What would a quiz show be without an almighty howler of an answer from a contestant – and a recent episode of Tipping Point might have provided us with an all-time classic.
During Monday’s episode of the ITV daytime quiz show, host Ben Shephard was left dumbstruck as a contestant managed to confuse Homer Simpson with the ancient Greek poet, Homer.
The question was: “In his epic poems, Homer often refers to nectar as the drink of the gods and which other substance as their food?”
Now, it’s probably fair to say that most people, when they hear the name ‘Homer’, would automatically think of the bald, doughnut-loving, nuclear safety inspector father from the long-running animated series.
However, that’s not the Homer that the question was referring to. Here, Shepherd was seeking an answer on the Greek poet who lived around 750 BC and wrote two epic poems – the Iliad and the Odyssey – both of which are seen as foundational texts in Greek literature.
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Needless to say, these are two very different figures so when the contestant said: “I know he likes doughnuts,” Shephard struggled to contain his astonishment.
This is 27 seconds of remarkable television.
— Sam Huxley (@samhuxley) October 25, 2021
Tipping Point, the gift that keeps on giving. pic.twitter.com/AMzZ8obJMR
Amazingly, this was the contestant’s final answer, which was of course wrong. To make matters even more astonishing, another contestant also admitted: “I was going to say doughnuts as well.”
D’oh!
The moment has since gone viral with people finding Shephard’s reaction to the answer completely hilarious.
Ben Shepherd’s face is perfect. Remarkable daytime quizzing, this 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/0Lreh0JCX2
— Graeme Douglas (@graemedouglas) October 25, 2021
.@benshephard #tippingpoint .@ITV .@TippingPointITV this absolute gem will get me through the rest of 2021 #ambrosia #homer #donuts pic.twitter.com/6Qnb3uEaPU
— nikki williams (@shinystaffnurse) October 25, 2021
I can’t get enough of the changing face of @benshephard 😂😬 #Donuts #Homer #TippingPoint pic.twitter.com/8Hxspnd3lD
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) October 26, 2021
NOT THAT HOMER 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣#tippingpoint pic.twitter.com/i6h7SsGcnV
— Lois. 🦖 (@Hello_Lois) October 25, 2021
Today’s Tipping Point
— steve toffee (@marrtoffee) October 25, 2021
In his epic poems, Homer often refers to nectar as the drink of the gods and which other substance as their food?
Contestant “I know he likes doughnuts, so I think I’ll go with doughnuts please Ben.”
Contestant 2 “I would have said doughnuts too.”
Oh my God, classic Tipping Point moment
— Andrew McKenna (@talkMacca) October 25, 2021
"In his poems Homer refereed to nectar as the drink of the gods, what was their food?"
Answer given: ..... donuts
Er, I don't think it's that Homer mate!!!
I’ve never watched tipping point before but I might start.
— George (@wappingraces) October 25, 2021
Q: According to Homer the drink of the gods is nectar but what is their food?
A: Doughnuts.
…oh, I think I got the wrong Homer.
Laugh? I thought I was going to do myself an injury.
If you are interested, the answer to the question is Ambrosia (no, not custard) which, in Greek mythology, is a type of dessert made with oranges and coconut.
With that knowledge, doughnuts probably wasn’t that bad of a guess after all.
