The 1% Club question that left viewers completely stumped

A question on The 1% Club proved so difficult that the contestant facing it ultimately realised he had given the wrong answer, while viewers watching at home struggled to solve it too.

The quiz show, hosted by comedian Lee Mack, puts 100 contestants through a series of increasingly difficult questions. Contestants are eliminated as the game progresses, eventually leading to the final challenge: a question that only one percent of the population is expected to answer correctly.

What makes The 1% Club different from many traditional quiz shows is that the questions do not rely on general knowledge. Instead, contestants have to draw on logic, common sense and their ability to think carefully under pressure.

That combination has produced plenty of head-scratching moments, and one particularly tricky question has recently resurfaced on TikTok.

Can you solve it in 30 seconds?

The clip, from an episode that aired in May last year, shows Lee Mack putting the question to a contestant named Elliot.

He asks: “What is the first number that when spelled out has its letters in alphabetical order?”

Elliot has only 30 seconds to come up with an answer.

After thinking it through, the contestant appears to settle on an answer. He gives a small smile and lets out a sigh, seemingly convinced that he has worked it out.

But his confidence quickly disappears.

Moments later, Elliot puts his hands over his face and starts shaking his head before admitting to Lee: “I haven’t got it.”

Lee points out that he does not look particularly confident. By this point, Elliot looks visibly distressed by the situation.

When the answer he had locked in is revealed, it becomes clear why.

Elliot had chosen four, but he already knew that wasn’t correct.

Viewers couldn’t agree on the answer either

The clip has since been shared on TikTok, where viewers have been trying to solve the puzzle themselves.

Even after the correct answer was revealed, some people were still confused. Several viewers suggested that the answer was eight, although that is not correct.

Others argued that solving the question legitimately within the 30-second time limit would be almost impossible.

One viewer wrote: “Nobody is doing this legit in 30 seconds.”

Another admitted: “I got it, but I had to pause the video. never would’ve reached it under pressure.”

A third person revealed that they had made exactly the same mistake as Elliot, writing: “I thought it was four also.”

So, what’s the answer?

The correct answer is forty.

It is certainly a painful one for Elliot, who got as far as locking in his answer before realising he had gone for the wrong number.

He was close, but with only 30 seconds on the clock, this was one 1% Club question that proved surprisingly difficult for both the contestant and plenty of people watching at home.