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Who Wants to Be a Millionaire £500k question leaves host Jeremy Clarkson stumped
Reach Daily Express | May 18, 2026 12:39 AM CST

We all love to shout answers at the telly when watching quiz shows, but this Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? question, worth a cool £500,000, has left the British public utterly baffled.

The ITV quiz show challenges contestants to answer multiple-choice general knowledge questions that become progressively more difficult as they advance. Contestants pocket a cash prize for each correct answer, beginning at £100 and rising all the way to £1 million at question 15. A solid grasp of subjects such as history, geography and sport is essential to climb the rankings - yet occasionally, a question emerges so challenging it foxes even seasoned experts in the field.

One particular question from a recent episode left social media users feeling "clueless", including those who might ordinarily be expected to know the answer.

David Stewart, a sports betting content producer and journalist, shared a photograph of his television while watching the episode earlier this month, admitting the sports-related question left him completely stumped.

The question was: "According to the Guinness World Records, which of these has travelled at over 260 miles per hour during a competitive game or match? A) Tennis ball, B) Ice hockey puck, C) Badminton shuttlecock, D) Table tennis ball."

Despite working within the sports industry, David hadn't the faintest idea what the correct answer was. He said: "Still staggered at this £500,000 question. I'd have been all in on ice puck and shown to be clueless."

David wasn't the only one left stumped by the question, as even the show's host Jeremy Clarkson admitted he hadn't a clue. He confessed he would have been equally lost, responding: "Me too."

But what is the correct answer? You now have a one in three chance of getting it right, given that you already know the ice hockey puck is off the table. So take a moment and see whether you can work it out.

The answer is revealed below, so stop scrolling if you're still mulling it over.

Answer

The correct answer is a badminton shuttlecock. According to the Guinness World Records website, the fastest badminton hit by a male currently stands at 351mph, achieved by India's Satwiksairaj Rankireddy at a gym in Soka, Japan, in 2023.

During professional matches, badminton shuttlecocks routinely surpass 250mph and are officially recognised as the fastest-moving objects in any sport. The in-game competition record stands at approximately 265mph, which is precisely what the question was looking for.

Reactions amongst commenters were divided. Some admitted they too would have plumped for the ice hockey puck, which does travel at considerable speed, while others suggested the hard rubber discs would cause "deaths" if they moved that quickly.

One person wrote: "Wouldn't have guessed shuttlecock in four tries."

But another responded: "I knew the answer and got laughed at by my family, until Jeremy revealed that I was correct."

A further comment read: "If a puck was travelling at that speed and hit someone, it would kill them, that's how you know it's not that. Shuttlecock was an easy answer."


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