BY OBSERVER STAFF
AUBURN — Auburn University engineering student Andrew Hamner recently won $50,000 while competing on FOX’s “The 1% Club,” hosted by actor and comedian Joel McHale.
The episode was filmed in Fayetteville, Georgia, in December 2025 and aired July 20.
Hamner appeared on the show alongside his mother, Maegan, who had initially received an invitation to apply. During the application process, producers asked whether she knew anyone else who might be interested, and she submitted Andrew’s name. Both were ultimately selected for the same episode.
Maegan said the opportunity to compete for the show’s top prize first caught her attention, but the family’s shared interest in logic puzzles made the experience especially appealing.
“The obvious answer is for the chance to win $100,000, but we also have always enjoyed a good logic puzzle,” Maegan said. “We would watch the show at home each week and had fun playing along. I was thrilled just to be on the show, and winning was the icing on the cake. But the real highlight was getting to hug Joel McHale.”
Hamner said he was excited simply to be selected as a contestant, and winning was an added bonus.
Watching her son advance through the competition brought plenty of emotion for Maegan.
“It was exciting and nerve-wracking to watch it all happen in real time,” she said. “For anyone who has seen the episode, my roller coaster of emotions are on full display. We’ve joked that I only got so much airtime because he kept doing so well. I like to think it’s because I’m hilarious.”
About the game show
“The 1% Club” challenges contestants with logic-based questions designed to test how they think rather than what they know. Contestants who continue answering correctly work their way toward the final question and a chance to join the show’s “1% Club” by outperforming 99% of those surveyed.
The program airs Mondays on FOX and is available the following day on Hulu. McHale, known for “Animal Control” and “Crime Scene Kitchen,” hosts the series.
