Ben Shephard struggled to contain his laughter on Tipping Point after contestant Sharon delivered what he described as one of the funniest wrong answers he had ever heard on the show.
The presenter is used to hearing some wildly incorrect guesses during the ITV quiz show, but Sharon’s response during Friday’s repeat left him particularly amused.
In fact, by the end of the round, Ben told her the answer had earned a place in his personal top three funniest wrong guesses.
Tipping Point’s Ben Shephard in stitches at players’ ‘funniest ever’ wrong guess(Image: ITV)
‘Papillon’ Leaves Sharon Stumped
During the quick-fire round, Ben asked Sharon a deceptively simple question.
“Papillon is the French for which flying insect?” he asked.
Sharon stared blankly for several seconds before eventually offering her answer.
“Dog?”
Ben immediately corrected her.
“Butterfly!”
The moment Sharon realised what she had just said, she burst out laughing along with Ben and the other contestants.
Ben said it was one of his favourite wrong answers he had ever heard on the show
When the round came to an end, Ben was still amused by the unexpected answer.
“We have had some good answers on Tipping Point, Sharon,” he told her.
“But I think that’s gone into my top three!”
Sharon could barely stop laughing at herself.
“Papillon is French for which insect, the old flying dog!” Ben joked.
Still red-faced, Sharon admitted: “I can’t believe I said dog!”
‘Flying Dogs’ Become the Punchline
Sharon couldn’t stop laughing at her own answer, though according to viewers, she did have a point
Unfortunately for Sharon, the hilarious moment did not change the outcome of the round.
She finished with £850, while her competitor Carly managed to collect £900 and secured her place in the game.
Ben nevertheless continued to tease Sharon about her memorable mistake.
“Sharon, you have come so so close!” he said.
“But let’s take the £300 and put it into your bank, we can see there’s just a flying dog in it!”
He then brought the round to an affectionate close.
“Sharon, I am so sorry it’s been absolutely brilliant and hilarious, but at £850 you and your flying dogs have found your tipping point, but great to meet you.”
“Thanks a lot, thank you!” Sharon replied.
Viewers Spot the Reason Behind the Mix-Up
The answer quickly amused viewers watching at home, with some pointing out that Sharon’s brain may not have been completely off track.
One viewer joked: “According to Sharon dogs can fly, I only watch this for the comedy value #tippingpoint.”
Another posted: “#TippingPoint just now (I know, I’m bored) ‘Papillion is the French name for which blind, flying insect?’ ‘Dog.’”
“Sharron, take a f**king bow girl, that’s the greatest answer to any question I’ve EVER heard,” they added.
A third viewer pointed out the obvious connection: “#tippingpoint #Sharron there is a dog breed called papillon.. but obvs it’s not a flying insect.”
Another joked: “If ever someone has deserved to lose it was sharron after the dog answer #tippingpoint.”
And another viewer summed up the confusion: “get that papillon is a dog but f**king hell, it’s not a flying insect. #TippingPoint.”
While Sharon’s answer cost her a place in the competition, it certainly gave Ben, her fellow contestants and viewers at home a moment to remember.
Tipping Point airs weekdays on ITV at 4pm.