I won a whopping £23k on a game show but never saw a penny of my jackpot for an outrageous reason

A game show superfan scooped an impressive £23,000 on series – but has revealed they never received a penny of it in a shocking outcome.

For years viewers have watched as hopefuls bagged cash prizes on fan-favourite shows such as Tipping Point, The Chase, Deal Or No Deal and Pointless. 

The same audience also regularly ask just what happens after the show ends and how long it takes to receive the winnings.

However, for one contestant, he’s now revealed the process that’s strictly followed by production – and that left him out of pocket.

Tony Fillingham is a quiz show fanatic and has appeared on a number of programmes, bagging himself a small fortune in the process.

He’s previously competed on Tipping Point, walking away with £2,700 before going on to star on Tennable and winning £45k.

Explaining the next steps after your success, Tony told OLBG: ‘It’s usually around 28 working days to get your winnings – that seems to be the standard across most game shows.’

Tony went on to reveal how some shows have an even stricter policy and won’t award winnings until the episode has been broadcast on television.

For him, it meant a Channel 5 show he competed on called 5 Second Rings – which was scrapped and never aired – resulted in him losing an eye-watering £23,000.

He joked how rocking up in an expensive car would be a ‘dead giveaway’ that you’d won a prize before it was officially revealed.

Tony then said: ‘I never saw a penny of my £23,000 winnings from 5 Second Stars – all because the show never aired.’ 

Meanwhile, earlier this year it was revealed the popular Mr & Mrs game show format is being revived by ITV who are on the hunt for couples to form the ‘ultimate’ quiz show team.

It is based on the original show, which ended in 1999, that saw couples asked multiple-choice questions about each other. 

The new incarnation, however, comes with a twist. 

A note aimed at potential contestants read: ‘Do you know your partner better than anyone? Are you the ultimate team?

‘Would you like to take on some fun physical challenges together?’ 

News of the revived gameshow comes after the format piqued audiences’ interest when used in 2007 by Vernon Kay’s Gameshow Marathon.

This was followed up in 2008 by the All-Star Mr & Mrs, hosted by Philip Schofield, which, as its name suggests, featured celebrity couples.