A quiz show contestant has hit back after viewers accused him of cheating by rubbing his ears to signal an answer on ITV’s The 1% Club.
Jason Duckett, who appeared on the show with his wife Rowena, faced wild online claims after he was seen rubbing his ear lobes during a question about the words “ear” and “hear.”
The show, hosted by Lee Mack, challenges contestants from a field of 100 to claim a £100,000 prize.
Jason’s ear-rubbing gesture triggered a probe, but both he and Rowena, who had already been eliminated, were quickly cleared of any wrongdoing.
Jason responded to the allegations: “I almost admire the creativity of someone to come up with that because I hadn’t thought of that. There was nothing to gain for either of us. We were both out. Anything I was doing was to just sort of calm myself.”
He added to The Sun: “If you spin it, you could say my arms are folded. Was the answer harm and arm?”
During the show, Lee Mack had asked the question: “To which body part can you add one letter at the start to make it the word for the job it does?”
One viewer tweeted: “Ear ear… think there was a wee bit of cheating going on in 1% Club.”
Another added: “Bit naughty from Mr Duckett there rubbing his ear.”
The incident drew comparisons to the infamous Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? scandal involving Major Charles Ingram, who won £1 million after allegedly being tipped off by a coughing accomplice in the audience.
A spokesperson for The 1% Club addressed the controversy, commenting: “Any game show worth its salt attracts conspiracy theories. But happily, initial inquiries quickly established that there were no grounds for suspicion.”
The 1% Club will return later this year with two new series. Applications to take part are open now.
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