“£1,000,000 WITHIN REACH… AND THEN IT ALL SLIPPED AWAY.” On Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, one contestant came heartbreakingly close to life-changing money — only to watch £875,000 vanish in a single decision. Jackie Lynch had climbed the ladder with confidence, locking in £125,000… but there was a catch — no lifelines left. Then came the question that changed everything. You could see it on her face — hesitation, doubt, the realization that help was gone. “I can’t go any further…” she admitted quietly, choosing to walk away. Moments later, the truth hit. The answer she needed… was right there. Viewers were left stunned, calling it a “painfully expensive mistake” — a moment where one choice, made under pressure, cost nearly a million. And once you see how it unfolds — the hesitation, the silence, the reveal — it’s the kind of moment that stays with you long after the question is over.

WHO Wants To Be A Millionaire viewers were left shocked after a contestant missed out on the chance to win £875,000 after making a series of silly mistakes.

One question in particular tripped her up – but did you know the right answer?

a man in a suit stands in front of a millionaire logo
Jeremy Clarkson returned to screens for a new episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on Sunday eveningCredit: ITV
a woman with the name jackie lynch bayswater
He welcomed contestant Jackie to the stage firstCredit: ITV
a woman is answering a question about floyd mayweather 's 2015 boxing match
Jackie tried her best to climb the money ladder, but missed out on a whopping £875kCredit: ITV

During Sunday’s episode (October 6), host Jeremy Clarkson welcomed a new group of contestants who hoped to bag their shot at becoming a millionaire.

Jackie Lynch from Bayswater was first to step up to challenge – but ITV viewers were quick to criticise her performance.

She initially sailed through the competition, although she used up her lifelines in the first few rounds.

But as her confidence increased, it seemed like Jackie would do well as she continued to climb the money ladder.

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By the time she reached £125,000 unscathed, Jackie decided to use her safety net, meaning that prize money was in the bag.

But she was tripped up by the next question, with no lifelines left.

Jeremy asked: “Dubbed the ‘Fight of the Century,’ Floyd Mayweather’s 2015 boxing match against which opponent was the highest-grossing in history?”

He then read out the multiple choice answers which were: “A: Oscar De La Hoya, B: Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, C: Manny Pacquiao or D: Conor McGregor.”

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As Jackie realised this would have been a good question for her friend who she already phoned, she admitted she can’t go any further.

Before revealing that she would have guessed De La Hoya, Jackie firmly said that she was not going to guess and will take the money instead.

The correct answer was Manny Pacquiao.

Jackie’s decision to take the money and quit the competition meant she missed out on her chance to bag a further £875,000.

And viewers thought she could have done this if she hadn’t used up her lifelines on the earlier questions.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, to voice their fury over the episode, one fan raged that Jackie “made an expensive mistake” using her lifelines too early in the show.

Hardest Quiz Show Questions

Would you know the answers to some of quizzing TV’s hardest questions

  • Who Wants To Be A Millionaire – Earlier this year, fans were left outraged after what they described as the “worst” question in the show’s history. Host Jeremy Clarkson asked: “From the 2000 awards ceremony onwards, the Best Actress Oscar has never been won by a woman whose surname begins with which one of these letters?” The multiple choice answers were between G, K, M and W. In the end, and with the £32,000 safe, player Glen had to make a guess and went for G. It turned out to be correct as Nicole Kidman, Frances McDormand and Kate Winslet are among the stars who have won the Best Actress gong since 2000.
  • The 1% Club – Viewers of Lee Mack’s popular ITV show were left dumbfounded by a question that also left the players perplexed. The query went as follows: “Edna’s birthday is on the 6th of April and Jen’s birthday falls on the 15th of October, therefore Amir’s birthday must be the ‘X’ of January.” It turns out the conundrum links the numbers with its position in the sentence, so 6th is the sixth word and 15th is the fifteenth word. Therefore, Amir’s birthday is January 24th, corresponding to the 24th word in the sentence.
  • The Chase – The ITV daytime favourite left fans scratching their heads when it threw up one of the most bizarre questions to ever grace the programme. One of the questions asked the player: “Someone with a nightshade intolerance should avoid eating what?” The options were – sweetcorn, potatoes, carrots – with Steve selecting sweetcorn but the correct answer was potatoes.

“She could have gone all the way if she used the lifelines smarter,” said another.

While a third fumed: “And this is why you shouldn’t waste your lifelines on easy questions.”

“3 lifelines wasted,” agreed another, while a fifth ITV viewer moaned: “Well, that was a very expensive lesson.”

Viewers were particularly annoyed that Jackie chose to ask the audience for help on a pop culture question, which they felt she should have easily been able to answer.

a man and woman are on a television show called who wants to be a millionaire
Jackie was caught out by boxing questionCredit: ITV

“Which singer was played by Austin Butler in a 2022 film?” Jeremy asked for £8,000.

Jackie visibly groaned as the TV host read the question and gave her the answers: “A: Elvis Presley, B: Bruce Springsteen, C: Kurt Cobain, D: Axl Rose.”

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“I saw the film. I just couldn’t be sure who played him,” she admitted, before thanking the audience for their help.

The audience’s participation helped Jackie advance much further into the competition before she stumbled on the boxing question – but did you know the answer?

a woman in a red jacket is sitting in front of a black background .
Jackie even admitted she could have got further had she not already used her lifelineCredit: ITV
a man in a suit and glasses is sitting in front of a laptop computer on a stage .
Jeremy ended up sending her home with £125,000

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