Ben Shephard couldn’t hide his frustration during Monday’s episode of Tipping Point after a contestant managed to talk himself out of an answer he already knew was correct.
Contestant Owen was faced with a question about Edinburgh — and his own experience should have made the answer an easy one.
Instead, a moment of doubt sent him in completely the wrong direction, leaving both himself and host Ben exasperated.
Tipping Point contestant Owen bungled a question after talking himself out of the right answer(Image: ITV)
Owen knew the answer — then changed his mind
Ben asked Owen:
“What is the name of the main peak and centrepiece of Holyrood Park in Edinburgh?”
The contestant was given three options: Arthur’s Seat, Arthur’s Table or Arthur’s Plate.
Before Owen made his choice, Ben tried to guide him through the wording of the question.
He also asked whether Owen was a fan of the Edinburgh Fringe.
“Yeah, I go up every year, and I’ve climbed Arthur’s Seat which I know is a big hill,” Owen replied nervously.
At that point, the correct answer appeared to be staring him in the face.
Ben encouraged the contestant, inching him towards the right answer(Image: ITV)
Just seconds after giving his answer, Owen backtracked(Image: ITV)
Ben continued to prompt him, asking whether he would describe the location as both a “peak” and a “centrepiece.”
But Owen’s confidence began to disappear.
“I’m wondering if it’s table, but that’s just a guess,” he said before committing to Arthur’s Table.
Almost immediately, he regretted it.
“Oh no, I think I’m wrong now”
Ben raged at the Tipping Point contestant after he gave his answer(Image: ITV)
Just seconds after giving his answer, Owen closed his eyes and admitted:
“Oh no, I think I’m wrong now.”
Ben couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
The presenter went back through Owen’s own reasoning, emphasizing that he had personally climbed Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh.
“You walked up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, in the park,” Ben reminded him.
Gutted Owen was kicking himself afterwards(Image: ITV)
Owen then added another bizarre detail: “And I’ve been to a chip van called Arthur’s Eat.”
That only made the situation more amusing.
“So you’ve been to Arthur’s Eat and walked up Arthur’s Seat. You’ve ignored what you’ve done and you’ve gone with Arthur’s Table,” Ben joked.
Then came the reveal.
Arthur’s Table was wrong.
The counter turned red, confirming Owen’s mistake.
Even Ben was left exasperated
Owen immediately kicked himself.
“I knew as soon as I did that,” he admitted.
Then he imagined how frustrating it would be to watch the moment back from home.
“If I was watching at home I’d be so angry with me.”
Ben’s response was immediate:
“I’m angry with you!”
Owen still needed confirmation.
“Is the answer Arthur’s Seat?” he asked.
“Yes of course it is! For heaven’s sake!” Ben exclaimed.
The exchange left viewers at home equally baffled.
Viewers couldn’t believe he ignored his own experience
Fans quickly took to social media to discuss Owen’s decision.
One viewer pointed out the obvious contradiction:
“‘I’ve walked up Arthur’s Seat.’ This guy is telling himself the right answer and decides to say something else.”
Another joked about the chain of evidence Owen had given himself:
“Well I’ve been to Edinburgh…and I’ve walked up Arthur’s Seat…and I know it’s a hill…and I’ve eaten at a chippy called Arthur’s Eat… so my answer is Arthur’s Table.”
Others were equally stunned.
“So he’s walked up Arthur seat but goes for Arthur table,” one viewer wrote alongside a face-palm emoji.
Another added:
“He’s been there, climbed up it, KNOWS THE NAME OF IT, and still gets it wrong. Unreal.”
A fifth viewer summed up the mood by calling the answer “Arthur’s Table” and joking that even Ben appeared exasperated.
Owen’s mistake was the kind of quiz-show moment that is painful to watch precisely because the correct answer was already sitting in his own memory.
Sometimes, knowing the answer isn’t the hard part.
It’s trusting yourself enough to give it.
Tipping Point airs weekdays on ITV.