Olympic champion Dame Laura Kenny faced criticism from viewers during last night’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Celebrity Special after using multiple lifelines on what many considered a straightforward film question.
The five-time cycling champion struggled with a £16,000 question about Ghostbusters movie sequels, drawing frustration from fans who felt the answer should have been obvious.
Kenny used three lifelines – Ask the Host, 50:50, and Phone a Friend – to tackle the question about the films Afterlife and Frozen Empire.
The question posed to Kenny asked: “Which of these 1980s films have sequels called Afterlife and Frozen Empire?” with options including Top Gun, The Terminator, Ghostbusters and Blade Runner.
Host Jeremy Clarkson admitted during the Ask the Host lifeline that he wasn’t completely certain, though he knew it wasn’t The Terminator or Top Gun.
After using the 50:50 lifeline, which left only Ghostbusters and Blade Runner as options, Kenny still opted to use her Phone a Friend lifeline.
Laura Kenny frustrated fans whilst appearing on the show
ITV
Viewers quickly took to social media to express their frustration at Kenny’s hesitation.
“How the heck did neither this Olympian or Jeremy Clarkson know that Afterlife and Frozen Empire are Ghostbusters movies? The latter literally came out last year! Such an easy question it could have been a thousand pound one,” posted one viewer.
“Stop faffing about! It’s Ghostbusters!!!” wrote another fan.
Others were equally unimpressed, with one viewer stating: “Using the lifelines on these questions is just madness.”
She used a lot of her lifelines within the first couple of questions
ITV
“Was ‘Afterlife’ not a bit of a clue as to what the answer might be?” questioned another. (sic)
Earlier in the show, newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy also faced criticism for using a lifeline on what viewers deemed an obvious question.
Despite specifically requesting a 90s indie band question, Guru-Murthy used Ask the Audience when asked which bestselling album featured greyhound racing on its cover artwork.
The options included Blur’s Parklife, which the audience overwhelmingly selected as the correct answer.
“Says he wants a 90s indie band question then doesn’t know the answer to this one,” commented one viewer on social media.
Dame Laura Kenny ultimately secured £8,000 for her chosen charity, The Ectopic Trust.
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Krishnan Guru-Murthy also frustrated fans by not knowing an “obvious” questions
ITV
The celebrity edition saw contestants competing to win up to £1 million for their selected charities, with four lifelines available including 50:50, Phone a Friend, Ask the Audience and Ask the Host.
Earlier in her appearance, Kenny had successfully navigated other challenges, including correctly identifying West Ham fans’ signature song “Forever Blowing Bubbles” with help from the audience.