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Mastermind winner finds romance with rival finalist

Gavin Kermack
BBC News, West Midlands
Mary Rhodes
BBC Midlands Today
John Robinson/Claire Reynolds A man with short dark hair and a dark beard with grey flecks stands with his arm around a woman with neck-length dark hair with a few grey spots. Both are wearing glasses and smiling at the camera. The man is wearing a dark blue hoodie over a maroon t-shirt and the woman is wearing a green hoodie. They are standing in front of pool of water with fountains coming out of the middle and what looks like a large religious building in the background.John Robinson/Claire Reynolds
Rivalry turned to romance after John Robinson and Claire Reynolds met on the set of the Mastermind final

Becoming the BBC's Mastermind champion is something even the most ardent quiz fanatic can only dream of.

But the man who won this year's final walked away from the competition with a lot more than the coveted trophy - after he and the woman he pipped to the post became an item.

Love blossomed on set for John Robinson and Claire Reynolds, both from Birmingham, as the pair bonded over their shared love of quizzes.

"They say opposites attract," said Mr Robinson. "But I think in this case, very similar personalities are attracted."

John Robinson/Claire Reynolds The two people from the above photograph, this time sitting on a sofa, grinning at the camera and each holding up an object reading "Finalist".John Robinson/Claire Reynolds
Mr Robinson beat Ms Reynolds in the final - but only just

Mr Robinson, an English teacher in Kings Heath who previously took home £500,000 following an appearance on ITV's Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, won with a total of 30 points - just one more than Ms Reynolds' total of 29.

"I have forgiven him now, just about," said Ms Reynolds, who is originally from Kingstanding but now lives in Stratford-upon-Avon.

During the final, though, Mr Robinson's thoughts were anywhere but love.

"It is very nerve-wracking indeed," he told BBC Midlands today. "Especially with the studio lights, and pitch black around you, and the spotlight, it can be quite intimidating.

"But I thought, I'm just going to stare straight ahead at Clive [Myrie, the presenter], focus on him, and and try and block out everything else around me.

"And somehow it worked."

The man from the above picture, wearing a pale-coloured short-sleeved shirt and holding a glass bowl while sitting in a chair. Standing behind him with his hands on the back of the chair is the Mastermind presenter Clive Myrie, a bald man wearing a dark suit, a white shirt and a purple tie. The Mastermind logo - a large M in a circle - is on the wall behind them.
Mr Robinson said sitting in the famous black chair was quite nerve-wracking

In fact, it was only after the finalists were able to put all thought of specialist subjects - for Mr Robinson, the Empire State Building; for Ms Reynolds, the early 20th century German mathematician Emmy Noether - out of their minds, that romance had a chance to bloom.

"During the actual filming of the final [in Belfast], there's not an awful lot of time to actually talk," said Ms Reynolds. "We did have a little chat, we said hello and said good luck.

"But we spent more time chatting on the flight back to Birmingham afterwards."

John Robinson/Claire Reynolds The couple from the above picture, sitting in a pub and smiling at the camera. The woman is wearing a black blouse with what look like flowers on it, and the man is wearing a grey shirt decorated with what look like small white birds. A glass of white wine and a pint of beer are on the table. John Robinson/Claire Reynolds
Now that their Mastermind performances have gone public, the couple say they might have to avoid pub quizzes for a bit

Despite only missing out on first place by a single point, Ms Reynolds is adamant that the trophy is not for them to share: "No, no. I didn't win it so absolutely not."

"You can reapply to go back on a future series," added Mr Robinson. "So it might be that she goes back on in a few years and gets one of her own."

Now back home, surely the Mastermind champion and runner-up are destined to become the pub quiz power couple of the West Midlands?

"We've been to a couple," said Mr Robinson, "but before anyone knew about our Mastermind experience. They went... rather well, shall we say?

"But I'm not sure we can go back to any now."

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