A COUNTDOWN contestant has revealed the brutal reality of going on the Channel 4 quiz – with one HUGE part of the show being a constant irritation.
They blasted “keyboard warriors” who have no idea of the reality of appearing on the daytime show.
The former Countdown contestant opened up about the shocking truth of filming on Channel 4’s iconic show on a Digital Spy forum.
The participant shared that they appeared on the show in 2023, which was hosted by Colin Murray.
However, there was one part of the show which really caught them “off guard”.
Fans of the show will be familiar with the Countdown theme, that counts down the 30 seconds allowed to answer the letter and number rounds.
But rather than the fun ticking jingle viewers enjoy at home, the contestant said the clock drove them to the edge, describing it as “booming”.
With its loud tick-tock and the theme tune blasting as pressure mounted, they said the clock was a real nerve-wrecker for contestants trying to solve the puzzle.
Taking to the forum the former contestant wrote: “I can say from my trivial time on the show last year that it’s much easier when you’re sat at home, pausing as you please; much more relaxing than being in the studio, faced with cameras and feeling the pressure of the clock booming in each round (it’s not edited in, it plays whilst you’re there which caught me off guard a little when I was on).”
They continued by slamming the harshness of online trolls amid the challenge of being in front of studio audience.
The poster added: “With that in mind, it’s easy to make mistakes, but submitting words such as ‘STROL’ and ‘SCON’ is quite something.”
And they aren’t the only quizzer who has been surprised by the show’s filming.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Watch the awkward moment Countdown board spells out very rude word – leaving Rachel Riley blushing” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6367506208112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]The Sun previously spoke to former contestant Gary Woodward, who has appeared on Countdown nine times, and a TV source.
He unveiled surprising details about the Channel 4 hit – including how the camera crews would sneakily cover up mistakes.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D107814%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]Gary said: “When they don’t like a bit of recording they do it again to overlay that section during the edit.
“This can be because the audio quality wasn’t perfect, if a presenter sneezed or made a mistake or cameras missed a cut.
“It’s easy to spot when they do this on Countdown.
“If the cameras cut back to the contestant while they are choosing a vowel or consonant, it’s normally because they have used a cover shot.”
Contestants have to been re-shot too – especially if they pick a rude word.
A former audience member, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Sun: “There were a couple of retakes and the funniest one was when a guy said ‘pisser’ in the anagrams round.
“It was a great six-letter word but they couldn’t use it. I think it’s because they feared getting complaints.
“He still got the points but right at the end of filming they recorded him saying a more palatable six-letter word instead.”
Countdown viewers were shocked earlier this week as maths genius Dr Tom Crawford stepped in for Rachel Riley.
Known for his mind-blowing math skills and viral YouTube videos, the Cambridge and Oxford boffin took a break from the camera to show off his intellect in a whole new way on the iconic show.
Countdown airs weekdays on Channel 4 at 2:10pm or stream on channel4.com.
