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Funniest incorrect quiz show answers of all time

By Charlie Duffield

TV quiz shows are an endless source of entertainment and there are plenty on our screens to choose from.

Unsurprisingly, over a third of Brits say quiz shows are actually their favourite form of TV indulgence.

There’s plenty of scope for embarrassing mistakes
There’s plenty of scope for embarrassing mistakes

With hundreds of participants taking part in quiz shows everyday, there’s plenty of scope for embarrassing mistakes - and some have been written into the TV history books.

To celebrate UN World Television Day, Gala Bingo has compiled a list of the funniest ever quiz show fails. Has one been missed off the list? Comment with your suggestions.

1. Monkeying around

One Weakest Link guest thought that a civilisation of apes laid the foundations for our motorways.

Question: In UK geography, the road called Watling Street that now forms part of the A5 was originally built by which civilisation?

She said: Apes

Answer: The Romans

You are the weakest link (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)
You are the weakest link (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)

2. Cry me a river

Contestants on Million Pound Drop lost £1,000,000 on their first turn when they were asked about an award won by Justin Timberlake.

Question: Justin Timberlake won an award in October this year for helping to protect what?

They said: His film Friends with Benefits

Answer: The environment

Cry me a river (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)
Cry me a river (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)

3. Pastry problems

One Tipping Point guest couldn’t figure out which pastry rhymes with ‘cronut’ to reveal the inspiration for the dessert. So he passed the question to someone else.

Question: Created in a New York bakery in May 2013, the ‘cronut’ is a cross between a croissant and what other food item?

He didn’t know.

Answer: Doughnut

Feeling the pressure (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)
Feeling the pressure (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)

4. Lost in Austen

A contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? tragically went home empty handed after a literature faux paux.

Question: Which of these girls' names is the title of a Jane Austen novel?

He said: Jane

Answer: Emma

Lost in Austen
Lost in Austen (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)

5. A saucy mistake

Two self-proclaimed £100k Drop superfans lost £100,000 on the first question when they split the money between two incorrect answers.

Question: The name of which Italian sauce derives from an Italian phrase literally meaning ‘in sailor’s style’?

They said: Carbonara and Puttanesca

Answer: Marinara

Not so saucy now...(Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)
Not so saucy now...(Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)

6. Feeling under the weather

It was another disastrous round of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? when a guest used his 50:50 lifeline...and still got the answer wrong, walking away with no money.

Question: Which word means the prevailing weather conditions of a region?

He said: Front

Answer: Climate

7. Merry Wednesday!

Sometimes it’s the simplest questions which can throw off your winning streak, as this confused Tipping Point contestant realised.

Question: On which day is Christmas celebrated each year?

They said: Wednesday

Answer: Christmas Day

Merry Wednesday! (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)
Merry Wednesday! (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)

8. What’s good for the Goosey is good for the Gandhi

Remember when Bamber Gascoigne used to present University Challenge? Either way, one guest had a surprising answer for this question about the famous Indian activist.

Question: What is Gandhi’s first name?

They said: Goosey

Answer: Mohandas

Goosey (Photo: ITV/Rex Features)
Goosey (Photo: ITV/Rex Features)

9. We all scream for ice cream

One guest on The Chase had Bradley Walsh in stitches when she thought refreshment providers took a very hands-on role at football games.

Question: In 2009, Sunderland scored against Liverpool when the football deflected in off what object?

They Said: Ice Cream Van

Answer: Beach Ball

Bradley Walsh was in hysterics (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)
Bradley Walsh was in hysterics (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)

10. Calendar crisis

Back to Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, and one player left with no prize money after getting confused about the number of days in the month.

Question: Which is the second month of the calendar year to have only thirty days?

They said: September

Answer: June

September or June? (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)
September or June? (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)

11. Pink Lady?

Someone on The Chase didn’t know what colour the iconic New York landmark.

Question: The Statue of Liberty is a pale shade of what colour?

They said: Pink

Answer: Green

hat colour is the Statue of Liberty? (Photo:ITV/Gala Bingo)
What colour is the Statue of Liberty? (Photo:ITV/Gala Bingo)

12. The home of witty banter?

A guest on The Chase didn’t know which TV channel with a man’s name was created 12 years ago.

Question: Which of these is a TV channel launched in 2007?

They said: Stan

Answer: Dave

Banter
Banter

13. In for a penny...

A guest on The Chase wasn’t too informed on history, suggesting that a 2015 £2 coin was made depicting King John holding a mobile phone.

Question: A £2 coin issued in 2015 was criticised for a ‘schoolboy error’ because it showed King John holding what?’

They said: Mobile Phone

Answer: Quill

Confused on The Chase (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)
Confused on The Chase (Photo: ITV/Gala Bingo)

14. Oh deer

And finally, Who Wants to be a Millionaire host, Jeremy Clarkson, accidentally congratulated this guest for the wrong answer. It was only when the correct answer lit up that Clarkson and the guest realised the error, immediately putting a stop to his celebrating.

Question: What type of wild animal is an ibex?

They said: Deer

Answer: Goat

Deer
Deer

Perhaps TV quizzes aren’t as easy as they look! Try the quiz for yourself