‘What’s the dumbest answer you’ve ever seen someone give on a TV gameshow?’ – 25 moments of epic stupidity

British television is awash with brilliant quiz shows, from the unfeasibly intelligent University Challenge to the outrageously entertaining The Wheel.

What it doesn’t have in abundance, though, is quick-witted, thoughtful contestants. Redditor InviteAromatic6124 asked ‘What’s the dumbest answer you’ve ever seen someone give on a TV gameshow?’ and followed it up with an example of their own…

‘I’m watching Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win, and one of the contestants spent about 10 seconds trying to answer the question, ‘How many pence are there in a £2 coin?’ and she said ’16’.

‘Now, I know it’s a high-pressure environment, and people can go blank when their nerves get the better of them, but this was a particularly dumb answer to give even so. What are the dumbest answers you’ve seen a contestant on a gameshow give?’

And there were plenty of answers showcasing just how idiotic people of quiz shows can be.

1.

‘In his epic poems, Homer often refers to the nectar as the drink of the gods and which other substance as their food?

Doughnuts.’

–hutchipoos

2.

‘The Family Fortunes one: ‘Name a bird with a long neck’

Naomi Campbell.’
–1coffeejunkie1

3.

‘On Tenable, a guy was asked to name 10 different varieties of cheese. He genuinely didn’t have a clue, first he said Babybel, lost a life obviously. His next contribution was Cheese Strings.’
–Glass_Strain8333

4.

‘Person on Blockbusters who said that it was Doris who followed the yellow brick road. That person was me.’
–BobMonroeFanClub

5.

‘Name a famous mouse

Top Cat

Name a famous tower

Twin

[both from All Star Family Fortunes, the latter was Sophie from Corrie].’
–jillcrosslandpiano

6.

‘In the gameshow ‘The Golden Shot’ contestants called in and aimed a crossbow at various targets by directing someone in the TV studio left, right, up or down.

Someone called in to play and their aim was great initially but then went way way off. The host, Bob Monkhouse, asked jokingly if the contestant could see the TV screen.

Turned out he was calling from a phone box and was watching the show on the TVs in a shop window and someone had turned them over to the football.’
–Final_Flounder9849

7.

‘On Pointless a few years ago:

Who was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas?

JR Ewing.’
–Dull-Feeling5895

8.

‘Probably not the worst but the funniest I’ve ever seen was on Pointless, the questions was regarding top police officers, and the guy with a thick Irish accent said confidently ‘Carresa Dick’.
–rm12345677

9.

‘On the Weakest Link: ‘Complete this well known phrase. I scream, you scream, we all scream for …’

Contestant ‘Uhh..Joy?’.’
–EnchidnaDrakaina

10.

‘Tipping Point.

‘Which Nobel prize did Ernest Rutherford win?’

On the sofa at home we’re debating physics or chemistry.

Contestant …. long think … ‘Railways!’.’
–MsDragonPogo

11.

”Which civilisation originally built Watling Street, forming part of the A5?’

‘Apes.”
–69AssociatedDetail25

12.

‘Helen Flanagan on celebrity version of Weakest Link.

‘In geology, the White Cliffs of Dover are principally formed of what substance, chalk or cheese?’.

She reckoned cheese.’
–Far_Camel_5098