Bradley Walsh was forced to step in during a recent episode of The Chase after contestant Elliot delivered an unexpectedly blunt verdict on Shaun Wallace’s attempt at poetry.
The ITV quiz show welcomed four new contestants—Mark, Cat, Elliot and Doyin—with the group hoping to build enough money to take on one of the Chasers. The episode featured Shaun Wallace, better known as The Dark Destroyer, as the quizmaster they had to beat.
But Elliot’s encounter with Shaun quickly became one of the more amusing moments of the show.
The Chase’s Braley Walsh forced to take player to side after ‘cheeky’ remark on show
Elliot gives Shaun’s poetry an honest review
Elliot, who lives in Manchester, revealed that he was a keen poetry fan and even writes poetry himself.
That prompted Shaun to recite a poem of his own for the contestant.
“Hello, Elliot. The Tutor. It’s your party, but I’m a pooper. So get on your bike, or a scooter. It’s outside, beeping its hooter,” Shaun declared.
Rather than simply applauding the Chaser, however, Elliot gave a surprisingly candid assessment.
“It’s actually not that bad,” he replied.
Bradley was not impressed
Bradley immediately reacted with an exasperated: “Oh my goodness.”
Elliot then explained that, while he might not have been completely convinced by the poem itself, he could appreciate the technical side of Shaun’s effort.
“The rhyme was good, the syllables were there, like, pure form-wise, like, the way it’s structured, like, genuinely actually pretty good!” he said.
He took the player to the side
Bradley decides it is time for a quiet word
Apparently concerned that Elliot was giving Shaun far too much encouragement, Bradley took the contestant to one side.
Elliot jokingly admitted: “I’m sorry though it is.”
Bradley was quick to offer some advice.
“Don’t encourage him. Just say, ‘Well done, good effort, and let’s move on otherwise we’ll be all night,’” the presenter told him.
He told him to ‘not encourage Shaun’
The pair then returned to the machine, with Elliot following Bradley’s instructions almost perfectly.
“Well done, good effort, and let’s move on,” Elliot told Shaun.
But Shaun was not about to let the exchange pass without getting the final word.
He joked that Elliot’s “cheeky remark” had earned him a low offer of £1,000.
The playful exchange added some unexpected comedy to Elliot’s appearance before the game moved on.
Elliot’s time on the show comes to an end
Unfortunately for Elliot, the jokes did not lead to a place in the Final Chase.
Shaun eventually caught him, leaving Mark as the only player to make it through to the final round.
Mark was playing for £4,000 and managed to reach a score of 15 in the Final Chase.
However, Shaun steadily closed the gap and caught Mark with 21 seconds still remaining.
Bradley then told him: “Mark hope you’ve enjoyed it!”
Mark responded: “Fair play Shaun.”
The presenter praised his performance, adding: “Brilliant effort on your own!”
Shaun also applauded Mark’s effort, telling him: “That was superb mate,” before clapping his hands.
The episode ultimately ended without a contestant victory, but Elliot’s brutally honest review of Shaun’s poetry gave viewers one of the lighter moments of the game.
The Chase airs Monday to Friday at 5pm on ITV1.