A man who won £99,000 on an ITV quiz show earlier this year believes his life hasn’t turned out as most would expect.
Daniel O’Halloran, from Rock Ferry, came up against 99 other contestants on The 1% Club, which was broadcast on ITV in May. The quiz focuses on reasoning, words, logic and maths, and is hosted by comedian Lee Mack.
The 1% Club begins with 100 contestants. They compete to make it to the end and answer a final question only 1% of the country can get right, in hopes of winning up to £100,000.
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Despite having £10,000 secured during one point in the quiz show, Daniel gambled for a question worth £99,000 if he got it right. His answer to the last question on maths was proven correct and the gamble paid off.
Daniel, now 25, looked back with relief that the questions panned out this way. Speaking to the ECHO, he said: “I've never really done online gaming in terms of Xbox and stuff like that, besides one small period in lockdown.
“I've always kept myself busier through problem solving games. The maths and the problem solving just went hand in hand for that question. I just had my fingers crossed, hoping to see numbers.
“If the final question was about words, I was way under a 50% chance of getting it right, but if it was numbers, I felt like I had a good chance of getting it. I was good at maths in school and got an A star at GCSE, but I then followed that on by failing A-Level maths.
“I'd love to see some of the teachers' reactions who taught me and maybe didn't see my best in those moments.”
Daniel had to wait an entire year until the show was broadcast until telling anyone bar his grandma and some friends about the prize, which coincided with an injury to his knee. This time off work sparked rumours he had quit his job as a plant operator, which involves programming robots to spray paint cars.
He said: “Funnily enough, a month before the programme aired, I tore the meniscus in my knee, so I was off work for five months, and four of those months were after the program had come out. So a lot of people did think I had just chosen to stop working etc, but it was for a completely different reason.
“Being off work did allow me to enjoy the money a little bit differently. But also, waiting for surgery and stuff meant I couldn't just get off to another country straight away. So it had its pros and cons.”
While some may be surprised he has stayed in the same profession, Daniel believes it demonstrates the perception of winning a large cash prize versus the reality. He has been careful not to go on a spending spree with his prize money.
Daniel said: “I think everyone feels like they would have a big plan with an amount of money like this, and while there are big plans in place for some things, there's only so much you can do.
“I would never want to sound ungrateful and say it's not a lot of money, because it is a lot of money, but you have to put it into the grand scheme of things and prioritise. So a lot of money has been spent on the house, which is lovely for me, but it's more of an investment for the future.
“It's not exactly what everyone thinks. Glamorous holidays, spending the rest of your life on holiday – it doesn't really look like that.”
The biggest changes in Daniel’s life has been his new car – a Mazda 3 – and the security the money has given him. He said: “It's been brilliant. I've got myself a new car, which is lovely. It was much needed.
“I've been able to treat the family a lot. We went to a couple of festivals last year which is something we love to do together.
“Probably the one of the best ways to describe it is like a very lucky safety net in life. It's a nice little thing to fall back on when I need it, but also treating family is such a lucky thing to be able to do. It is a very lucky position to have ended up in.
Daniel is happiest most for his mum and grandma, who have relished his new found fame. It was Daniel’s mum who, without his knowledge, applied for him to go on the show. Meanwhile, his grandma was one of the few entrusted with keeping his victory a secret for a whole year.
He said: “It was lovely for her, because I think obviously off the back of that and the news about me sharing it with my grandma – they're probably the two people that have, obviously after myself, taken the most fame out of this.
“My mum was still getting collared by school parents and other people that knew us as a family weeks after I'd stopped getting any attention on the street. I think she loves her part of the story as well.”
People from further afield have also got in touch with Daniel – and some have unusual requests. He said: “There was one person who messaged me from Devon, who started asking me to pay off his mortgage. He pestered me and pestered me.
“We started ignoring it at a certain point. There's been a lot of situations that have given the family a few laughs.
Ultimately, he believes the £99,000 hasn’t changed his personality drastically.
Daniel said: “You do get a little bit of jealousy, which is a shame to see. If you ask the people closest to me, everyone feels that I've stayed true to myself, I've not changed much, besides a slightly flashier car. I've not moved house.”
Daniel is also hoping to give some of his money to charity as well. He said: “I've still got to be sensible with it. I've just enjoyed all the small things – getting a nice car for yourself, being able to treat your mum. I'm still doing the same things I was doing beforehand.”
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