The 1% Club viewers have been left divided over a tricky question after some argued that the answer given on the ITV quiz show did not match the wording of the question.
Hosted by comedian Lee Mack, the programme challenges contestants with increasingly difficult questions designed to test their ability to think carefully and interpret the wording. With a potential prize of up to £100,000, viewers at home are also encouraged to play along.
This time, however, one question sparked a debate over whether contestants were expected to give the programme’s answer or follow the wording literally.
Viewers challenge the official answer
The disputed question involved the number of fingers and toes a person would have:
“If you had eight fingers on your left hand, six fingers on your right hand, the same number of toes on your right foot as your left hand and three toes on your left foot, how many fingers and toes would you have on total?”
The answer given on the programme was 25.
But several viewers argued that the wording actually pointed to 17.
One viewer explained their interpretation on social media, arguing that “the same number of toes on your right foot as your left hand” should mean the number of toes on the right foot matches the number of toes on the left hand — which would be zero.
Using that interpretation, the calculation would be:
8 + 6 + 0 + 3 = 17.
The debate quickly gained attention, with other viewers agreeing that the wording was particularly important given the nature of The 1% Club.
‘It’s all about how the questions are phrased’
Another viewer argued that the show should have made the intended meaning clearer.
They said the question should have specified “the same number of toes on your right foot as the number of fingers on your left hand” if 25 was supposed to be the answer.
The original poster agreed, saying they had also selected 17 because the programme’s questions are built around carefully reading and interpreting the wording.
Some viewers admitted they initially went with 25 before reconsidering the question.
One person said they were annoyed with themselves for getting 25 “correct” before realizing that, based on the wording, 17 appeared to be the more appropriate answer.
Another viewer similarly said they had chosen 25 at first but changed their interpretation after reading the question again.
Independent adjudicator reportedly called in
The disagreement reportedly went beyond social media.
According to a post on the Digital Spy forum, an independent adjudicator was brought in after a contestant gave an answer relating to the disputed question.
The forum user claimed that the contestant’s answer was accepted, and that 17 was ultimately accepted as a correct answer by the independent adjudicator.
The controversy comes after viewers had already raised concerns about another alleged error involving an answer on The 1% Club earlier in the same week.
LADbible has contacted ITV for comment.