The rivalry between Stempel and Van Doren became a national talking point. However, while the public eagerly waited to see who would win the quiz, the producers already knew. Stempel had signed a document agreeing that when the producers asked him to lose, he would do so.

True to his word, he incorrectly answered the question "What motion picture won the Academy Award for 1955?", despite knowing that the right answer was Marty, which just so happened to be his favourite film. With around 15 million viewers tuned in, Van Doren won the quiz – and with it $129,000 ($1.08 million/£800k in 2021).

The biggest TV game show cheats ever