ITV 1% Club probe as couple accused of cheating after viewers spot 'suspicious' gesture giving away major clue

1% Club fans were left suspicious of the couple

ITV
Lauren Williams

By Lauren Williams


Published: 30/05/2024

- 17:41

The 1% Club saw a husband and wife battle it out in the ITV quiz show hosted by Lee Mack

The 1% Club viewers claimed they saw husband and wife Jason Duckett and Rowena Duckett "cheating" during their time on the ITV show after Jason seemed to signal the answer to his wife.

One hundred contestants join host Lee Mack for a chance to win a staggering £100,000 prize pot, but as the rounds go on, more and more contestants are eliminated as the questions get harder.


During a recent episode, some fans claimed that the couple were signalling the answers to one another after they spotted Jason rubbing his ear when it came to the 20 per cent question.

It read: "To which body part can you add one letter at the start to make it the word for the job it does?"

The correct answer to one question was "ear" and "hear", leaving many watching at home to realise that Jason was rubbing both ear lobes and looking towards his wife.

Taking to their X accounts, one commented: "Did anyone else notice this guy giving away the answer when he touched both his ears?"

The 1% Club

The "cheating" occurred during the 20% question

ITV

Another wrote: "Ear ear . . . think there was a wee bit of cheating going on in 1% Club."

"Bit naughty from Mr Duckett there rubbing his ear," a third stated before another penned: "Well well... people didn't learn from Millionaire cough gate! Touching his ear for the answer!" (sic)

The wild claims soon caught the eye of Jason and Rowena themselves and forced them to clear up the accusations, especially as they were both already eliminated when the "cheating" occurred.

Writing on social media, Jason said: "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.

The 1% Club

Many thought that Jason was signaling the answer ​

ITV

"Anything I was doing it was to just sort of calm myself. If you spin it, you could say my arms are folded. Was the answer harm and arm?"

The claims echo the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? contestant Major Charles Ingram who won £1million after being tipped off by a friend coughing in the audience.

A 1% Club spokesman said: "Any game show worth its salt attracts conspiracy theories. But happily, initial inquiries quickly established that there were no grounds for suspicion."

GB News has contacted ITV for a comment.

The cheating claim comes after many fans were outraged and threatened to complain to Ofcom after it was revealed they changed the name of one contestant due to her name being too "hard" to pronounce.

Big Brother star Yinrun Haung appeared on the same episode and unfortunately was eliminated during the 80 per cent question, but this isn't what infuriated her fans.

She wrote on her Instagram: "I’m on the 1% Club Tonight!! This was filmed at the start of 2023 so I’ve had to keep my participation a secret for so long! But it’s finally here and I can’t wait to watch it back!! (This is one of my favourite series).

"Thanks to the show for having me as a player, I had the best time and lots of laughs, plus Lee Mack is so charming. Please tune in on ITV1 at 20:55 pm to watch the episode, and see how powerful my brain really is!! Can you get the 1% question? Good luck.

"P.S Just in case anyone is confused, I was given the name ‘Runrun’ on the show, but it’s still me, I don’t have a twin." (sic)

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