An Aussie game show hopeful defied the odds this week, after rejecting a life-changing jackpot offer.
Contestant John, 72, appeared on Monday’s episode of popular Nine game show Tipping Point, where he had reached the endgame of the show – Jackpot Temptation.
He had already banked $4,200 and had his eyes firmly set on the $20,000 jackpot prize.
If that wasn’t enough temptation, host Todd Woodbridge upped the ante, much to the contestant’s surprise.
‘What would you say if I gave you one counter and increased the jackpot to $40,000?’ Todd asked.
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Tipping Point Australia contestant John defied the odds this week after rejecting a life changing $40,000 jackpot offer
‘You would lose $4,200 if you decided to take Jackpot Temptation, but it’s so rare to get to this position side-by-side.’
Playing it safe, John rejected Todd’s offer, saying: ‘The chance of one (counter)… it would have to fall 100 per cent in the right spot. So, no, I will sadly decline that.’
John’s move was praised by his wife Helen who shouted from the audience: ‘No, it’s too much of a risk.’
Todd then intervened with: ‘Helen what would do it for you?’ before tempting John again.
‘I’m going to give you a final offer. I will give you three counters for $20,000,’ Todd said as excitement in the studio rose.
It seemed that Lady Luck was smiling on John as he ended up nabbing the $20,000 jackpot with his first of three counters.
The crowd erupted in cheers over John’s big win and Helen rushed the stage to celebrate with her husband.
It comes after Channel Nine recently hit back at claims that the popular game show was ‘rigged’.
With a $20,000 jackpot on offer, host Todd Woodbridge upped the ante and offered John one counter and a stab at $40,000, which the contestant politely declined.
‘I’m going to give you a final offer. I will give you three counters for $20,000,’ Todd said as excitement in the studio rose
Fans took to social media in April to slam the show after they they noticed a counter mysteriously move across the board.
The footage was taken from a recent episode in which a counter was dropped down the shelf and landed on the board, directly in line to move several discs off the shelf – setting the contestant up for a large payout.
However, the disc then appeared to move several inches by itself to the right of the floor, where it was not in a position to knock over any discs, increasing the chances of the contestant losing.
The contestant in question, Graham, did not win any money during the episode and was the second player eliminated on the night.
‘Tipping Point is not rigged, they say. Watch this… using magnets, what the hell,’ the viewer sniped over the footage.
However, in a statement to Daily Mail Australia, a Channel Nine spokesperson denied any suggestions the show was rigged.
‘Nine refutes the claim that the game is rigged and that magnets were used to manipulate the counter,’ the network told Daily Mail Australia.
‘There are absolutely no magnets involved.’
It seemed that Lady Luck was smiling on John on Monday as he ended up nabbing the $20,000 jackpot with his first of three counters
Fans were divided over the clip and took to the comment section to share their thoughts.
However, some said the footage did not prove the show was rigged and said there might be a more simple solution.
‘It’s the push force on the disc,’ one person suggested.
‘They’re actually wooden discs. Not metal like they sound like,’ another wrote.
They added there was a logical explanation for the counter appearing to move by itself in the clip.
‘The machine’s counters, wall, and shelves are all constructed from Perspex,’ they said.
‘The movement observed in the clip is a result of natural suction that can occur between two flat, clean Perspex surfaces when they are in close contact. This suction can create friction, affecting the smoothness of the counter’s movement.’
