The Llewelyn-Bowens’ Million Pound Controversy | Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: A Very Major Scandal

When Laurence and Jackie Llewelyn-Bowen made it to the final question, things go awry when they think they have the right answer.
Stellify Media
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Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
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ITV
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#WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire #MillionPoundQuestion

[@markymark443]

They not only messed up with an invalid question, they didn’t even use the correct music cue for the £1,000,000 miss (and it would have been the only time it was ever used in the UK)

[@justinm.1]

I don’t think a proper music cue made at the time this happened lol

[@9k49]

In my opinion it shouldn’t have mentioned the word motto at all. THE motto of the US is in God we trust. The question should’ve been “Translated from the latin, what phrase appears on the Great Seal of the United States?”

[@Lazy_Sundae]

I thought the motto of the US was 'Shoot first, ask questions later'.

[@Sam-sh5ko]

@@Lazy_SundaeI also knew this. Although I must admit I originally thought it was “kill school children first, don’t bother to question gun legality next”.

[@BlackPawn14]

When I think "motto of the US in latin", I _do_ think of "E Pluribus Unum". Key word being _latin._ However, it is true that the official motto of the US is "In God We Trust". Which is why I can definitely see this being a problem.

[@9k49]

Yeah, technically neither answer was right because of how the question was worded

[@stephendascha]

The second Million pound question was also wrong. The first man to travel into space twice was Joe Walker in 1963 when he twice exceeded the Carman line at 100km above the earth (internationally accepted point at which the earth's atmosphere ends and space begins) in an X-15 experimental jet. Gus Grissom first went in 1961 and didn't return until 1964.

[@PierreLoranda]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_Grissom

[@Lazy_Sundae]

@@PierreLoranda en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_A._Walker

[@Kolwing]

Yeah but Joe Walker wasn’t up there so..

[@irishpieceoftrash]

They should have been given the million because they were right with the first question. 'One from Many' was the motto up until 1956 when it was changed to 'In God We Trust'. I wonder if they'd answered 'One from Many' if they would have been allowed to keep the money?

[@ky-gp4sz]

So actually it technically wasn’t two right answers but they were right and the show was technically wrong.

[@onnapnewo]

When was “In God We Trust” ever used in Latin? The question literally starts with the phrase “Translated from the Latin.”

[@vinnyganzano1930]

In God we trust has never been written in Latin while E Plurubus Unum is.

[@carolebrazendale7424]

The question did actually say "translated from Latin", so only one of the answers was correct however, I agree that most would think of "In God we trust". Not exactly a trick question but, yes, they should have been given the £1,000,000.

[@artistsanomalous7369]

Getting the answer right shouldn't require you to know additional information about the answer beyond the scope of the question. If you know the motto that should be enough, and that _is_ "In God We Trust". It shouldn't require you to also know that it's not a translation of a phrase originally in Latin.

[@coltino99]

In god we trust on the dollar bill doesn’t mean it’s the motto.

[@ky-gp4sz]

If they gonna accept in god we trust as a correct answer then they should just give the money.

[@saraflint2982]

Yes, they should have given them the money. They had no idea what the second answer was. The first question didn't make logical sense. The current US motto is not derived from the Latin language. The current motto, which is 66 years old, is, "In God We Trust". "One out of Many" is outdated. That charity deserved the million pounds.

[@9k49]

Personally I disagree, “latin” rules out in God we trust. But it’s absolutely correct they were given a second question. The first one was so misleading. And the way it was phrased means that technically B wasn’t correct either

[@AceFurryTrash]

They don't do trick questions that's the problem. It's why with the question Which country was Mel Gibson born? They didn't have Australia as an option.

[@markymark443]

No, the question itself was an invalid one.

[@marcuscook3852]

@@AceFurryTrash "It's why with the question Which country was Mel Gibson born? They didn't have Australia as an option. Why forever not? It would be a perfectly valid option. It is certainly not an analogy to this question. As it was worded, it was an invalid question, and thus a trick question.

[@mathewdewsbury9456]

And it was the time we never heard that dreaded epic fail tune.

[@sd2go]

And the wrong losing music cue

[@jessiedelrosario2510]

That’s Question 14 Incorrect Answer Music

[@karelspinka3031]

I think it was on purpose, to not scare the audience and the contestants too much.

