Bradley Walsh is the host of The Chase

The Brits have a love affair with game shows from a presenter's comedic wit, to audiences being able to test their knowledge to the emotional drama and high stakes. From The Chase to Pointless, popular game shows has seen thousands of contestants put their knowledge to the test but for those who bagged an eye-watering cash prize, not all received their money straight away.

Express.co.uk takes a look at those players who were refused their cash prizes or had to wait a long time for their payout. From The 1% Club where contestants can win £100k to The Traitors.

A Deal Or No Deal contestant who successfully won a prize disclosed the real reason behind the months-long delay in accessing her cash. Janet Swannell appeared on the ITV programme, ultimately leaving with £8,000 in winnings.

However, the children's entertainer confirmed that whilst the prize money is genuine, contestants don't gain instant access to the cash inside their chosen box, reports the Mirror.

She explained it was not an "easy secret to keep" as she initially recorded the episode in November 2024.

Speaking from her car via her TikTok account, she said: "I have a loud mouth and it was not an easy secret to keep. Lots of people are asking 'when did you get your winnings?' The answer is not a simple one."

Janet clarified: "Basically, there are 2 options, You either get your winnings 6 weeks after your game airs on ITV or 6 months after you play and you sit in the hot seat, whichever comes sooner.

"So for me, I recorded my show in November 2024 so I got my money around May because my episode only aired January 2026, which is crazy. I couldn't tell anyone for over 12 months despite everybody asking and asking. Honestly, if you ask all my friends, I did not tell them."

The contestant added she kept her winnings a secret because she didn't want to risk being sued by ITV.

This game show contestant didn't tell his family he had won The 1% Club in 2022 because he wanted to surprise them but 12 months on he was still waiting for his money.

Daniel O'Halloran scooped £100,000 on the ITV game show but still hadn't received his money - almost a year after winning big. But there's a strict rule which contestants all have to agree to before the cameras start rolling. If you win the money, you get your cheque weeks after the show airs.

The 24-year-old beat out 99 other contestants on ITV's The 1% Club. Speaking about what he would do with the life-changing sum, he told Liverpool Echo: "I've got to be sensible, maybe look towards the house, pay the mortgage off. But I've got to enjoy it as well. I can't take this for granted."

Tony Fillingham has appeared on several TV game shows but one from Channel 5 never paid him a penny despite winning. The quiz show regular, 51, from Cheshire is a regular on the quiz circuit.

He's appeared on Tipping Point where he managed to win £2,700, Tenable where he was awarded an impressive £45,000, Emmerdale, Extreme Diet Hotel, and Steph and Dom's One Star to Five Star.

However, one show where he made an appearance never aired. Kate Garraway for Channel 5's gameshow 5 Second Stars, where he won £23,000 - money he never received because the show didn't make it to air.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Tony explained: "I never saw a penny of my £23,000 winnings from 5 Second Stars - all because the show never aired."

Stephen Libby and Rachel Duffy became the first pair of Traitors to win the £95,750 prize fund in season four of the hit BBC series.

But Stephen recently shared he was yet to receive his share of the prize pot. The pair made history as the first two Traitors to split the prize fund, which totalled £95,750 - £47,875 each.

Reading out questions submitted by This Morning viewers in January, host Cat Deeley asked Stephen: "How many times have you checked your banking app since the final? Has the money landed in your accounts yet?"

Laughing, Stephen replied: "It's not in there yet. But, yeah, I'm not checking because I just want to get a nice surprise when it finally comes in. But yeah, not yet."

When asked what he plans to spend the money on, he added: "Obviously, some new jumpsuits [are] on the cards. And I've left my job, so it's really just allowing me to survive for the next wee while as well."

Steven Sneade, 69, from Liverpool, who once competed on the show, shared his insights as he revealed contestants are required to not split the prize fund with losing players on their team.

He told The Mirror: "If you win you have to sign another contract as you're accepting money from them. They told us not to give money to the contestants who didn't win money just because you feel sorry for them.

"They can't stop you, but I think they just don't want you to have that in mind. They said it could take three months, but I had it in a week."