The 1% Club contestant calls herself “thick” after changing her answer to a Vincent van Gogh picture puzzle

One small change of mind cost a The 1% Club contestant the chance to get a surprisingly simple picture question right.

Margaret was among the players taking part in the ITV quiz show hosted by Lee Mack when contestants were shown three versions of a Vincent van Gogh self-portrait and given just 30 seconds to identify the altered image.

The catch was easy to miss. One of the portraits had been digitally changed to show the famous Dutch artist wearing earbuds.

Could you spot the altered Van Gogh portrait?

The question asked:

“Which of these Vincent van Gogh self-portraits has been altered?”

Contestants had three images to choose from, with the clock running for 30 seconds.

The correct answer was C. The image showed Van Gogh wearing earbuds, something that immediately gave away that the portrait had been altered.

Van Gogh died in 1890, meaning earbuds were not around at the time. The altered image also played on the artist’s well-known association with his ear after he famously cut off part of it following a confrontation involving fellow artist Paul Gauguin.

Four contestants selected the wrong answer.

When Lee Mack turned his attention to Margaret, she admitted that she had actually identified the correct image at first, choosing C, but then changed her answer.

Asked why she had switched her choice, Margaret could only laugh at herself.

“God alone knows, I don’t,” she replied.

She then described herself as “thick as two short planks” after getting the question wrong.

The moment was particularly frustrating because she had initially had the correct answer before talking herself out of it.

The quiz is designed to test logic, not general knowledge

The 1% Club begins with 100 contestants, with players attempting to work their way through questions based largely on logic and common sense. Those who make it to the final 1% question have the opportunity to win up to £100,000. ITV describes the format as a quiz in which contestants do not need to rely on memorised general knowledge.

That approach can make seemingly simple questions surprisingly difficult, particularly when contestants have only a short time to examine an image or work through a puzzle.

And Margaret’s Van Gogh mistake was not the only picture-based question to cause problems for the players.

20 contestants were caught out by a footprint puzzle

In another round, a 30% question proved difficult enough to eliminate 20 players.

Lee asked the contestants:

“How many RIGHT FOOTPRINTS can you see in the sand?”

An image filled with footprints was displayed, and players had 30 seconds to work out which prints belonged to right feet and which belonged to left feet.

The contestants came up with a range of answers, but the correct number was eight.

The eight right footprints were subsequently highlighted in green, making it clear which prints the players should have been counting.

Would you have changed your answer?

The Van Gogh question highlights one of the biggest traps on The 1% Club: sometimes the hardest part is trusting the answer you reach first.

Margaret had already picked C, the correct option, before changing her mind. In a quiz where contestants have only seconds to assess a problem, that last-second doubt can make all the difference.

The 1% Club is hosted by Lee Mack and airs on ITV1 and ITVX. The show’s format sees 100 contestants compete for a top prize of up to £100,000, with questions designed around logic and common sense.