‘Idiot’ Millionaire Contestant Uses Two Lifelines on First Two Questions — Then Wins £125,000
Conor Kim appeared to be heading for an awkward early exit on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? after using a lifeline on the very first question and another immediately afterwards.
Instead, the Westminster legal assistant went on to overcome his shaky start and walk away with an impressive £125,000, leaving host Jeremy Clarkson and viewers stunned by his unexpected turnaround.
A Painful Start on Question One
Conor’s trouble began almost immediately when he faced the opening question, which asked which Keith was a member of the Rolling Stones.
The choices included Keith Chegwin and Keith Richards, but Conor could not decide between them. Rather than risk getting the answer wrong, he used his lifeline and handed the decision over to Jeremy Clarkson.
Realising his moment of uncertainty was about to be broadcast on television, Conor admitted: “This is going to be on TV forever.”
Clarkson was clearly astonished that the contestant did not know the answer. The presenter even agreed with Conor that the moment had made him “look like an idiot” on national television.
He pointed out that the Rolling Stones were an “institution” and suggested Conor would be remembered for the incident for a long time.
“You’ll be remembered for a very, very long time,” Clarkson told him.
His Second Lifeline Went on Question Two
Things did not immediately improve.
On the very next question, worth just £200, Conor was asked which phrase was an old-fashioned, polite way of saying “going to the toilet.”
The four options were “beating around the bush”, “spending a penny”, “letting off steam” and “hitting the sack”.
Once again, Conor hesitated rather than confidently moving forward.
He used his second lifeline, asking the show to eliminate two of the answers through the 50/50 option.
Using two lifelines on the opening two questions left viewers in disbelief, with many expecting the contestant to struggle throughout the rest of the game.
Instead, Conor proved them wrong.
From Shaky Start to £125,000 Winner
Despite his uncertain beginning, Conor continued through the game and eventually secured a £125,000 prize.
His remarkable turnaround quickly became a talking point among viewers, many of whom took to Twitter to celebrate the contestant’s unlikely success.
One viewer joked about the “iconic moment” when Conor could not determine whether Keith Chegwin or Keith Richards was the Rolling Stones member.
Another wrote: “Wow, the person who used a lifeline on the first question is now the biggest winner of the series so far!”
A third viewer summed up the disbelief: “That was mad! Used a lifeline on £100 and £200, and walks away with £125k!”
Viewers Defend the Contestant
Not everyone thought Conor’s early uncertainty meant he lacked intelligence.
Some viewers suggested that nerves may have played a role, while others pointed out that questions only seem easy when you happen to know the answer.
One commenter said Conor was “a bit nervous” and praised his banter with Clarkson, while admitting that he had been lucky to win such a substantial amount.
Another argued that a younger contestant might reasonably struggle with references to Keith Chegwin or the phrase “spending a penny”, particularly if they were unfamiliar with the era in which those references were more common.
“I wouldn’t have known the answer for the second one,” another viewer admitted, explaining that they only knew “hitting the sack” as a phrase for going to bed.
Others, however, were surprised that Conor did not know Keith Chegwin, while some commenters admitted they did not know who he was either.
The debate ultimately highlighted a simple point: a question that seems obvious to one person may be surprisingly difficult to someone else.
And for Conor, those early moments of uncertainty mattered little in the end. Despite burning through both lifelines almost immediately, he managed to turn an awkward opening into a £125,000 victory.