Only Connect Viewers Were ‘Yelling At Their Screens’ After Contestants Failed To Spot A Surprisingly Familiar Katy Perry Connection
Only Connect viewers are used to being defeated by impossibly obscure connections, but one puzzle produced a very different kind of frustration when contestants failed to recognize four hugely familiar Katy Perry song titles.
The BBC Two quiz returned with Victoria Coren Mitchell overseeing another battle of logic, lateral thinking and general knowledge, as the Al Frescans and the Midlanders competed for victory.
Things became especially tense during the Connecting Wall round, where each team is given 16 apparently unrelated clues and must divide them into four groups of four linked answers within two and a half minutes.
The Al Frescans managed to solve their wall perfectly.
The Midlanders were not so fortunate.
Four Clues That Looked Very Familiar To Viewers At Home
Among the words on the Midlanders’ wall were:
Firework
Hot N Cold
ET
Rise
The connection was that all four are songs by Katy Perry.
But the team failed to spot it.
Instead, they guessed that the titles were connected to Drew Barrymore films, leaving the group unsolved and costing them valuable points.
The Midlanders ultimately identified three of their four groups correctly, while the Al Frescans completed all four and secured the maximum 10 points available from the round.
For many viewers, however, the missed Katy Perry connection was the moment that stood out.
Victoria Coren Mitchell Could Barely Watch
As the Midlanders struggled to find the final connection, Coren Mitchell admitted that the tension was becoming uncomfortable.
“If I liked to bite my nails visibly on screen I would have done it there,” she said.
She then revealed the answer.
“I think you are clearly not fans of the work of Katy Perry. Katy Perry songs is what they are.”
The revelation immediately explained the four apparently unrelated titles.
“Firework” is one of Perry’s best-known singles, while “Hot N Cold,” “E.T.” and “Rise” also form part of her catalogue.
To viewers familiar with her music, the connection seemed almost impossible to miss.
Fans At Home Could Not Believe They Hadn’t Seen It
People watching from their sofas quickly reacted on social media, with some admitting they had been shouting the answer at their televisions.
One viewer wrote: “Me yelling ‘KATY PERRY SONGS’ at the TV #onlyconnect.”
Another joked that the episode had unexpectedly revealed the extent of their knowledge.
“Well, tonight’s Only Connect has made me realise I’ve a good knowledge of Katy Perry songs and Welsh Castles despite not owning any of her albums or visiting any of the said castles,” they wrote.
A further viewer expressed disbelief that such accomplished quizzers had failed to identify the connection.
“Watching smart people on Only Connect not recognise Katy Perry songs like what planet are you living on?”
The reaction highlighted one of the most entertaining features of Only Connect: a clue can feel completely obvious to someone at home while remaining invisible to contestants working under intense time pressure.
Why The Connecting Wall Can Be So Deceptive
The Connecting Wall is one of the show’s most unpredictable rounds because several clues can appear to fit more than one possible category.
That means finding four words with something in common is only part of the challenge.
Teams also have to work out whether those words form the intended group or whether they are deliberately placed as red herrings.
In this case, familiar titles such as “ET” and “Firework” could easily suggest films, objects or other cultural references.
The Drew Barrymore guess demonstrated exactly how quickly a plausible alternative can send a team in the wrong direction.
Once a wrong connection begins to look convincing, valuable seconds can disappear.
Quizzy Mondays Return To BBC Two
The episode formed part of the BBC’s returning Monday-night quiz lineup.
Clive Myrie began the evening with Mastermind at 7:30 p.m., followed by Coren Mitchell hosting Only Connect half an hour later.
Amol Rajan then completed the schedule with University Challenge at 8:30 p.m.
But despite the notoriously high difficulty level of all three programmes, it was four pop song titles on Only Connect that left viewers particularly animated.
The Midlanders may have been surrounded by complicated connections and deliberate distractions, but for Katy Perry fans watching at home, the answer was sitting in plain sight.
Firework. Hot N Cold. ET. Rise.
Four songs, one artist — and one connection that had viewers shouting at the screen.
Only Connect airs on BBC Two.