University Challenge had fans on the edge of their seats on Monday night after a member of the Cardiff team made a surprising slip-up.
The popular BBC quiz show, where Britain’s brightest students face off in a knockout tournament, is known for testing contestants on everything from history and literature to music and science.
During the latest episode, contestant Danko admitted she had missed the start of a tricky question, leaving her teammates squirming in their seats.
Despite the stumble, the answer turned out to be correct — but social media was soon buzzing with reactions to the moment.
The Question That Caused a Stir
Host Amol Rajan asked the Cardiff team: “What 16th-century monarch is the subject of an 1835 opera by Donizetti? Her religious affiliation contributed in part to her execution in 1587.”
Looking flustered, Danko turned to her team and admitted: “I’m going to be honest with you.
I didn’t catch the start of the question…So…” Unsure of what to say next, she blurted out, “Okay, cool. Mary? Queen of Scots?”
To everyone’s relief — and probably Danko’s — the answer was correct.
But viewers didn’t hold back on X (formerly Twitter), sharing plenty of sharp reactions:
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“Danko needs a lesson in humility! #UniversityChallenge”
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“Danko is a problem starter, not a problem solver. #UniversityChallenge”
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“Wow. That Danko’s obnoxious. #UniversityChallenge”
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“Danko talking like a primary school teacher #UniversityChallenge”
A Close Contest
Despite Danko’s flustered brilliance, the Cardiff team narrowly lost out.
Bristol finished at the top of the leaderboard with 118 points, while Cardiff scored 115. As the show wrapped up, Amol Rajan praised both sides:
“Cardiff, it’s such bad luck, you never quite got going.
But we so enjoyed watching you try to work out answers.
You came up with some very inventive ones, even though they were wrong.
You were up against a very, very strong performance by a brilliant team.
Well done, Bristol. That was comprehensive and hugely impressive, and we shall certainly see you again.”
Music Questions Leave Contestants Stumped
This isn’t the first time University Challenge contestants have struggled.
In a previous episode, a music round left both the University of Bath and University of Southampton teams baffled.
Contestants were asked to identify artists from short music clips.
The Southampton team correctly named Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk after a hint about her collaboration with Nellee Hooper.
But the next clue, about a song sung in honor of a collaboration with Marvin Gaye, left the team clueless.
One student admitted, “I don’t know,” before passing on the question. The correct answer was revealed as Diana Ross.
Fans at home were just as animated, many frustrated at what they considered an “easy” music question.
Comments on X ranged from “P**s easy music round” to “This is a boring match.”
Catch University Challenge on BBC Two
University Challenge continues to test the UK’s brightest minds every week.
Fans can watch the show on BBC Two or stream episodes on iPlayer to see whether Cardiff or other teams can redeem themselves in future rounds.
