The Chase viewers were left furious after a contestant made a controversial decision during his head-to-head — with some accusing the long-running ITV quiz show of having “gone down the toilet”.
Presenter Bradley Walsh welcomed four new contestants to the latest episode, with Amanda, Robbie, Alex and Sheila hoping to survive the Chaser and make it through to the Final Chase.
But it was Robbie’s decision during the cash-builder that quickly became the talking point among viewers.
HR manager Robbie, from Hampshire, was the third contestant to face Shaun Wallace, known to fans as the Dark Destroyer.
He had already managed to build a respectable £4,000 in his cash-builder round.
That left Robbie facing a crucial choice.
He could either stick with the £4,000 he had earned, take the lower offer from Shaun or gamble on the higher amount and attempt to push his winnings further.
But before making his decision, Robbie turned to his remaining teammate, Amanda, for advice.
And her response immediately divided viewers.
Amanda begs Robbie to play it safe
Amanda told Robbie that she believed he was capable of taking the top offer — but urged him not to do it.
“Robbie, you are capable of the top, but please go low,” she told him.
She then made it clear that she wanted him back in the team.
“I need you back here, so any money is better than no money. So please, I’m begging.”
Robbie ultimately followed her advice.
Rather than risk the higher offer, he chose to play for the £4,000 he had already accumulated.
And while the decision may have made sense from a team perspective, viewers watching at home were far from convinced.
One angry viewer wrote 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 viewer appeared equally unimpressed, posting:
“Chick chick chick chicken. Hope to god you flipping lose.”
A third simply reacted:
“Nooooooo!”
Robbie survives — but the gamble debate continues
Despite the criticism, Robbie managed to justify his decision by successfully making it through his head-to-head against Shaun.
He took his £4,000 into the Final Chase.
Amanda then took her own turn and performed strongly in her cash-builder, securing another £6,000.
That meant the pair eventually found themselves together in the Final Chase, playing for a combined £10,000 against Shaun.
But their luck ran out when they faced the experienced Chaser.
The pair managed to put 11 steps on the board.
Shaun, however, proved too strong.
The Dark Destroyer caught the team with 35 seconds still remaining on the clock, bringing their attempt to an end.
For viewers, the result only added another layer to the debate over Robbie’s earlier decision.
While some may have understood why he chose the safer route, others clearly believed the contestants should have been more ambitious when given the opportunity to build a stronger Final Chase target.
Who are the Chasers on The Chase?
Since launching on ITV in 2009, The Chase has become one of Britain’s best-known quiz shows, with a growing team of professional quizzers taking on contestants.
Among the familiar faces is Mark Labbett, better known as The Beast.
Labbett has been part of the show since its launch and has also appeared on versions of The Chase in other countries.
Shaun Wallace, meanwhile, is known as the Dark Destroyer. The barrister and former Mastermind champion has also appeared on the Australian version of the show.
Anne Hegerty, nicknamed The Governess, joined the Chaser line-up in 2010 after appearing on several other quiz programmes.
Comedian and qualified doctor Paul Sinha, known as The Sinnerman, joined the team in 2011.
Then came Jenny Ryan, The Vixen, who became a Chaser in 2015 after appearing on shows including Only Connect and Mastermind.
The newest member of the line-up is Darragh Ennis, known as The Menace, who joined in 2020.
Ennis is particularly notable because he previously appeared as a contestant on the show before becoming a Chaser himself.
Other contestants have had very different experiences
While Robbie and Amanda’s appearance ended in disappointment, other contestants have enjoyed considerably better fortunes on the programme.
Steven Sneade, from Liverpool, recently spoke about his experience filming the show after winning £5,700.
Meanwhile, headteacher Tim McCarthy tragically died just one month after appearing on the programme and winning half of a £100,000 jackpot.
The Chase continues to air on ITV1 and ITVX.
And after this latest episode, viewers were left with one question: was Robbie right to listen to Amanda and protect the £4,000, or should he have taken the bigger offer and given the team a better chance in the Final Chase?