THE Chase fans fumed the ITV show had ‘gone down the toilet’ after a contestant’s surprising decision.
Presenter Bradley Walsh welcomed four new players hoping to win big.
Chaser Shaun Wallace was on top form – as the barrister caught the first two contestants with ease.
HR Manager Robbie, from Hampshire, was the third player up for the head-to-head rounds.
He managed to earn a respectable £4,000 in the opening cash builder.
Robbie then turned to sole remaining teammate Amanda to advise which offer to take
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Things took an unexpected turn when she told him: “Robbie, you are capable of the top, but please go low.”
Amanda added: “I need you back here, so any money is better than no money. So please, I’m begging.”
Although Robbie chose to play for the £4,000 from the cash builder, viewers were far from impressed with Amanda’s advice.
One fumed online: “This is an absolute joke now!
“Why does the low offer even exist in the first place? The Chase has gone down the toilet.”
Another added: “Chick chick chick chicken. Hope to god you flipping lose.”
While a third simply shared: “Nooooooo!”
Robbie narrowly got through the head-to-head, bringing his £4,000 to the Final Chase.
In Amanda’s own turn, she managed to get £6,000 in the cash builder.
Having also advanced, she and Robbie were then playing for £10,000 against Shaun.
They got a score of 11 – but the chaser ended their game with 35 seconds remaining.
The Chase first premiered on ITV back in 2009 and has become a firm favourite among viewers since then. The roster of professional quizzers (‘chasers’) has grown significantly since the show’s launch.
- Mark Labbett (2009 – present): Known as ‘The Beast’, Mark is a former Maths teacher and previously won £32,000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Mark has also reprised his role as a Chaser in the US and Australian versions of the show.
- Shaun Wallace (2009 – present): Shaun, a barrister and former Mastermind champion, goes by the ‘Dark Destroyer’. Shaun has appeared on the Australian version of The Chase. In 2008, he finished as runner-up to Barry Simmons in Are You an Egghead?, a contest to find a new member of the then-BBC quiz team.
- Anne Hegerty (2010 – present): A former contestant on Mastermind, Fifteen To One and Are You an Egghead?, Anne goes by ‘The Governess’. Since joining The Chase, she appeared on I’m A Celebrity… in 2018.
- Paul Sinha (2011-present): Comedian and qualified doctor Paul joined the Chaser line-up in 2011, taking the nickname ‘The Sinnerman’. He has appeared on The Weakest Link, University Challenge and Brain of Britain. In 2018, Paul starred in series 8 of popular game show Taskmaster.
- Jenny Ryan (2015 – present): Known as ‘The Vixen’, Jenny was previously in a winning team on Only Connect. She also appeared in Mastermind, The Weakest Link and Fifteen To One before joining The Chase in 2015.
- Darragh Ennis (2020 – present): A postdoctoral researcher, Darragh joined The Chase in 2020 as ‘The Menace’. He is the first former contestant to join the line-up, having been part of a winning team against Paul Sinha in 2017.
However, other players have enjoyed much different outcomes on The Chase.
Steven Sneade from Liverpool recently opened up about winning £5,700 – and his time filming.
Meanwhile, headteacher Tim McCarthy passed away just one month after winning half of a £100,000 jackpot on the show.
The Chase airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