[@RuthlessAfro4692]

​@Jessie Del Rosario no its not the wrong answer to the last question is more scary and dramatic

[@luigihoratio5101]

The UK never used the question 15 wrong theme due to it being super scary and dramatic.

[@markymark443]

Not only did they mess up with an invalid question, they didn’t even use the correct music cue 💀💀💀

[@mathewdewsbury9456]

To be honest, this was an absolute shocker.

[@9k49]

Definitely. Playing for £1,000,000 for charity and they can’t word a question correctly

[@scottaznavourian3720]

​@9k49 in God we trust is the right answer. They screwed their charity out of 500 grand/Poinds

[@9k49]

@@scottaznavourian3720 no, the word “latin” in the question rules out in god we trust. “The motto” ruled out the other options No answer was right given how the question was worded

[@marcuscook3852]

@@9k49 The word "is" rules out "One out of many".

[@9k49]

@@marcuscook3852 Yeah both "is" and "the motto" rule out "out out of many"

[@vinnyganzano1930]

E plurubus unum. In God we trust is the motto on the dollar bill. Credit to the TV company.

[@9k49]

In God we trust is the modern motto. Credit for eventually coming to the right decision but playing for £1,000,000 for charity and they can’t word a question correctly

[@davidrowlands8548]

The question says "what is 'THE' motto of the United States?". The use of the definite article strongly implies that the United States has ONE motto. Since "In God we trust" clearly is a well-known motto of the USA, the question strongly funnels you into that answer. Its very trick-like question. Maybe it could have been worded like this: Which of the following, translated from Latin, is a motto of the United States?

[@Matthew-bu7fg]

I'd suggest that "In God we trust" shouldn't be one of the options. It would be a difficult question without that answer being there.

[@mmozumdar4500]

The IS was the most misleading part. It should have been WAS, the rest remaining the same, since In God We Trust was never written in Latin anyway. Such a shame that the producers didn't own up to it, thus denying them the opportunity to help many more families.

[@9k49]

@@Matthew-bu7fg absolutely

[@9k49]

In my opinion it shouldn’t have mentioned the word motto at all. THE motto of the US is in God we trust. The question should’ve been “Translated from the latin, what phrase appears on the Great Seal of the United States?”

[@Sam-sh5ko]

@@Matthew-bu7fgyeah… they do tend to make the question difficult, when it’s for 1 Millions Pounds - BOZO.

[@IbraVibraPippo]

The biggest problem here is the wording of the question. The IS part is what makes this question invalid, if they worded it as WAS the motto then it'd be a different story as "translated from latin" was the part in that question the contestant needed to pay attention to. In god we trust was never translated from latin. Still though even if the producers worded the question correctly and had both in god we trust and one out of many as possible answers it'd been a trick question. A question in a show where they do everything they can not to trick their contestants it should simply just be "what was the former motto of the US" or "what is the current motto of the US". That's a straightforward question, no hidden messages or anything. All in all, producers of the show messed up definitely. This is the highest form of trickery (but very much unintentional I believe from the producers, they just messed up).

[@marcuscook3852]

"The IS part is what makes this question invalid" Absolutely correct. I suggested "what was the original motto of the United States" to another commenter, pretty much the same as your suggestion. I did know the answer, but firmly believe that it was a trick question, whether intentional or not, and they should have been awarded the $500,000.

[@amberearls5011]

Perfectly said.

[@brandongill2577]

If the 50/50 was used in the motto question, chances were B & C would remain.

[@RuthlessAfro4692]

Nah I think A and B would have remained

[@Lazy_Sundae]

*were

[@brandongill2577]

@@RuthlessAfro4692Valid, but if the 50/50 did leave B & C, the Llewelyn-Bowen's would have took the £500,000 anyway.

[@robmontier3770]

It seemed too obvious for a million quids question!

[@kqatsi]

It was a poorly written question, but the reference to Latin clearly makes "One out of many" the correct answer. "In God we trust" is a motto of the United States, but to my knowledge, it's never written in Latin.

[@saraflint2982]

"One out of many" is commonly known by its Latin translation. However, this was the US motto only until 1956. At that point, the official motto became, "In God We Trust." The wording of the question was badly flawed. They deserved the million pounds.

