Viewers of The Chase were left bewildered by a significant blunder shortly after the show began on Friday (February 14).
In yesterday’s episode, host Bradley Walsh invited four new contestants to compete on the ITV quiz show. The 64-year-old presenter introduced Gareth, Anthony, Jeanette, and Louise to the audience as they prepared to test their knowledge against Mark ‘The Beast’ Wallace—and he did not disappoint.
First up was Gareth, who accumulated a notable £4,000 in the cash builder. However, his luck ran out when the professional quizzer caught him.
Antony, a maths student, stepped up next and dazzled the former Coronation Street actor with his excellent general knowledge, garnering an equally impressive £6,000 in the rapid question session. Determined not to be eliminated like Gareth, Antony chose to play it safe with a lower offer of £1,000, which allowed him to advance to the final chase.
After witnessing Antony’s strategy work out, fellow contestant Jeanette also opted to take the lower offer, despite having earned £2,000 in her initial round.
When Bradley inquired about her decision to choose the lower amount, she justified her choice by saying, “Well, I always said I would never go low, but he did!” referring to Antony, who had just cemented his spot in the final, reports the Express.
At this point, fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to express frustration at the player’s decision to accept the low offer. One user ranted: “Why bother going on the chase if you’re takin the low offer #TheChase.”
Another fan concurred: “Oh please, it’s a game about pressure, but also about bl***y money. Going low made no sense, especially when he had a great cash builder. The chaser can justify him going low until the cows come home. Wrong decision. #TheChase.”
A third disgruntled viewer chimed in: “What?!!! £1,000 Low offer!!!! That’s two low offers in a row now! This is completely ridiculous! What’s been happening with all of these episodes of useless people taking the low offer! What is this!!! #TheChase.”
A witty fan quipped: “Am I still watching The Chase? #TheChase,” and accompanied it with a photo of Bradley Walsh posing as the host of the BBC quiz show Pointless.
The final contestant, Louise, broke the pattern by opting to play for her £7,000 winnings in the head-to-head round. Fortunately, she outsmarted the chaser and made it to the final round, boosting the team’s jackpot to £9,000.
Despite beginning with a three-point advantage, the team could only correctly answer 18 questions within two minutes. Mark surpassed this score with 27 seconds to spare, leaving the team without any winnings.
The Chase airs weekdays on ITV1 at 5pm