posted on Aug, 4 2024 @ 10:36 PM
So, the wife and I gave up cable a couple years ago, but periodically we will stream something fun from the interwebz. Recently, we've been playing
along with the gameshow, "The 1% Club". For those unfamiliar, it's a Q&A game show which starts out with 100 contestants and everyone is asked a
question. People who get it wrong are eliminated. The questions get progressively more difficult as the game goes on. They phrase each successive
question by saying what percent of 100 will get the question correct. Some questions are easy, and some are very difficult. All of the questions
involve using your head in a common sense way, not just in a smart way. In other words, by about 50% most of the questions are trick questions. The
top prize is $100k, split evenly between all contestants who make it to the final round and answer the final question correctly.
My wife and I are pretty good at the game, and can usually get into the 10% bracket without any trouble (i.e. only 10 out of 100 will get it right).
Oddly, some of the questions in the middle 45-50% are the hardest and weed out the most players (often 10-15 per question). By the 10% question there
are usually only about 4-5 players left (out of 100).
Tonight we were watching, and were on a roll, batting 1000 on the questions all the way through. It came down to the final question, and there were
(2) contestants left ($50k each if they got it right). They asked question which was totally wrong, and nobody won. We got the answer correct (but
weren't contestants just viewers). Because we streamed and saved the game, we went back and reviewed the question. Sure enough, the question they
asked, was NOT the answer they gave.
They showed (5) longer words and the question was to form "common words" from each of the (5) complex words. I managed to form (5) common words.
The two contestants completely locked up. One of them got two words. The host remarked they missed it by only (1) word, that they needed to form
THREE common words out of the (5) words. This was NOT what the question asked; it said nothing about forming (3) words, only that you needed to form
a common word from ALL (5) words. There was absolutely no question about what the question asked, and no question about how wrong the host and the
show was about the answer given. The (2) contestants lost fair and square, so no argument there, BUT...if we had been there and answered all (5)
words, I believe we would have been disqualified also. Blatant error on the show.
So, tonight I decided to go out and look on the web about this. I discovered two things. First, I guess the show also has a UK counterpart (like
'Got Talent' and a few others). Second, I discovered our observation was not unique; the show has gotten the top question wrong on numerous
occasions. In some of the cases the contestants answered correctly only to be told they were wrong and sent home empty handed.
It's been a long time since we watched a show which was fun and challenging. I was pretty disappointed to see they give out a wrong answer, just
blatantly wrong, for the finale'.
Back to reading books again I guess. Bummer. (I was even contemplating sending in an application to see if I could get on the show too! Probably
never happen, but it's about the first time I ever thought that. I can generally rule on Jeopardy on most subjects, but sometimes they get into some
pretty obscure stuff which loses me. But not this 1% Club; if I can make it past question #5, I can usually go all the way). Question #5 and #6 are
generally the hardest questions (and even though they say these are 50% questions, they usually take out about 75% of the remaining contestants).
Anyway...bummer!