[@olufemibewaji2845]

Exactly. Poorly written. It should have been "what WAS the motto. . ."

[@9k49]

In my opinion it shouldn’t have mentioned the word motto at all. THE motto of the US is in God we trust. The question should’ve been “Translated from the latin, what phrase appears on the Great Seal of the United States?”

[@Sam-sh5ko]

@@saraflint2982it said in the question about being “translated from Latin”. They just got away with it because it was for charity. And as others have said. If they’re admitting they chose the correct option. They should have won the one million without any other questions. But no. They should have noticed the 60% of the question that said “translated from Latin”. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@9k49]

@@Sam-sh5ko “the motto” rules out one out of many. No answer was technically correct

[@EmilyKresl]

I'm American and I thought it was in god we trust too

[@arielgonzalez5296]

It was indeed both.

[@9k49]

The motto is in god we trust but it isn’t latin. Neither answer was technically correct

[@occono3543]

It is. They were brought back for another show which told the audience the writers fucked it up.

[@9k49]

@@occono3543 yeah correct decision. The way the question was written, technically neither answer was correct

[@onlyweatherlol93]

Integrity is a huge part of game shows. The producers did the right thing for everyone involved and fair play to them

[@9k49]

Of course agreed but the original mistake is unacceptable to be fair. Playing for £1,000,000 for charity and can’t get a question’s wording right

[@random_acuity9203]

Ingram saved them a mill

[@9k49]

@@random_acuity9203 How?

[@random_acuity9203]

@@9k49 watch the Major fraud episode

[@andrewhanson1997]

1:48

[@johnpaulmarkes]

Definitely a trick - it should have been "Translated from Latin, what WAS the motto of the United States" - although I wish it IS still the motto, since it brings all the diversity of people together and was replaced with a divisive religious slogan

[@9k49]

In my opinion it shouldn’t have mentioned the word motto at all. THE motto of the US is in God we trust. The question should’ve been “Translated from the latin, what phrase appears on the Great Seal of the United States?”

[@Lazy_Sundae]

*wish it were

[@Simple_Jackass]

Only "divisive" to idiots. Loss of our religious values, living a virtuous, selfless, charitable life, has led to nothing but the radicalization of two political parties, void of all morals and sense of duty.... You can feel free and leave if you don't like the country as it was meant to be. I wonder why previous generations, post-civil rights movement, faired so much better? Oh that's right, they weren't handed everything, weren't entitled to anything, and actually had a sense of national identity....

[@MegaHooper25]

Instead of offering them another question, surely you just give them the million as they got it correct?

[@vinnyganzano1930]

They weren't right though. Google it.

[@Kolwing]

It wasn’t right as it says “translated from Latin”

[@markymark443]

No, the question was not a valid one so it doesn’t count.

[@patrickcondron7919]

There was more thsn 1 right answer so they couldn't of just handed a million

[@SS-jt9ex]

More shocked that he is married to a woman.

[@vinnyganzano1930]

Nah sorry he's straighter than I am.

[@Houtarou_Hyouka_Unforgiven]

Nothing's shocked here?

[@grahamlockwood6242]

Even the answer 'One out of many' is technically wrong as the words are the wrong way around and should be 'Out of many, one' as it is a translation of the Latin phrase 'E pluribus unum'. I watched this episode and couldn't believe they were so confident in their wrong answer.

[@Lazy_Sundae]

You're not familiar with the art of paraphrasing, then.

[@grahamlockwood6242]

Of course I am but it depends on how accurate your answer needs to be. For a prize of £1 million I would expect that answer to be very accurate. Maybe 'attention to detail' is not your thing?

[@Lazy_Sundae]

@@grahamlockwood6242 Attention to detail is most definitely 'my thing', so feel free to point out how the translation they used, which means exactly the same as yours, is inaccurate.

[@grahamlockwood6242]

I thought that I had already made that clear in my original post. When it comes to mottos or quotes then the order of words is relevant. If I say to you ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ then you will hopefully recognise that this is a correct quote. However if I say, as you put it, the same thing paraphrased to mean the same thing e.g. ‘speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil’ then you should recognise that as being a misquote. As I say, it’s a matter of attention to detail.

