For the first time ever, a contestant on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel has managed to walk away with a whopping £82,000 for answering a single question.
Helen from Edinburgh did the unthinkable when she was raised to the wheel in the closing minutes of the show after the other two contestants built the bank up to £21,000.
Faced with whether or not to increase the potential winnings of a cash-out question, she decided to enlist fellow Scot Ally McCoist for help and risk it all.
‘You know what, I’ve come with nothing and I’ve done nothing so far, so I think I need to stick with my fellow Scot,’ Helen said as cheers erupted from the audience.
The category she landed on after spinning the wheel was Lost Civilisations, to which she exclaimed, ‘Oh no,’ as she realised she might be in a spot of bother.
She was tasked with answering the question: ‘The ancient city of Troy, the site of the legendary Trojan War, is located in which modern day country?’
The available answers were Egypt, Greece, Iraq or Turkey and she instantly said that she ‘wasn’t sure,’ but was ‘leaning towards Egypt.’
Ally said he didn’t think it was Egypt or Greece and while he admitted he ‘wasn’t an expert at all’, he was leaning towards Turkey.
With only 30 seconds to discuss her question with Ally, Helen eventually locked in Turkey.
‘I’ve got no idea’, she nervously exclaimed, while her and Ally put their faces into their hands and both said they couldn’t watch what would happen next.
And then the moment happened. She locked in the right answer.
The two Scots jumped out of their seats and blew kisses at each other before embracing, as they took in what had just happened.
Earlier in the show, Helen had said that she was would like to use any money she might win to give her gran a proper send-off after she died last year during Covid restrictions.
‘It’s been a tough couple of years and my sister is a doctor as well,’ she added after winning the jackpot.
‘Working through Covid and not being able to see my parents and then losing my gran… to be able to finally have a break and celebrate my gran in the way she deserves to be celebrated, thanks so much,’ she said through tears.
She also offered to take Ally for a pint to thank him.
As Michael said, Helen was ‘the only person ever to pop up right at the end, answer one question and for the most money, and let’s be honest Ali answered it’.
The Wheel airs at 6pm on Saturdays on BBC and is streaming on iPlayer.
