10-07-2025
15 TV quiz questions contestants have been stumped on – are you cleverer than the quizzers and know the answers?
TV quizzes are some of the nation's favourite shows, with Brits tuning in to see if they could be good enough to take home the huge cash prizes.
However, with only six people ever taking home the top sum in the 27 year history of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, it's safe to say that TV quizzes are far from easy.
From questions that left The Chasers stumped, to conundrums that not even Oxford and Cambridge students could answer, here are some of the hardest TV quiz questions of all time.
1. What did Andy Murray start tying to his tennis shoes in 2015? (The Chase)
A. Front door key
B. Wedding ring
C. Piece of haggis
This question stumped Chaser Paul Sinha, who failed to answer it correctly back in 2015.
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2. The atomic number of sulphur is 16, what is the sum of the atomic numbers of the four elements whose symbols spell the word snob? (University Challenge)
Boffins from both Oxford and Cambridge, answered this question incorrectly after it was posed by host Jeremy Paxman before he stepped down as the show's host in 2023.
3. A one with a hundred zeroes trailing is known by which term? (Who Wants to Be A Millionaire)
A: Googol
B: Megatron
C: Gigabit
D: Nanamole
Charles Ingram answered this £1 million question right back in 2001. However, he never received the winnings, after it emerged that he had cheated.
4. Last month was not May or July. Next month is not January, March, or November. Neither last month nor next month is April, August, or December. What month must it be? (The 1% Club)
This has been branded one of the hardest 1% Club questions ever, with only 1% of the population thought to be able to get it right.
How can optical illusions and brainteasers help me?
Engaging in activities like solving optical illusions and brainteasers can have many cognitive benefits as it can stimulate various brain regions.
Some benefits include:
Cognitive stimulation: Engaging in these activities challenges the brain, promoting mental agility and flexibility.
Problem-solving skills: Regular practice enhances analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Memory improvement: These challenges often require memory recall and can contribute to better memory function.
Creativity: They encourage thinking outside the box, fostering creativity and innovative thought processes.
Focus and attention: Working on optical illusions and brainteasers requires concentration, contributing to improved focus.
Stress relief: The enjoyable nature of these puzzles can act as a form of relaxation and stress relief.
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5. What word appears in the titles of over 200 novels by romantic novelist Barbara Cartland? (The Chase)
A. Love
B. Pink
C. Desire
The Chaser got this question wrong when they were faced with it, could you have beaten them?
6. The packaging for a perfume launched in the 1930s by the designer Elsa Schiaparelli is the origin of the two word name of which colour, described in a contemporary publication as a 'crude, cruel shade of rose (University Challenge)
Brainboxes from Imperial and Oxford both gave incorrect answers to this question, in series 46 of the show.
7. Which king was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine? (Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?)
A. Henry 1
B. Henry II
C. Richard 1
D. Henry V
Contestant Judith Keppel missed out on the £1 million jackpot back in 2000, after answering this question incorrectly.
8. What word are you left with if you DEBUG this line of code?
VANTIFLEACTOBEETLERTICKY (The 1% Club)
Only 1% of people in the UK can get this right. Are you one of them?
9. Traditionally, sailors would get a tattoo of what bird after travelling over 5,000 nautical miles? (The Chase)
A. Swan
B. Seagull
C. Swallow
The Chaser was confounded by this question. But do you know the answer?
10. In Gulliver's Travels, which island is separated from Lilliput by an 800-wide channel? The two empires are involved in an on-going war over which end of a boiled egg should be broken (University Challenge)
A student from Imperial interrupted this question to blurt out the wrong answer, whilst the team from Cambridge were left completely stumped.
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11. What are the commonly known four-letter words that can be found inside the five words listed; Pumpkin, Bicycle, Penchant, Pageant, Nowhere? (The 1% Club)
99% of people are thought to be unable to answer this tricky conundrum.
12. Which of these people was born the same year as Queen Elizabeth II? (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?)
A. Audrey Hepburn
B. Judy Garland
C. Julie Andrews
D. Marilyn Monroe
Davyth Fear missed out on £1 million by choosing not to answer this question, despite phoning a friend for help.
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13. What would you be most likely to do with a Bedford Rascal? (The Chase)
A. Drive it
B. Eat it
C. Wear it
The Chaser got this wrong, but do you know the answer?
14. Which of these UK prime ministers never served as foreign secretary? (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?)
A. Winston Churchill
B. Alec Douglas-Home
C. Anthony Eden
D. Harold Macmillan
John Robinson chose to walk away with £500,000 in 2019, after being unsure of the answer to this question.
15. What four-word phrase can you get if you keep everything below, but remove 'two letters' in order? TIWOAMLAWETINTENRESR (The 1% Club)
This 1% Club question stumped contestants, but can you figure it out?
Answers
B, wedding ring
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A, Googol
April
A, Love
Shocking Pink
B, Henry II
Victory
C, Swallow
Blefuscu
Pump, Page, Here
D, Marilyn Monroe
A, Drive it
A, Winston Churchill
I am a winner
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