{"id":365527,"date":"2026-01-12T03:47:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T03:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/365527\/"},"modified":"2026-01-12T03:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T03:47:10","slug":"ant-and-decs-limitless-win-players-in-tears-as-they-miss-out-on-making-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/365527\/","title":{"rendered":"Ant and Dec&#8217;s Limitless Win players in tears as they miss out on making history"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A brand new series has returned to ITV<\/p>\n<p>21:04, 11 Jan 2026Updated 21:12, 11 Jan 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_limitless1.jpg\" alt=\"Ant and Dec returned to ITV with a popular game show\" loading=\"eager\"  \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Fans were left on the edge of their seats during tonight's episode\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Fans were left on the edge of their seats during tonight&#8217;s episode(Image: ITV)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Two<a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/tv\/tv-news\/ant-dec-update-new-series-36467510\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\"> Ant and Dec&#8217;s Limitless Win contestants have been left in tears <\/a>as they won a life changing amount of money &#8211; but narrowly missed out on making show history.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Following an entertaining <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/christmas\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Christmas<\/a> special, the entertainment quiz show returned tonight (January 11) for its fifth series with a new group of contestants vying to climb the limitless ladder and secure a cash prize.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The show&#8217;s innovative format features an endless money ladder, offering contestants a chance to win the world&#8217;s first unlimited jackpot. Hosted by Britain\u2019s favourite duo Ant and Dec, <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/all-about\/itv\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">ITV<\/a> teased the stakes are &#8220;higher than ever&#8221; this time around.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The broadcaster continued: &#8220;A new line-up of contestants take on the limitless ladder \u2014 pushing their knowledge and nerve to the absolute limit as they attempt to win a life-changing fortune.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_limitless2.jpg\" alt=\"And and Dec\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"The ITV quiz show offers contestants a chance to win the world's first unlimited jackpot\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">The ITV quiz show offers contestants a chance to win the world&#8217;s first unlimited jackpot(Image: ITV)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Across six hour-long primetime shows, this groundbreaking format continues to make TV history with its unique, never-ending money ladder \u2014 offering the <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/world-news\/\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">world<\/a>\u2019s only unlimited jackpot.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Tonight&#8217;s instalment saw father and daughter duo Emma and David from Northern Ireland take on the game first. They sailed through their first round, taking through 20 lives to the main game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The duo appeared to sail through the game with ease, even stunning hosts Ant and Dec as they managed to get \u00a375,000 in their cash pot. Emma and David then had the chance to win a staggering \u00a31,250,000, which would have been the biggest amount to ever be won on Limitless.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">However, they eventually decided to cash out and take home \u00a375,000 after a tough question which they dubbed &#8220;too big a risk&#8221;. The question read: &#8220;Including &#8216;Thomas the Tank Engine&#8217;, how many children&#8217;s picture books were written by the Reverand Awdry in the &#8216;Railway Series&#8217;?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_limitless3.jpg\" alt=\"Emma and David missed out on making show history as they took home a huge amount of cash\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Emma and David missed out on making show history as they took home a huge amount of cash\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Emma and David missed out on making show history as they took home a huge amount of cash(Image: ITV)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The question proved too much of a gamble as the pair walked away with \u00a375k, leaving Emma wiping away tears. Taking to X, many fans were quick to share their disappointment as the two narrowly missed out on making show history. One person wrote: &#8220;This show is a rollercoaster.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Another said: &#8220;They did well, but they deserved to get 6 or 7 figures!&#8221; While one chimed in with: &#8220;they did so so good!! brilliant start of the new series!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">However, some fans branded the latter half of the show as &#8220;pointless&#8221; with Emma and David having been unable to move on from their cash pot amount due to difficult questions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">One person wrote: &#8220;So the last half hour was pointless.&#8221; Another added: &#8220;Absolutely pointless show. They won \u00a375k in the first ten minutes and the next 50 was a waste of time. The questions are so obscure at the high numbers no one ever risks it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">At the start of the show, 60-year-old David, who battled cancer and also lost his leg, admitted the funds would go a long way to helping their family should they win big. He told hosts And and Dec it was &#8220;all about making memories&#8221;, as he later added he was &#8220;living life to the full.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Ant and Dec&#8217;s Limitless Win returned to ITV and ITVX on January 11. For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **<a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.everythinggossip.com\/\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\">Everything Gossip<\/a>** website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A brand new series has returned to ITV 21:04, 11 Jan 2026Updated 21:12, 11 Jan 2026 Fans were&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365528,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[61119,96,347,391,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-365527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-ant-mcpartlin","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-itv","11":"tag-tv","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}