Lee Mack stunned as 22 contestants are knocked out by one 50% Club question

A seemingly simple picture puzzle caused chaos on The 1% Club, with 22 contestants eliminated in a single round and host Lee Mack describing the result as a “massacre.”

The ITV quiz show is designed to test logic, observation and common sense rather than general knowledge. Each episode begins with 100 contestants, who face increasingly difficult questions as they try to reach the final 1% challenge and a share of the prize pot.

The dramatic elimination came during a 50% question involving a set of ballet dancers. The challenge looked straightforward, but a surprisingly large number of players failed to spot the detail they needed.

Could you answer the ballerina question?

Lee presented the contestants with a grid containing eight pictures of ballet dancers.

The question was:

“How many of these dancers have their left leg in the air?”

The players had to study the images carefully before locking in their answers.

At the 50% stage, contestants also have the option of using their pass. The pass allows them to skip a question, although they have to sacrifice their £1,000 stake to do so.

Despite that option, 22 contestants gave the wrong answer and were eliminated when the time ran out.

Lee was visibly surprised by the size of the exodus.

“Wow, that is a massacre. We’ve lost 22 people,” he told the studio.

He then joked: “Were you lot listening when I said you had a pass?”

The answer was four

The correct answer was four.

Lee subsequently went through the pictures and pointed out which of the eight dancers had their left leg raised.

The result was another reminder of what makes The 1% Club different from conventional quiz shows. The questions are based on how successfully members of the public answer them, with the percentage determining their difficulty. Contestants are therefore tested on reasoning and observation rather than their ability to recall facts.

The show begins with 100 players and can offer a top prize of up to £100,000, depending on how much money has accumulated in the prize pot.

It was not the only question to leave viewers scratching their heads

The ballerina puzzle was not the only tricky challenge associated with the show.

In another episode, contestants faced a question asking them to count the dots on the small I’s and the crosses on the small T’s in a particular sentence.

The answers given by contestants ranged from 9 to 14, with only one of the five finalists getting it right.

Lee revealed that the correct answer was 14.

The question was particularly difficult because it required contestants to pay close attention to every relevant letter rather than simply understand the sentence.

Viewers also struggled with a previous 1% question

Another episode produced a very different reaction when three contestants reached the final 1% question and were competing for a share of a £93,000 prize pot.

All three chose to attempt the final challenge rather than walk away with a smaller amount of money.

The puzzle displayed a sequence based on the letters L and R. Contestants were told that LLL = A and RRR = H, with the sequence beginning at START.

They then had to work out the word represented by:

LLR, LLL, LRR, RRL, RRL

The answer was BADGE.

The puzzle divided viewers.

Some thought it was unusually straightforward for a 1% question, with one viewer calling it “the easiest 1% question ever.” Another said the 1% challenge had been easier than the 5% question.

Others had a very different experience. One viewer admitted they had not even understood the question, let alone worked out the answer.

That contrast is part of the appeal of The 1% Club. A puzzle that appears obvious to one person can prove surprisingly difficult to another, particularly with the clock counting down.

The 1% Club continues to test contestants with increasingly demanding logic and observation puzzles, with Lee Mack guiding the players through each round. The programme is available on ITV1 and ITVX.