99 To Beat: How did Doncaster man fare in bid to win £25,000 on TV show?
He was bidding to win a whopping £25,000 on TV’s newest game show – so how did Doncaster man William Thompson fare in the final of ITV’s 99 To Beat?
William Thompson, from the Isle of Axholme, made it to the final of the Saturday night game show which sees competitors take on a series of weird and wonderful challenges, with contestants being eliminated along the way until just one remains.
On Saturday, viewers saw William make it into the final two – but he was pipped to the big cash prize in a bowling ball challenge by Belfast woman Caitlin Lawlor who walked off with the jackpot.
Earlier, viewers had seen William successfully overcome a “butterfly” catching challenge, a box stacking game and a pencil sharpening task.
He then successfully negotiated a game where contenders had to float a ping pong ball through an obstacle course using hair dryers and after he completed a traffic cone flipping game and a golf buggy challenge, he made it to the final two.
For the very last game, Caitlin and William had to knock tin cans off podiums with a swinging bowling ball – with Caitlin seizing the decisive victory.
William told hosts Adam and Ryan Thomas: “I’m so happy, I couldn’t have come runner up to a more deserving winner.
"Caitlin is fantastic, she deserves this, absolutely.”
William, 23, a student from Crowle, who is studying musical theatre at the famed Italia Conti drama school filmed the show last year – and already knew his final placing – but remanined tight-lipped so as not to spoil any surprises for viewers.
He said: “My experience on the show was amazing – it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and although the games may seem easy, when you’re there under the pressure of the lights and cameras, everything becomes so difficult.
"It was filmed last summer and it was some of the most stressful, anxiety inducing few weeks of my life!
"It was amazing to meet Adam and Ryan who are just as funny and bubbly in person as they appear on TV.”
The show is based on successful Korean Netflix drama Squid Game, which saw a number of unknowing competitors take on a series of deadly games in the hope of winning a huge cash prize.