Eight contestants made it all the way to the final question on The 1% Club — but none could solve the puzzle in time, leaving the £97,000 prize pot untouched.
The dramatic result came during the ITV quiz show’s December 10 episode, when the remaining players faced the 1% question after making it through the competition alongside 92 other contestants.
A picture puzzle with a hidden word
Host Lee Mack presented the finalists with a simple-looking graphic and asked: “What word is represented by this picture?”
The image showed the number 8 inside an ice cube, with the contestants given just 30 seconds to work out the answer.
When the time ran out, Mack prepared to reveal whether anyone had managed to crack it. The studio then lit up red, confirming that all eight finalists had answered incorrectly.
“I’m afraid you all got it wrong,” Mack told them.
The correct answer was “incubate” — a wordplay combination of “in-cube-eight.” The reveal prompted groans from the audience as it became clear that none of the finalists had managed to reach the 1% Club.
Only one contestant left with money
Although nobody won a share of the £97,000 jackpot, one contestant did leave with some money.
Jonathan was awarded £1,000 for completing the game without using his ‘pass’ card to skip any earlier questions.
Mack offered the finalists some consolation, telling them they had still done better than everyone else who had taken part that night.
Viewers were stunned by the result
The unusual outcome quickly caught the attention of viewers playing along at home.
One viewer reacted on X: “Not one person got it..!”
Another joked that “The wheels on the brain bus well & truly fell off.”
A third pointed out that the eight finalists had all missed out on the jackpot, with Jonathan’s £1,000 being the only money won.
Viewers also shared their own guesses for the picture, including “infinite,” “eight squared” and “eight cubed.”
The 1% Club’s December run
The 1% Club returned to ITV for a special four-episode run from Monday, December 9, to Thursday, December 12, with Lee Mack continuing as host.
The show first premiered in 2022 and tests contestants on logic, reasoning and common sense rather than traditional general knowledge.
Two Christmas specials were also scheduled to air that month, while Mack was due to front another episode in support of Soccer Aid.
The quiz show had also enjoyed continued recognition, winning Best Quiz Game Show at the National Television Awards for the third consecutive year in September, beating The Wheel, Beat The Chasers, Richard Osman’s House of Games and Ant and Dec’s Limitless Win.
