BEN Shephard has set the record straight on how the Tipping Point machine really works after ‘fix’ claims.
The ITV quiz show began in July 2012 with Ben, 47, at the helm as players try to win £10,000.
They do so by answering questions to win tokens to then put into the giant Tipping Point machine, a bigger version of the ones you see in arcades.
The players drop their tokens in and hope that it lands in a position that will then push the counters out, with each counter earning them £50.
The final round sees the last player standing try and win the jackpot counter from the machine, which is worth a whopping £10,000.
However, over the last decade, some viewers have become convinced that the machine is ‘rigged’ or the show is ‘fixed’ to benefit one player over another.
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Some even joke – we think – on Twitter that there’s a little man with a magnet who dictates which player can win big.
But Ben has revealed that the machine is very complicated, and while a real life human DOES sit behind the machine to make sure it’s working correctly, they don’t interfere with the game play.
He told Huffington Post : “It’s a really complicated system that is run by the gallery.
“It’s such a complicated set up, which is why when people ask if we can take it on the road, that’s the reason why we can’t.”
He added about the person behind the machine: “He has to make sure the hydraulics are going at the right pace, because sometimes they can be too fast.
“He has to make sure the hoppers that feed the counter are full.”
A ladder is also placed behind the machine to allow a member of production to fill it back up with counters when they’re ready to be dropped.
To start the game, 40 counters are placed – not dropped – in no particular order, and when any have been pushed over the tipping point, a runner comes out to count how many dropped so Ben can then tell the players, before the runner clears them away.
The production team are meticulous with the details of the show, and even polish each counter individually before each episode so that no marks show up on the camera.
Tipping Point airs weekdays at 4pm on ITV.
