The 1% Club Contestant Misses Out on £96,000 After Final Puzzle Stumps Him

Brett came within one question of winning £96,000 on The 1% Club, but a last-minute gamble ended in disappointment after he struggled to solve the show’s final puzzle.

In the episode, hosted by Lee Mack, 56, Brett answered every challenge correctly on his way to the final. There, he faced a choice: take a guaranteed £10,000 or risk it for the £96,000 jackpot and a place in the 1% Club.

A High-Stakes Final Challenge

Brett chose to go all in. His task was to complete three connected sentences by inserting the same four-letter word into each one. The word had to make sense in all three sentences.

With 30 seconds on the clock, Brett studied the puzzle but struggled to find a word that fit. As time ran out, he sighed and appeared shaken by the challenge.

The sentences were:

• “_____ I am certain that he read the man’s notes.”
• “I am certain that _____ he had read the man’s notes.”
• “I am certain that he had read the man’s _____ notes.”

When the timer sounded, Brett admitted he had written “last” because he could not see the answer. But the word the show was looking for was “only”.

The reveal prompted gasps from the audience as Brett’s chance at the jackpot slipped away.

Lee Mack Offers Encouragement

Lee told Brett he had taken a big gamble and praised him for making it to the final. Although he did not win the jackpot or enter the 1% Club, Brett still walked away with £1,000.

The host also reminded him that he had done better than the other contestants in the room and congratulated him on his performance.

Viewers Question the Puzzle

Some viewers took to X to argue that Brett had been treated unfairly. One called the puzzle “a joke”, saying the first and last sentences did not make sense and that they felt sorry for him.

Another questioned how “only” worked in the final sentence, writing: “Robbed him. How does only make sense in the bottom sentence?”