[@Lazy_Sundae]

@@grahamlockwood6242 Nope, the meaning is relevant. And word order often varies from language to language (German being a classic example). Now stop boring everyone with your misguided pedantry and go get some fresh air

[@Matthew-bu7fg]

typical USA trying to be tricky

[@NickyMitchell85]

Back in January 2003, there was a contestant called Chris Walsh. He was a civil servant from Belfast, Northern Ireland and he played on Series 13 of the show. His £125,000 question was very flawed (I’m surprised 😮 that he was never 👎 re-summoned back to the show to have it rectified). The £125,000 question (which I think 💭 was very flawed) was this: Which two U.K. capitals are almost on the same longitude? A: London and Cardiff B: London and Edinburgh C: Cardiff and Edinburgh D: Cardiff and Belfast Correct Answer= C: Cardiff and Edinburgh. When Chris Walsh was on this question, he needed some time after this question was asked to picture a map of the British Isles, after a few moments he made an educated guess on B: London and Edinburgh. After a few more moments he decided to lock in this answer, but this was incorrect and he lost £32,000. I have therefore made the assessment that that question about two U.K. capitals almost being on the same longitude is clearly a flawed question, an ambiguous question at that for several reasons: A). Although Paris is the French capital, *Paris* is almost on the same longitude that London is on. B). In the past, London may have once upon a time been on the same longitude as Edinburgh but due to the Earth’s tectonic plates, this possibly shifted. A better £125,000 question for Chris Walsh would be: How many miles long is the Northeast Corridor in the United States? A: 403 miles B: 423 miles C: 453 miles D: 503 miles Correct answer= C: 453 miles.

[@danielkohler9857]

What absolute drivel. Paris has absolutely nothing to do with this question.

[@Lazy_Sundae]

Sorry, I'm not getting the Paris connection. That wasn't one of the choices. Also, the question is in the present tense, not about prehistoric times - plus those cities didn't even exist back then.

[@markc8956]

Pretty sure someone also got done by a tennis question that was pretty dubious in its' interpretation!

[@conned]

In God we Trust, All others we track!. Look at $1 bill..just give them the $!! Why another tough question ⁉️ give them a million! It's for charity!

[@scottaznavourian3720]

This was. Not filmed before 1956. In god, we trust is the right answer...rip off artists! 😢

[@9k49]

Neither answer was correct. “Latin” rules out in god we trust, “the motto” rules out one out of many

[@Espik_23]

It's literally on our money. There's no way it's not "In God we trust".

[@onnapnewo]

That’s not Latin.

[@Espik_23]

@@onnapnewo I know. It’s a trick question, that’s why.

[@onnapnewo]

@@Espik_23 It’s not though? The fact that they asked for the motto translated from the Latin means “In God We Trust” is a wrong answer. The Constitution specifically doesn’t name a national religion, so a national motto that invokes god doesn’t make much sense anyway, whether it’s on the money or not.

[@Amo-v27]

"E pluribus unum" means "one from many". I thought it was "In God we trust" too, but it was not. Technically, they were wrong.

[@Saruman38]

"It's literally on our money." So is "E Pluribus Unum".

[@scottaznavourian3720]

I'm american and want to onow what drugs you Giuys are on? It's in God we trust! 😂 I've never even heard of 'one out of many'. You screwed them out of the million kist liie regis did to norm mcdonald

[@GroundhogRoy]

Either way, trusting in God is doomed to fail.

[@hermand2517]

p̾r̾o̾m̾o̾s̾m̾ ?

[@Lazy_Sundae]

I think 'controversy' is pushing it 🥱

[@9k49]

It’s not. Playing for £1,000,000 for charity and they can’t word a question correctly

[@Lazy_Sundae]

@@9k49 No idea what you're droning on about but have you alerted Interpol about this earth-shattering scandal?

[@9k49]

@@Lazy_Sundae Hardly droning on when I made one comment and it’s not earth-shattering but they weren’t given a technically right option in a £1,000,000 question so it clearly is a controversy

[@Lazy_Sundae]

@@9k49 Blah blah blah, don't care. But hey, keep liking your own rants and they might start to make sense.