The Chase viewers were left divided after presenter Bradley Walsh rejected a contestant’s joking answer during a crucial moment of the final round.
The contestant, Colin, had impressed throughout the episode, building an £11,000 prize fund in his Cash Builder before successfully beating Chaser Paul Sinha in the head-to-head.
His teammates also performed strongly, leaving the group with £20,000 to defend in the final.
But Colin’s impressive run hit an unexpected stumbling block when one answer went hilariously wrong.
‘The Leaning Tower of Pizza’
During the Final Chase, Bradley Walsh asked Colin:
“Work on what famous Italian bell tower began in 1173?”
Colin immediately buzzed in with his answer: “The leaning tower of pizza.”
Bradley quickly rejected it.
“No, it’s Pisa,” he told him.
After the round, Bradley explained why he could not accept Colin’s answer.
“Colin, bad luck – I couldn’t allow pizza,” he said.
“It has to be Pisa. Pizza, if I’m not mistaken is a small flat bread-like dish covered in cheese.”
Bradley then joked that Colin could technically have a tower of pizzas if he was hungry.
“They could lean if you stack them high,” he added.
As Paul Sinha prepared to take on the team’s accumulated score, Bradley returned to the joke, simply saying: “Pizza – that’s all I’ve got to say.”
Viewers react to the decision
The moment quickly became a talking point among viewers on Twitter, with many finding Colin’s answer hilarious.
One viewer wrote: “Leaning tower of Pizza! Ha! #TheChase.”
Another posted: “Leaning tower of pizza lol #thechase.”
However, not everyone thought the answer should have been rejected.
Some viewers argued that the pronunciation was close enough to warrant accepting it, particularly because the contestant had clearly been referring to the famous landmark in Pisa.
One frustrated viewer wrote: “Bit harsh on the Pisa question. Some people do pronounce it Pizza, because of local dialect! #TheChase.”
Another questioned the decision, writing: “He can’t not give it because he said leaning tower of pizza!!! #thechase.”
A further viewer asked: “‘Leaning tower of Pizza’ disallowed as an answer on the final chase?? #Pisa #thechase.”
While Colin’s answer cost the team a step in the Final Chase, it certainly gave viewers one of the episode’s most memorable moments.
The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV.