Golden Balls player Stephen Bushnall - who lost 100k in the show's most famous 'split or steal' episode - would have been able to pay off his debts if his partner didn't double-cross him.
Stephen was ultimately robbed by rival contestant Sarah, who scooped the biggest win in the game show's history.
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The ITV series, hosted by Jasper Carrott, saw contestants try to find which of the 100 balls concealed cash and, more importantly, which contain the 'killer' balls.
The aim of the game is for four contestants to lie their way out of being eliminated prior to the final, while simultaneously keeping the big money in play as they get rid of the killer balls.
In the case of Stephen and Sarah, both went head-to-head in the final round and were tasked with the decision to split or steal the 100k.
If both contestants chose to split, the prize pot would be divided evenly.
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If both chose to steal, both go home with nothing.
However, if a player chose split and the other chose steal, the thief takes home everything.
Sarah was indeed the thief.
Stephen says that his debt spiral would have been solved if Sarah didn't screw him over.
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"I had quite a bit of debt at the time, so about £15,000-£16,000 of it would have paid off all my debts," he told the Daily Star in 2022.
"It would have put me out of debt, and it would have put me a few months ahead on bills.
"I probably wouldn’t have spent much of it on myself, to be honest.
"I’d maybe have gone on holiday if I’d have gotten the full fifty [grand].
"Obviously at the time, I was thinking, 'Well, this is great! I can maybe put a deposit on a house, I can treat the kids, I can basically put my life in order. It would have massively set me up. It would have changed my life'."
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The unique show ran for six series between 2007 and 2009
Topics: ITV, TV and Film, Money
Anish Vij