Who Wants To Be A Millionaire contestant is hailed one of the 'best ever' by Jeremy Clarkson as she storms to £250K without using a lifeline before losing the £500K question - so, can you replicate her 13-question winning streak?
by Jessica Rach For Mailonline- Who Wants to be a Millionaire contestant had viewers on the edges of their seat as she gambled on the £500,000 question despite still having a lifeline left
- Eleanor Ayres, a copy editor from Cambridge, sailed throug first 15 questions
- She used just one lifeline when she reached the £250,000 question which she got right, but gambled on the £500,000 question, losing £125,000
- Found herself stuck on the £500,000 question, asking which year the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundson reached the South Pole
- After asking audience chose the majority answer, dropping to £125k although she could have walked away with £250,000 by not answering the question
- How far would you have got? Scroll down to take the test, answers at the bottom
Last night a Who Wants to be a Millionaire contestant had viewers on the edges of their seat as she gambled on the £500k question despite still having a lifeline left - losing £125k.
Eleanor Ayres, a copy editor and non-practising solicitor from Cambridge, sailed through the first 15 questions of the show, using just one lifeline when she reached the £250k question.
Having secured £125k before getting the correct answer on the £250k question with the help of the 50/50, she found herself stuck on the £500k question, asking which year the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundson reached the South Pole.
After asking the audience, she chose the answer that the majority went with, losing £125k and dropping to £125k, although she could have walked away with £250k by not answering the question - much to the viewers's dismay.
So how far would you have got? Scroll down to take the test, the answers are at the bottom.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Questions
1. Fastest Fingers First question
Starting with the earliest, put these iconic villains in the order they first appeared in a major film.
A. Darth Vader B. Wicked Witch of the West C. Cruella De Vill D. Lord Voldemort
2. (£100) Which of these is a traditional accompaniment to fish and chips?
A. Pulpous broccoli B. Quaggy cabbage C. Squishy spinach D. Mushy peas
3. (£200) In rugby, what is scored when a player grounds the ball behind the opponent's goal line?
A. Cry B. Dry C. Fry D. Try
4. (£300) In 2014, Susana Reid co-presented the first episode of which new show?
A. Good Morning Britain B. Good Afternoon Britain C. Good Evening Britain D. Good Night Britain
5. (£500) Formed in 1964, by what name is the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team known as?
A. Midnight Hawks B. Black Falcons C. Red Arrows D. Blue Angels
6. (£1,000) What does the letter P stand for in the abbreviation SPF?
A. Pool B. Planet C. Protection D. Pocket
7. (£2,000) 'Ol blue eyes' and 'Chairman of the Board' were popular nicknames given to which American singer?
A. Elvis Presley B. Frank Sinatra C. Johnny Cash D. Andy Williams
8. (£4,000) Between July and November 2014 more than 800,000 ceramic flowers were planted at which London landmark?
A. Tower of London B. Trafalgar Square C. Tower of London D. Buckingham Palace
9. (£8,000) Where is the Dewey Decimal System most likely to be used?
A. Library B. Cloakroom C. Greenhouse D. Wine Cellar
10. (£16,000) 'I don't know how to love him' is a song from which Andrew Lloyd Webber musical?
A. Cats B. The Phantom of the Opera C. Starlight Express D. Jesus Christ Superstar
11. (£32,000) In 2015 which artist created the Dystopian 'bemusement park' called 'Dismaland'?
A. Banksy B. Tracey Emin C. David Hockney D. Sarah Lucas
12. (£64,000) Which of these is a type of arachnid?
A. Mite B. Mantis C. Earwig D. Termite
13. (£125,000) In Green mythology, which goddess was kidnapped by Hades and made Queen of the underworld?
A. Demeter B. Persephone C. Hera D. Athena
14. (£250,000) A lion is depicted on the national flag of which of these countries?
A. Maldova B. Albania C. Zambia D. Sri Lanka
15. (£500,000) The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundson reached the South Pole on the 14th December which year?
A. 1891 B. 1901 C. 1911 D. 1921
Eleanor beat six other contestants with the Fastest Fingers First question, taking just 3.21 seconds to put four iconic villains in order of their appearance in major films.
The contestant kicked off the repeat episode last night, with the support of her husband Robert and brother Tim in the audience, and flew through the first six questions.
She stopped briefly at the £300 question and admitting she hadn't watched GMB but chose that as the answer to the show Susanna Reid first presented in 2014, with presenter Jeremy Clarkson chiming in: 'You haven't watched it because of Piers Morgan I assume? I haven't watched it either'.
Landing on the £1,000 question, the last question where contestants can go home empty-handed, she gambled and said: 'I'm pretty sure the 'p' in SPF factor stands for 'protection', that is my final answer, moving onto the next phase of the game.
