The Chase Contestant Stuns Bradley Walsh as Anne Hegerty’s Final Chase Unravels — Leaving the Team With an £18,000 Win

Anne Hegerty had a shocker of a game on The Chase last night (Credit: ITV)

Anne Hegerty has faced thousands of questions during her years on The Chase, but one particularly difficult Final Chase gave four contestants an opportunity they weren’t about to waste.

Liz, Victoria, Phil and Albert all survived their individual battles against The Governess and reached the final with £18,000 in the prize fund.

Yet by the end of the episode, it wasn’t simply Anne’s surprising defeat that had Bradley Walsh and viewers talking.

It was 24-year-old university administrator Albert.

His performance became so important to the team’s victory that Bradley jokingly suggested he should swap sides and take a seat alongside the Chasers.

Albert Brings Half of the £18,000 Prize Fund

Bradley Walsh was stunned by Albert’s performance (Credit: ITV)

Albert had already established himself as a strong player before the Final Chase began.

Of the team’s £18,000 total, he had contributed £9,000 himself.

With all four contestants safely through, they then faced the task of setting a target large enough to keep Anne from catching them.

The team managed 17 steps.

Anne didn’t appear particularly intimidated by the score.

“I didn’t think that was a particularly tricky set of questions,” she said before beginning her chase. “That was fairly straightforward.”

But her own set of questions proved much less comfortable.

Anne Suddenly Begins Making Mistakes

Could we see Albert as a Chaser in the future? (Credit: ITV)

Once Anne’s clock started, the Final Chase took an unexpected turn.

The Governess passed on several questions and produced a number of incorrect answers, repeatedly giving the contestants opportunities for pushbacks.

That was when Albert became especially dangerous.

Again and again, the 24-year-old helped his teammates capitalize on Anne’s mistakes, pushing her farther away from their target while precious seconds continued disappearing.

His contribution eventually became impossible for Bradley to ignore.

During one particularly impressive stretch, the host gestured toward the Chaser’s position and joked to Albert:

“Right, go and sit up there.”

The implication was obvious — Albert was playing well enough to look like he belonged on the other side of the table.

Two Mistakes Help Turn the Final Chase

Anne continued trying to close the gap, but the mistakes proved costly.

When the clock finally defeated her and the contestants secured their £18,000, Bradley highlighted just how unusual her performance had been.

“No disrespect, but The Chaser made two spectacular errors,” he said.

Anne offered a straightforward explanation for what had happened.

“I just happened to know the answer to your questions and not mine,” she told the contestants.

Bradley finished the episode by reminding viewers that even the show’s strongest quiz experts can have an off day.

“There you have it, they do make mistakes – even one of the top top female players on the planet.”

For Albert, meanwhile, the victory had a practical purpose. He revealed that he planned to put his share of the winnings toward a house deposit.

Viewers Think Albert Should Become a Chaser

Reaction after the episode quickly shifted toward Albert’s performance.

While some viewers criticized Anne’s unusually difficult Final Chase, others argued that Albert had effectively carried much of the team’s pushback effort.

Several even suggested that he should return to The Chase in a completely different role — as one of the Chasers.

That idea isn’t as impossible as it might sound.

Darragh Ennis originally appeared on The Chase as a contestant in 2017. He impressed during his appearance, having earned £9,000 in his Cash Builder before facing Paul Sinha.

Three years later, he returned to the programme — this time as The Menace.

Could Albert Follow the Same Path?

There is no indication that Albert is actually being lined up to become a Chaser, and Bradley’s remark was made jokingly during the game.

But his performance provided the episode with its standout moment.

A 24-year-old contestant arrived hoping to win some money toward a home, contributed half of his team’s entire prize fund and then repeatedly punished one of The Chase’s most experienced players when she slipped up.

By the end, Liz, Victoria, Phil and Albert were leaving with £18,000.

But Albert was leaving with something else as well: Bradley Walsh and viewers openly wondering whether he looked more like a future Chaser than an ordinary contestant.