Viewers left delighted after blind contestant on The Wheel wins £45k after answering art question

Wheel viewers were moved to tears after Saturday night’s show, after a blind contestant took home £45,000 for correctly answering a question about art.

The contestant quickly became a fan favorite throughout the night with his cheeky sense of humor, making several in-game jokes about his own disability.

The contestant, a student named Toby, told host Michael McIntyre that he was 96 percent blind, meaning he could see lights but not make out specific shapes or people.

Having successfully completed the rounds, Toby got to the last question, where he answered turned to radio DJ Sara Cox to help answer.

‘Which of these artists has won the Turner Prize in the 21st century?’ read host and comedian Michael McIntyre.

Touching: Viewers of The Wheel were moved to tears after Saturday night’s show, after a blind contestant took home £45,000 for correctly answering a question about art.

The four possible answers were: Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, and Anish Kapoor.

But unsure, Toby trusted Sara for the answer, saying, ‘It’s all up to you,’ he told her. ‘Because I have no idea.’

Blind people don’t like art.

“I totally get it,” Sara quipped, before suggesting Grayson Perry as the answer to shutting down.

Finding that his answer was correct, Toby seemed at a loss for words.

He then went to hug Sara and thank her for her help, promising to listen to her on BBC Radio 2 every day.

The presenter then became visibly emotional and had to blink back tears.

Comedian Michael then pointed out the irony, praising Toby for how well he did.

Great – The contestant quickly became a fan favorite throughout the night with his cheeky sense of humor, cracking various jokes throughout the game about his own disability.

Great – The contestant quickly became a fan favorite throughout the night with his cheeky sense of humor, cracking various jokes throughout the game about his own disability.

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Question: “Which of these artists has won the Turner Prize in the 21st century?” read host and comedian Michael McIntyre

Touched: The presenter became visibly emotional and had to blink back tears after Toby won the prize money.

Touched: The presenter became visibly emotional and had to blink back tears after Toby won the prize money.

“I can’t believe you came on this wheel, you’re a blind man, you’ve been asked a question about art to win the show, you’ve hilariously pointed out, during the question, that you’re not a huge fan of art, I never actually have seen!’

Toby then quipped, ‘I’ll tell you what, he loves art now! He is my favorite. ‘

Michael then asked the winner to explain what they can actually see.

“I’m completely blind, or what we call completely blind,” he shared.

“There’s a spectrum so I’m 96% blind and I can see the lights so I can tell the studio lights are on I can’t see you (Michael) I can’t see anyone around the wheel so sorry if I was looking at you with weird eye contact. It’s not my fault.’

He added that he was born visually impaired with a genetic condition, which worsened as he got older, going completely blind at 16, and now, all he responds to is sound.

“This is life-changing,” he said of the prize money.

‘I’m so overwhelmed, honestly. I’m not an emotional person at all, but I could cry. It’s hard to put it into words.

1679186807 510 Viewers left delighted after blind contestant on The Wheel wins

1679186809 366 Viewers left delighted after blind contestant on The Wheel wins

1679186810 461 Viewers left delighted after blind contestant on The Wheel wins

1679186811 418 Viewers left delighted after blind contestant on The Wheel wins

1679186812 564 Viewers left delighted after blind contestant on The Wheel wins

On Twitter as the episode aired, fans raved about the student.

One onlooker said: ‘HE DONE IT!!!!! Toby has absolutely dominated tonight! A well deserved £45k win! #The wheel’

‘Here, Toby’s speech at the end of winning 45k on ‘The Wheel’ on BBC1 about being 96% blind from the age of 16 has finished me off! so happy for him #thewheel #gettoby’ added another.

A third said: ‘I don’t think I’ve been happier with a winner than Toby #TheWheel’

A fourth added: ‘Wow #thewheel what a show. So happy for that guy, tears in my eyes. I’ve always liked @sarajcox and now I like her even more.’

Earlier on the show, Toby was tasked with answering a question about rugby, with YouTuber Chunkz as his pundit.

Not knowing much about the sport, Chunkz said: “I’ve never seen a rugby game in my life, never played it…”

Before Toby replied: ‘I’ve never seen anything, mate! So it’s all good.’

Not bad: Michael McIntyre is reportedly set to raise an impressive £13m from his hit game show The Wheel as he takes it global (pictured on BBC1 show)

Not bad: Michael McIntyre is reportedly set to raise an impressive £13m from his hit game show The Wheel as he takes it global (pictured on BBC1 show)

It comes after it was revealed that Michael McIntyre is reportedly set to raise an impressive £13 million from his hit game show The Wheel as he takes it global.

The comedian co-owns the rights to the popular BBC One series which has featured celebrities including Gemma Collins, Maura Higgins and Prue Leith.

And now he’s releasing the show in America through his production company Hungry McBear after NBC ordered 10 episodes.

A television informant said Sun: ‘Americans love eccentric Brits, which is why they have reveled in the likes of Gordon Ramsay and James Corden.

“But they also love a good game show with a simple concept, and The Wheel has the added bonus of being one of the Covid-friendly shows because the setting socially distances everyone involved.”

‘As with other successful British exports, such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Britain’s Got Talent, will take you into lucrative new markets in Asia and across Europe.”

MailOnline has contacted the BBC and Michael’s representative for comment.