The 1% Club viewers stunned as record number of contestants pass on an “obvious” question

Viewers of The 1% Club were left baffled after an extraordinary 39 contestants decided to use their one and only pass on a question that, in hindsight, appeared remarkably straightforward.

The moment came during the ITV quiz show’s episode on Saturday, 9 March, when host Lee Mack revealed that the contestants had set a new show record.

A question that left contestants stumped

For anyone unfamiliar with The 1% Club, the format puts 100 members of the public through a series of questions designed to test their common sense, intelligence and ability to think logically.

As the game progresses, the questions become increasingly difficult. Contestants who make it through to the final stages have the chance to win a share of a prize fund worth up to £100,000 by correctly answering a question that only one percent of the nation managed to solve.

However, one question in this episode proved unexpectedly difficult for a huge number of players.

The contestants were asked:

“Which of these is the odd one out in this CONUNDRUM?”

They were given four possible answers:

A. cord
B. norm
C. noon
D. Moon

Despite the game being only halfway through, 39 contestants were so unsure of the answer that they chose to use their pass.

Each player can use a pass only once, making the decision particularly significant.

Lee Mack was genuinely shocked

The correct answer was D. Moon.

As Mack explained, the word “Moon” was the only option that could not be formed using letters from the word “conundrum”.

Four contestants selected the wrong answer and were eliminated. But the number of people who had used their passes was what really caught the host’s attention.

Mack told the remaining contestants:

“Now here’s the interesting thing, you lot have just broken a record on The 1% Club, because four people went out, but it’s not four people that didn’t know it.

“39 people used a pass. 39. I think that’s the only time ever on the history of this show more people used a pass than actually knew the answer.

“I’m genuinely in shock.”

It was an unusual moment for the programme, with more contestants choosing to protect themselves with a pass than confidently attempting the question.

Viewers couldn’t believe it

Those watching at home were equally surprised by the number of contestants who had decided to pass.

One viewer posted on X:

“Omg the amount of people that used a pass.”

Another wrote:

“39 used their pass on this one??? #The1PercentClub Christ!!”

The show’s official account also joined in with the reaction, joking:

“Haven’t seen that many passes since the last @ManCity match.”

Other viewers shared an “I’m done” GIF in response to the moment, captioning it:

“39 people after that last question…”

With 39 contestants using their only pass on the same question, it was certainly an unexpected record for The 1% Club.

Would you have used your pass?