A student contestant on Saturday evening's episode of The 1% Club left host Lee Mack horrified when he produced a small container filled with his own eyelashes during the ITV quiz programme.
Nathaniel, who described collecting as one of his hobbies, displayed the tube containing his unusual collection to the comedian, prompting an immediate reaction of disgust.
"Urgh, that's disgusting!" Mr Mack exclaimed as the studio audience burst into laughter at the unexpected revelation.
The bizarre moment occurred during one of the regular contestant interviews that take place between questions on the popular logic-based quiz show, which challenges 100 players with increasingly difficult puzzles that only a small percentage of the public can solve correctly.
Lee Mack labelled the contestant's hobby 'disgusting'
|ITV
The conversation took an even more peculiar turn when Lee questioned how Nathaniel could verify the eyelashes were genuinely his own.
"A father knows," the student responded, before making the bewildering claim that "my eyelashes are my kids," leaving the host completely baffled by the comparison.
The exchange formed part of the programme's regular format, where Mr Mack engages contestants in conversation whilst they progress through questions of varying difficulty, from those 90% of surveyed people answered correctly to the final challenge only 1% could solve.
Each of the 100 participants begins with £1,000, which transfers to the prize fund if they answer incorrectly and face elimination from the competition.
The 1% Club contestant revealed he collected eyelashes
|ITV
Social media users quickly expressed their astonishment at the unusual collection, with several questioning whether producers had orchestrated the bizarre revelation.
"I need to know before the show starts do they pick random contestants and give them stupid stuff to say? #The1PercentClub," one viewer posted on X.
Another person commented: "I've never known of anyone who collects eyelashes as a hobby. #The1PercentClub."
A third joked: "Nathaniel telling us he's a serial killer live on national TV #The1PercentClub."
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The 1% Club presenter Lee Mack was horrified by the confession
|ITV
"How the heck do you collect eyelashes? What does he do: shave them? #The1PercentClub," a fourth wondered.
Some viewers also voiced frustration about the programme's pacing, with one complaining: "Why does Lee Mack spend so much time talking to the people going out, but in the final round he spends no time at all talking to winners? #The1PercentClub."
Others held the opposite view though, with one enthusing: "This has to be the best quiz show ever, I get totally invested & I do get the odd question right but it's the banter between the contestants & Lee Mack I love, he so quick & hilarious." (sic)
Despite the unusual revelation, Nathaniel performed impressively throughout the competition and became one of only four players to reach the final challenge.
The 1% Club has been a popular quiz show since 2022
|ITV
The quartet faced a visual puzzle asking them to count the total number of squares in an image, with a substantial £95,000 prize fund at stake.
All four finalists submitted different answers to the question, which previous research showed only one per cent of the public could solve correctly.
Martin emerged victorious with his answer of 46, claiming the entire jackpot for himself.
Nathaniel, who had progressed through the entire competition without using his safety pass, departed with a consolation prize of £1,000.