Lee Mack left horrified after The 1% Club contestant reveals bizarre eyelash collection

Lee Mack was left visibly disgusted on The 1% Club after a student contestant revealed that one of his hobbies was collecting his own eyelashes.

Nathaniel Elder, a 20-year-old student studying computer science and philosophy, stunned the ITV host during a contestant interview when he produced a small plastic container filled with the unusual collection.

The bizarre exchange took place during the Saturday evening episode, which aired around the same time as the article’s publication on November 16, 2025.

Nathaniel’s unusual hobby leaves Lee Mack stunned

Nathaniel explained that collecting things was his main hobby and revealed that his current collection consisted of eyelashes.

He then showed Mack the container he had brought with him.

The comedian’s reaction was immediate. He described the collection as “absolutely disgusting”, prompting laughter from the studio audience.

Mack was clearly intrigued as well as horrified, asking Nathaniel how long he had been collecting the eyelashes. The student explained that the collection represented around two and a half years of eyelashes.

When Mack asked where he found them, Nathaniel simply replied that they came from his face.

The presenter then raised another obvious question: how could Nathaniel be certain the eyelashes belonged to him?

Nathaniel’s answer only made the exchange stranger.

He told Mack that a father always knows. After initially misunderstanding what he meant, Mack realised Nathaniel was referring to himself as the father of the eyelashes.

Nathaniel explained that he considered the eyelashes to be his children.

Mack was left baffled by the explanation and even joked about Nathaniel’s university studies, suggesting that perhaps psychology might be more appropriate than computer science and philosophy.

Viewers were equally bewildered

The strange confession quickly became one of the most memorable moments of the episode, with viewers taking to social media to discuss Nathaniel’s unusual hobby.

Some questioned whether the bizarre admission had been encouraged by the programme’s producers, while others simply could not understand why anyone would collect eyelashes.

One viewer wondered whether contestants were given unusual things to say before appearing on the programme.

Another said they had never encountered anyone who collected eyelashes as a hobby.

Other reactions were more playful, with one viewer joking about Nathaniel appearing like a serial killer by announcing his collection on national television.

Another person questioned exactly how someone could collect that many eyelashes and wondered whether Nathaniel somehow removed them deliberately.

Not everyone was focused on the contestant’s strange hobby, however. Some viewers criticised the amount of time Mack spends chatting with contestants who are eliminated, particularly compared with the limited time given to the eventual winners during the final round.

Others defended that part of the programme, saying the conversations between Mack and the contestants were one of the show’s biggest attractions. One viewer described The 1% Club as the best quiz show ever and praised Mack’s quick humour and the interaction between him and the contestants.

Nathaniel made it all the way to the 1% question

Despite the unusual conversation, Nathaniel proved that he was more than capable when it came to the actual quiz.

He survived round after round and eventually became one of just four contestants to reach the final 1% question.

The format of The 1% Club sees 100 contestants begin the competition, with the questions becoming progressively harder. Unlike traditional quizzes based on general knowledge, the programme tests logic, observation and common sense. The questions are tested on members of the public beforehand to establish what percentage can answer them correctly.

Each contestant starts with £1,000. When a player answers incorrectly and is eliminated, their £1,000 is added to the prize fund.

Nathaniel had also managed to progress through the competition without using his safety pass.

By the time the final stage arrived, just four contestants remained, with £95,000 available to whoever could solve the last challenge.

Martin takes the £95,000 jackpot

The final question presented the contestants with a visual puzzle. They were asked to work out the total number of squares contained within an image.

It was a question that previous research had shown only 1% of the public could answer correctly.

All four finalists submitted different answers.

Nathaniel was unable to find the correct solution, bringing his run to an end despite having reached the final stage without using his safety pass.

Martin, however, gave the correct answer: 46.

That saw him take the entire £95,000 prize fund.

Nathaniel left the competition with a £1,000 consolation prize, but his unusual eyelash collection had already ensured that he provided one of the night’s most talked-about moments.

The 1% Club, hosted by Lee Mack, has aired on ITV since 2022 and remains built around questions designed to test logic and common sense rather than general-knowledge recall.