Why does it give us such a thrill to see our favourite footballers pop up on TV quiz shows?
Darts player Fallon Sherrock recently cropped up as an answer on ITV show Winning Combination.
None of the contestants knew who she was, but – and 2020 may be to blame here – watching her engage with that content gave us an endorphin rush we haven’t experienced in some time.
They should really have known better – Sherrock made history in the sport when she beat two men at the PDC World Darts Championship.
But this was far from the first time the worlds of sport and daytime TV quizzing have combined.
Here are some other notable examples…
Celebrating Luca Toni with a Luca Toni celebration
There was a very satisfying moment on Pointless in November, when a contestant celebrated winning the jackpot by doing Luca Toni’s trademark celebration.
The question was about World Cup winners from the 21st Century. And this guy won our admiration for both his football knowledge – former striker Toni won the trophy with Italy in 2006 – and his Toni-style celebration.
When Rick Edwards trolled Everton on Impossible
If you don’t know the concept for BBC One show Impossible, contestants have to try to call out whenever a question seems inconsistent or, well, impossible.
Host Rick Edwards, a Liverpool fan, took great delight in reiterating that this question about the last time Everton won the Champions League was impossible because, well, the Toffees have never won the Champions League.
When this Impossible contestant thought a racehorse was named after a van rental company
Another fabulous moment from recent Impossible history – when a question came up about Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck.
When a random Henrik Larsson answer won Pointless
And, finally, the absolute classic in the canon.
In 2017, Tasha Smith won the Pointless jackpot after her boyfriend – a Celtic fan – advised her to give the answer “Henrik Larsson” to any question about football.
The rationale was that Larsson had played for a few big clubs, as well as captaining Sweden.
During the final round of the game show, Smith was asked to name a footballer who scored in Euro 2000 and, sure as night follows day, Larsson came through.
You cannot write this stuff.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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