A seemingly scrambled sentence left viewers of ITV’s The 1% Club struggling to work out its hidden meaning, with only two contestants successfully solving the puzzle and securing a share of the £46,500 jackpot.
Hosted by Lee Mack, the popular quiz show challenges 100 contestants with a series of increasingly difficult questions that test their logic, reasoning and problem-solving skills. The questions become progressively harder, with the final challenge designed to be answered by only 1% of the UK population.
However, a particularly tricky code-breaking question on Saturday’s episode proved a stumbling block for most of the remaining players.
Can You Crack The Hidden Message?
By the time the final question arrived, just four contestants had made it through the competition and earned the chance to win a share of the prize money.
The challenge centred on Peter, who had recently rediscovered an old diary written in a secret code. Unfortunately, he could no longer remember how to decipher his own writing.
Contestants were asked to identify the underlined word hidden within the following message:
“WH89 I GR1W UP I WA92 21 B8 A 5L1RI72.”
At first glance, the sequence appeared to be a random collection of letters and numbers, making it difficult to determine what the original sentence might have been.
Two contestants failed to crack the code, but Maisy and Jasmine managed to work out the solution correctly. Their success earned them both a share of the jackpot, with each leaving the show with £46,500.
Lee Mack Reveals The Answer
After the contestants had attempted the puzzle, Lee Mack revealed the message’s true meaning:
“When I grow up I want to be a florist.”
The secret behind the code was simpler than it initially appeared. Peter had replaced letters with digits that began with the same letter. Once that pattern was recognised, the seemingly meaningless sequence could be translated into an ordinary sentence.
Maisy and Jasmine were visibly delighted to discover they had reached the correct answer, celebrating their success after navigating one of the show’s most challenging questions.
Another 1% Club Puzzle Sparks Debate
The hidden-code challenge was not the only question to leave viewers scratching their heads. In another recent episode, contestants faced a different puzzle that prompted a lively debate on social media.
This time, they were asked: “Without reordering any letters, how many animals appear in the sequence below?”
The sequence provided was:
PHEASANTORTOISEALION
Viewers were challenged to identify as many animal names as possible within the uninterrupted string of letters, without changing their order.
When Lee Mack revealed the answer, he counted six animals: pheasant, sea lion, ant, seal, tortoise and lion.
However, the explanation quickly divided viewers, with some questioning whether every item on the list should qualify as an animal.
Viewers Disagree Over What Counts As An Animal
Several viewers took to social media to challenge the inclusion of the ant in the answer, arguing that insects should not be classified as animals.
One person wrote: “#The1PercentClub An ant is NOT an animal! Outrage!”
Another viewer argued that the question’s wording was the problem, writing: “Pheasant is a bird, ant is an insect, seal and sealion are mammals, so the correct answer should be 2 (lion and tortoise).
“If the question was ‘how many creatures…’ then it’s 6. Bad question wording #The1PercentClub”
Others echoed the objection, with one posting: “#The1PercentClub An ant is an insect not an animal!”
Another simply agreed: “Ant is an insect.. #The1PercentClub…”
But plenty of viewers pushed back against the criticism, pointing out that insects are animals too.
One commenter questioned the number of people disputing the answer, writing: “The amount of people on the hashtag saying an ant isn’t an animal… #The1PercentClub.”
Another offered a more direct explanation: “To all those saying otherwise. Yes an ant is an animal. All insects are. #The1PercentClub”
The disagreement highlighted how a seemingly straightforward quiz question could spark a debate over scientific definitions, even after the host had revealed the intended answer.
The 1% Club airs on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.