Miserable because of participating in a TV game show: Thought I had great luck, but unexpectedly...

Winning "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and then being investigated, having to go to court and... going bankrupt

A British man named Charles Ingram (now 60 years old) thought he had become a millionaire after winning the top prize of 1 million pounds (equivalent to more than 30 billion VND) on the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2001. However, in 2019, Mr. Charles had to declare bankruptcy for the fourth time.

After that scandal, Charles Ingram and his wife encountered many difficulties in their personal life (Photo: Daily Mail).

After winning the top prize on the UK's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2001, Charles Ingram was found guilty of cheating based on the coughs of his wife and another contestant on the show.

After that scandal, Charles Ingram had a lot of difficulties in his personal life. The scandal made it impossible for him and his wife to find jobs, so they had to switch to selling cheap jewelry in the market.

Charles and Diana had a small stall in a market in Bath, England. After the scandal that occurred at the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contest, Charles and Diana faced many financial difficulties.

The incident was even brought to court by the show's producers, and Mr. Charles and his wife, along with another contestant, were found guilty of cheating. The incident caused a series of negative consequences in the Ingram family's life.

Mr. Charles and his wife have a small stall in a market in Bath city (UK) (Photo: Daily Mail).

According to the investigation into the sounds heard in the studio, during the recording of Mr. Charles's victory, people heard the cough of another contestant - a university lecturer named Tecwen Whittock. In addition, the program's producer also heard the cough of Mrs. Diana - Mr. Charles Ingram's wife.

Mr Tecwen and Ms Diana’s coughs are believed to have helped Mr Charles come up with the correct answers. Mr Charles Ingram graduated from university with a degree in engineering and management, but has been unable to find a stable job since the scandal.

Two years after participating in the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire , Mr. Charles was officially convicted of cheating, because he gave correct answers based on the coughs of his wife and another player.

After the fateful filming, as Mr and Mrs Charles prepared to leave the studio with a cheque for £1m, the show's producer kept the cheque.

The moment Charles Ingram won "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" ( Video : Who Wants to Be a Millionaire).

The production crew explained that this was just a "procedure" and that the check would be returned to the couple shortly. In addition, Charles and his wife were asked to remove their shoes and were searched.

A few days later, Mr. Charles Ingram learned that the producers had suspicions and were reviewing the tapes carefully, because they saw abnormalities in Mr. Charles's playing.

Ultimately, the producers turned the matter over to the police, who also decided not to air the recording in which Mr. Charles Ingram was the main player.

Mr. Chares and his wife, along with player Tecwen Whittock, were subsequently questioned. In 2003, the case was officially brought to court, and all three players were sentenced to suspended prison terms and fines after the investigation.

Two years after participating in the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", Mr. Charles was officially convicted of fraud (Photo: Daily Mail).

In fact, there are many conflicting opinions about whether Mr. Charles Ingram really cheated or not. As for Mr. Charles and his wife, player Tecwen Whittock, they have always affirmed their innocence.

The Charles Ingram case remains one of the most controversial in the history of British game shows. Whether Charles Ingram is guilty or innocent, only the man himself knows. But one thing is equally certain: sometimes when you go for luck, you end up with bad luck.

Won the biggest prize in game show history, but still haven't received... a single cent

The reality game show Squid Game: The Challenge recently premiered with a cash prize of up to 4.5 million USD (equivalent to 109 billion VND). This is considered the largest cash prize in the history of reality TV game shows given to a winning player.

Ms. Mai Whelan - winner of the game show "Squid Game: The Challenge" (Photo: Daily Mail).

What is shocking is that the winner of this game show - a woman living in the US named Mai Whelan (55 years old) - has yet to receive... a single cent of the huge prize money she was promised.

Recently, Mai Whelan spoke up to ask the program's producers to pay her the prize as promised. Mai Whelan's wish is to be able to spend part of the money on charity activities, but at present, all of her plans cannot be implemented because... she has not seen any money.

It is worth mentioning that 10 months have passed since the filming of the game show ended. Sharing in an interview with The Times (UK), Mai Whelan said that she has started buying branded goods and taking better care of her appearance when invited to appear at some events.

However, Whelan began to regret her "spending" decisions because in reality, she had not received a single penny from the game show producer Squid Game: The Challenge . Regarding the latest information that Mai Whelan gave, the game show producer has not responded.

It has been 10 months since the game show filming ended, but Ms. Whelan still has not received her bonus (Photo: Daily Mail).

Mai Whelan hopes to retire early and find a quality nursing home for herself and her husband with the money from the lottery. But now, all of Whelan's plans are on hold because the prize money... is nowhere to be seen.

The reality game show Squid Game: The Challenge is based on the Korean series Squid Game (2021).

In this reality game show, 456 players from many countries around the world will take on challenges together to find the winner of 4.5 million USD in prize money.

Trailer introducing the game show "Squid Game: The Challenge" (Video: NF).

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