The Chase viewers were left furious after a tense final showdown appeared to end with a one-second clock controversy, with some fans claiming contestant Maggie had been denied a £50,000 win.
The dramatic moment came during a repeat episode of the ITV quiz show, in which Maggie went head-to-head with Anne Hegerty, better known to viewers as The Governess.
Maggie had the chance to take home £50,000, but Anne ultimately caught her in the final seconds of the chase.
The Chase viewers are convinced the clock got stuck at one second and gave Anne more time to answerCredit: ITV
Viewers question the final second
Anne needed to answer 18 questions to complete the chase, and the contest came down to the final moments.
With only three seconds remaining, host Bradley Walsh asked Anne: “What type of animal is a chickadee?”
The clock continued to count down as Anne considered the answer.
With what appeared to be just one second remaining, she replied: “Bird.”
Poor Maggie lost out on a £50,000 windfallCredit: ITV
Her answer was correct, allowing Anne to complete the chase and preventing Maggie from winning the £50,000 prize.
But the timing of the answer immediately caught the attention of viewers watching at home.
Some were convinced that the clock had appeared to remain stuck on one second, potentially giving Anne additional time to provide her answer.
Fans accuse ITV show of being “fixed”
The moment prompted a wave of angry reactions on Twitter, with some viewers questioning whether the result had been fair.
One viewer wrote that the contestant “should have well won £50k” because the clock appeared to be “stuck on 1sec”.
Another simply declared: “That’s it the chase is fixed what a joke.”
A third viewer added: “Starting to think the Chase is a bit fixed now too.”
The accusations focused specifically on the final second of the contest and whether Anne had been allowed more time than the rules permitted.
For Maggie, the disputed moment proved particularly costly, as the £50,000 prize slipped away after Anne successfully answered the final question.
ITV rejects claims the clock was stuck
Despite the reaction from viewers, ITV denied that the clock had malfunctioned or remained stuck.
A representative for the broadcaster told the Mail Online that the results had been checked by adjudicators.
The broadcaster therefore rejected the suggestion that Anne had been given extra time to answer the question.
The episode itself was not a new broadcast at the time, but a repeat of an episode that had originally aired four years earlier. That did little to prevent viewers from debating the dramatic finish and questioning what they believed they had seen on screen.
Ultimately, Anne’s answer was accepted, the chase was completed and Maggie missed out on the £50,000 prize—while the final seconds left some The Chase viewers convinced they had witnessed something far more controversial than a simple quiz-show finish.