Keeping a cool head, Eleanor opted not to take the £2,000 safety net, sailing onto the £32,000 question and admitting she was hoping to get 'into the five figures'.
When offered to set the safety net at £32,000, Eleanor said: 'I'm very tempted to set the safety net there as that's where it used to be, but I've still got all my lifelines, so let's keep going'.
The level-headed contestant showed her first sign of wavering at £32k question, admitting she wasn't sure the artist behind famous 2014 installation 'Dismaland' was Banksy, and despite having £15,000 to lose, caused a stir when she decided to go with the guess - still without using a lifeline.
When asked what she would spend the money on if she went all the way, she replied: 'Well we moved house last year and still haven't got any furniture so that would be a good start. Then we haven't been away since I had my eldest child in 2014, so we'd go on a family holiday somewhere like Disney World'.
Despite admitting that she had planned to set her safety net at £64,000, as she hadn't used her life lines, she decided not to.
Eleanor used her first lifeline on the twelfth question, worth £64,000, when asked whether a mite, mantis, earwig or termite was a type of arachnid - with the 50/50 leaving her with mite and earwig.
Showing no hesitation, she chose mite, with an impressed Jeremy exclaiming: 'Well that's just brilliant, they love you!', and clapping.
Moving on, Eleanor joked: 'I think it's time to set the safety net at £125,000'.
And the Greek mythology enthusiast had no trouble with the question, revealing straight away that the goddess was kidnapped by Hades and made Queen of the underworld, was Persephone.
'Whatever happens, you go home with a six-figure sum!', Clarkson exclaimed, as a smiling Eleanor calmly replied: 'That's very nice'.
The next question, worth £250,000, asked which national flag depicts a picture of a lion, listing Maldova, Albania, Zambia, Sri Lanka.
A tense scene saw Eleanor going through the flags, and admitting that Sri Lanka was the first option that came to mind, as Jeremy joked: 'You can't learn the internet for this show'.
'How tense is this', Jeremy asked, as Eleanor said: 'I'm just thinking whether to go without using a lifeline', as Jeremy said: 'It's daft to go home and not to use a lifeline', and she replied: 'Well I wont lose anything!'.
She then decided: 'I'm going to ask you, you've travelled a lot'.
Jeremy admitted: 'I have no knowledge of this question - there were tigers and elephants in Sri Lanka but I'm not certain there were lions. I can't help and I'm ashamed of myself. You still have ask the audience and phone a friend'.
Upping the ante just 25 minutes in, Eleanor said: 'I'm going to play it', opting not to go with her two other lifelines.
'Bloody hell!', Jeremy exclaimed, you now have £250,000 and two lifelines left.
But Eleanor started to stumble on the £500,000 question, which asked which year the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundson reached the South Pole.
'I don't know that this is something my phone a friends would know, I think I'll ask the audience', she said, admitting she had some knowledge of the explorer, 'I think it's A or B, but it could also be C'.
Half of the audience went for 1901 (B), with Eleanor admitting: 'That's what I thought but I don't know if I talked them into it'.
Jeremy Clarkson reminded her: 'You don't have to play, or you can use your last lifeline?', before adding: 'The worst thing is I actually know this one'.
She responded: 'Well I've still got £125,000 whatever happens, and if I get it right I still have the last lifeline'.
After a nail-biting break, Jeremy revealed she had chosen the wrong answer, sighing: 'This question is for £500,000 - you chose 1911 and that is the wrong answer! I'm so sorry, the answer was 1911.'
Speechless, Eleanor and the audience could be heard gasping, as Jeremy said: 'Let's not dwell on it - you're still going home with £125,000. You must surely be one of the best contestants we had!'.
And Twitter users expressed their frustration that she hadn't used her last 'phone a friend' lifeline, with one writing: 'This woman on Who wants to be a millionaire has p****d me off. Had a lifeline left. Said she didn’t know the answer and guessed. Lost £125k'.
Another added: 'Stressing me out this! Why would you throw away £125,000 on a question you don’t have a clue about'.
One tweeted: 'The woman on Who Wants to be a Millionaire! I can't believe she has just done that!'
Elsewhere others expressed their sympathy, with one writing: 'Not going to lie I am crying that woman’s just lost £250,000!' (sic).
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Answers
1. B, C, A, D
B. Wicked Witch of the West C. Cruella De Vill A. Darth Vader D. Lord Voldemort
2. D
Mushy peas
3. D
Try
4. A
Good Morning Britain
5. C
Red Arrows
6. C
Protection
7. B
Frank Sinatra
8. C
Tower of London
9. A
Library
10. D
Jesus Christ Superstar
11. A
Banksy
12. A
Mite
13. B
Persephone
14. D
Sri Lanka
15. C
1911