University Challenge: Eric Monkman returns to viewer's delight
Sadly though his comeback on the BBC series was short-lived after the 29-year-old Wolfson College, Cambridge, student and his fellow team members were knocked out of the competition by rivals Edinburgh University.
Many viewers were quick to take to social media to express their devastation that the legendary contestant was finally out of the contest.
One viewer simply posted: “Monkman is out… not watching anymore now.”
While another wrote: “The only thing worse than losing at the astroturf tonight was coming home to see #monkman's losing face on #Universitychallenge #Monkmania.”
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A third person summed up what most were feeling when they said: “Gonna miss the #Monkman #UniversityChallenge.”
Others on the micro-blogging site were left mourning the missed opportunity of a face-off between Monkman and another University Challenge star Bobby Seagull.
“Can we just get to the part where we have a Monkman v Seagull final? #universitychallenge,” asked an audience member.
Can we just get to the part where we have a Monkman v Seagull final? #universitychallenge
A second tweeted: “#monkman must get through next time so we can eventually see the Seagull/Monkman final. #universitychallenge.”
The Economics student won over legions of fans after his initial performance on the programme in September last year thanks to his intense manner of answering questions.
His subsequent appearances on University Challenge were met with explosions of joy on social media and Monkman became the ultimate meme.
Previously speaking about his newfound fame, the Canadian told Huffington Post: “I did not expect that I would get the reaction I did. Quizzing doesn’t have the same following in Canada.
“Indeed, it tends to be called ‘trivia’ here, which gives you an idea of how it is seen. I did not expect there would be so many fans in Britain.”
He added: “I was aware that contestants sometimes got mentioned in the British media, but I did not know that University Challenge had such a large social media following.”
University Challenge airs on BBC Two on Mondays at 8pm.