A game show contestant has suffered the ultimate disaster of mistaking a quiz question about Greek epic poet Homer for one about Homer Simpson from The Simpsons.
To make matters worse, his response has ended up going viral on social media, prompting a wider debate around teaching standards in the process.
Dom, a primary school teacher from Manchester in the U.K., found himself at the centre of a social media storm after answering a tricky question on the ITV quiz series Tipping Point.
In the latest episode, host Ben Shephard asked: “In his epic poems, Homer often refers to nectar as the drink of the Gods and what substance as their food?”
A question related to the 750 B.C. epic poet Homer, best known for his reputed works the Iliad and the Odyssey, the correct answer would have been “ambrosia.”
However, in a fit of panic, Dom heard the name Homer and immediately associated the question with The Simpsons.
“I know he likes donuts,” Dom responded in an apparent reference to Homer Simpson’s love of the iced pastry treat. “I think I’ll go with….donuts please, Ben.”
Shephard looked dumbstruck for a moment, gathering his thoughts before passing the question over to quiz rival Lindsay.
But Lindsay was also none the wiser and added: “I would have said doughnuts as well. Beer and doughnuts. Yeah, right up Homer’s street.”
With that, the Good Morning Britain host couldn’t help but laugh – just as Dom realised his error.
Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for both of them, and they were told the answer was incorrect.
The clip ended up going viral on Twitter after being posted online by Graeme Douglas, who commented: “Ben Shepherd’s face is perfect.” At the time of writing, it had been viewed 1.5 million times.
But while the quiz master’s face on the clip has been a source of much entertainment to some, for others, Dom’s response represents a sad statement of modern education standards as a whole.
Ancient Greek literature has been associated with vocabulary building and improved grammar comprehension among young students.
According to Illinois Wesleyan University: “Roughly 60% of all English words and 90% of technical and scientific terms are derived from ancient Greek and Latin,” with knowledge of both proving especially beneficial to anyone seeking a career in law or medicine.
