BBC Mastermind viewers issue same complaint over 'familiar' contestant

BBC Mastermind viewers were left stunned on Monday (July 21) after recognising a contestant who seemed just a little too familiar. As the episode aired, fans flocked to social media to share their surprise and frustration at seeing a familiar face on yet another major quiz show. The contestant in question was Dennis Wang, whose specialist subject was the Men's Euros from 2000 to 2004. But this wasn't his first brush with quiz show fame.

Wang previously appeared on Only Connect, where he captained the team Crunchers. The braniac also competed on Jeopardy! UK, impressing viewers with his quick-fire accuracy and confident gameplay and competed on University Challenge back in 2016. Fans' reaction was mixed, with some labelling his serial quizzing as "unfair". "Don't think it's fair to have the same guy just competing on all the big quiz shows, really? Seems a bit unfair," one fan wrote. Another penned: "Mr Wang from #onlyconnect ? #quizzymonday."

Others were more sceptical about the growing trend of familiar faces cropping up again and again across Britain's toughest quiz formats.

"Do they have a pool of people who are on every quiz show? You get the same people on this, Only Connect, University Challenge, etc.

"A few years ago there was one lad on Only Connect, Pointless, and a couple of other shows in the space of about a month," one user wrote.

Still, plenty were thrilled to see Wang back on their screens. "I've seen Dennis on #Mastermind, Jeopardy, Only Connect... he's a quiz stalwart," one fan posted.

Another joked: "Watching #Mastermind and wondering where I've seen Dennis Wang before. It would seem he's a Monday night quiz night regular, having been on both #OnlyConnect and #UniversityChallenge. Well, now he's completed the trio!"

A third added: "I wonder how many people have done the triple of #UniversityChallenge, #OnlyConnect and #Mastermind."

Wang's impressive quiz résumé only added fuel to the debate.

He previously captained Only Connect team the Crunchers and also represented Worcester College on University Challenge back in 2016, where he earned praise for quick-fire buzzer rounds and clever lateral thinking.

On Jeopardy! UK, he truly made his mark-winning his episode in January 2024 with a flawless performance that saw him answer 34 clues correctly without a single miss, including both Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy.

He walked away with £4,151 and solidified his place as a standout quizzer.

Sadly for Dennis he didn't win his latest quiz venture on Mastermind after stumbling on some questions during the second round.

Fans gave him a congratulatory send off, gushing "Well done" after he answered 13 questions correctly during his one-on-one with host Clive myrie.

But not before one fan snook in a cheeky dig: "Bye Dennis. Give someone else a go on a quiz show".