dave
Stan
Bert
A guest didn’t know which TV channel has a man’s name and chose ‘Stan’.
13. THE CHASE
A £2 coin issued in 2015 was criticised for a ‘schoolboy error’ because it showed King John holding a:
Sword
Quill
Mobile phone
A guest wasn’t too informed on history, suggesting that a 2015 £2 coin was made depicting King John holding a mobile phone.
14. WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE
What type of wild animal is an ibex?
Goat
Hare
Pig
Deer
Host Jeremy Clarkson, accidentally congratulated this guest for the wrong answer, assuring him that an ibex was indeed a type of deer. It was only when the correct answer lit up that Clarkson and the guest realised the error, immediately putting a stop to his celebrating.
