The 1% Club has become a TV phenomenon since it first appeared on screens in 2022. The show has kept audiences captivated with its mind-bending teasers that only the most creative thinkers can solve. With contestants from all walks of life, it was only a matter of time before the younger generation had the chance to step up and take part.
The 1% Club kids special, which aired late last month, featured Lee Mack as the host for 100 young contestants aged between nine and 15. These participants were tackling tricky questions in a bid to win a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. Despite the questions being aimed at a younger audience, viewers at home found them just as challenging.
One example of this was a question that appeared at the 25% stage of the game, with 26 contestants remaining. The question was: “On Hannah’s 6th birthday, she went to a theme park. She really wanted to ride this rollercoaster but she was only one metre tall. Every year, Hannah gets five centimetres taller. How old will she be when she becomes able to ride the rollercoaster?”
The accompanying image showed a sign stating: “To ride, you must be at least 140cm tall or 12 years old.” Lee Mack joked, “This is just like being back at school isn’t it, only with a really cool supply teacher,” before revealing that five contestants had been eliminated by the question.
At first glance, the answer seemed obvious — Hannah would have to be 12 years old, as that was the minimum age allowed to board the ride. However, the question required some mathematical thinking. Since Hannah grew five centimetres every year, contestants had to determine whether she would reach the required height before turning 12.
In reality, Hannah would be 14 years old by the time she met the height requirement. But Lee Mack clarified, “On her 12th birthday she’ll be able to ride the rollercoaster despite only being 130cm tall.”
One contestant, Matilda, explained how she arrived at the answer: “I looked at the question while you were reading it and I didn’t work it out so I just put 12.” It was a guess, but an accurate one. While most of the young contestants got it right, some older viewers were baffled. One person on X said, “I’m out…because I didn’t read the sign properly.” Another added, “Fantastic series and I’ve voted for the NTAs but still didn’t get the 1% question right.”
Ultimately, five contestants — Immie, Ellie, Finley, Alayna and Olly — made it to the 1% question. Ellie and Finley went on to become proud members of the 1% Club after answering the final question correctly. The question was: “What number replaces the question mark in this pyramid?” The pyramid image showed the numbers 9 on the top row, 8 and 10 on the second, followed by 9 and 7, then a missing number, and finally 10, 8, 60 and 20 on the bottom row.
The correct answer was 13, as each number is the average of the two numbers directly beneath it. While fans are waiting for new episodes, the show continues to attract viewers on weekends, with recent repeats keeping audiences engaged.
One recent re-run saw players Christopher and Scott competing to win a share of £95,000 by solving a puzzler involving triangles. The question was: “How many triangles are there in this picture?” At first glance, the answer might seem straightforward, but the puzzle is more complex than it appears. Some triangles are obvious, while others are hidden and not immediately noticeable.
The correct answer was 18, but Christopher guessed eight, and Scott was close with an answer of 19. This shows that while it may be easy to play along at home, the show’s questions can be challenging even for the most logical minds. Especially when there’s only 30 seconds to figure out the answer.
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