# The 21st Question

The 21st Question is a British game show that aired on ITV from 4 to 15 August 2014 and was hosted by Gethin Jones.

## Format

Eleven contestants participate in each game. They remain eligible to return and play again until either appearing on five consecutive episodes or reaching the 21st question once, whichever occurs first. New contestants are introduced as needed to keep a total of 11 in the pool.

### Question 1

The host asks a question with 10 possible answers, five of which are correct, and the contestants secretly lock in their guesses on keypads. The contestant who finds all five correct answers in the shortest tine is offered their choice of playing positions (#1 through #10, or the "Power Spot"), and the others choose in ascending order of their times. The slowest player takes the last remaining position by default.

### Questions 2–20

The contestant on the Power Spot (the "Power Player") battles one opponent at a time, starting with #1, in a series of multiple-choice questions with three answer options each. Both contestants lock in their guesses on keypads. If both answer correctly or if both miss, the battle continues; if only one answers correctly, that contestant takes/retains the Power Spot and the other one is eliminated for the day. If the battle remains deadlocked after three questions, the Power Player wins by default. A list of 10 categories is presented at the beginning of this round; the Power Player must choose a new one before each battle.
Each correct answer from the Power Player adds money to the day's jackpot, starting at £100 in their first battle and increasing by this amount for every opponent eliminated. If the Power Player loses, the question value reverts to £100 and begins to grow again. At times throughout the game, the host offers the option to "Double Up," which makes all remaining questions in the current battle more difficult but also doubles their value. The option is offered to the current Power Player prior to the sixth question of the round (#7 overall), and to all remaining opponents prior to the 13th question (#14 overall). Each contestant may use one Double Up over the course of the game, at any time during a battle in which they are participating.
This round lasts until a total of 19 questions have been asked or either the Power Player or the #10 opponent has won a battle between the two, whichever occurs first. Any remaining opponents are eliminated, and the Power Player advances to the 21st question.
Since each battle can be no more than three questions in length, the contestants in positions #1 through #7 are guaranteed a chance to face the Power Player. If the number of remaining questions makes it mathematically impossible for any of the contestants in #8 through #10 to enter the game, the affected contestants are immediately eliminated.

### Question 21

The Power Player chooses one of three categories and is then given the heading of a list with 10 hidden entries. They can win half the jackpot for giving three correct answers, the full jackpot for giving five, or double the jackpot for giving six. After the third or fifth correct answer, the Power Player may stop and keep their winnings; however, an incorrect answer at any time ends the game and forfeits the prize.