Tipping Point viewers were left frustrated when finalist Dave turned down Ben Shephard’s offer to trade his winnings for three final counters — only to watch the £10,000 jackpot counter fall with the very first one.
Friday’s episode of the ITV game show saw Elizabeth, Ali, Abi and Dave battle it out for the chance to walk away with a sizeable cash prize.
Civil servant Dave quickly established himself as the contestant to beat, taking an early lead after building a total of £1,150 in the opening round.
Elizabeth, meanwhile, failed to bank any money and became the first contestant eliminated.
Abi was subsequently sent home, leaving Dave and Ali to fight for a place in the final.
But Dave continued to benefit from the notoriously unpredictable Tipping Point machine and eventually overcame Ali to secure his spot.
Tipping Point: Viewers were left raging after Dave refused the £10k offer (Image: ITV)
Dave turns down Ben Shephard’s final offer
The final proved to be a tense affair as Dave attempted to knock the elusive £10,000 jackpot counter from the machine.
At one point, he appeared agonisingly close.
“Oh, Dave,” host Ben Shephard said as the counter teetered on the edge. “Look at that, it was on it.”
With the questions and categories exhausted, Ben explained that Dave still had one final opportunity to go after the jackpot.
However, there was a major catch.
Dave had already accumulated £4,150, and accepting Ben’s offer would mean risking that money in exchange for three additional counters.
The jackpot counter was visibly sitting on the edge of the bottom shelf, making the decision even more difficult.
Dave admitted he was worried about exactly what might happen if he accepted the trade.
“The thing that is really going to annoy me is, you’re going to say, ‘Well let’s have a look at what is going to happen’,” he told Ben.
“And the first time it goes down, it’s going to drop it.”
Dave acknowledged that there was also a possibility it could go the other way.
But after weighing up the choice, he made his decision.
“No, I have made up my mind Ben. I am going to stick with what I have got,” Dave said.
Jackpot drops with the very first counter
Ben then played out the trade scenario anyway — and Dave’s fears were immediately realised.
The very first counter dropped through the machine and knocked the £10,000 jackpot counter from the bottom shelf.
The moment left viewers watching at home stunned, with many taking to social media to question why Dave had rejected the offer.
One viewer simply wrote: “Dave’s had a shocker.”
Another was far more frustrated, asking why he had not taken the trade after the jackpot appeared so close to falling.
Others described the decision as a major missed opportunity, with one viewer calling it “nailed on” after seeing the jackpot tumble with the first counter.
Another joked that it was a classic case of hindsight, while others insisted Dave should have taken the gamble.
Despite the frustration from viewers, Dave ultimately chose to protect the £4,150 he had already won rather than risk it chasing the £10,000 jackpot.
Sometimes on Tipping Point, the hardest decision comes after the questions are over — and Dave’s choice provided one of those moments.
Tipping Point airs weekdays at 4pm on ITV.