Mark Labbett, known as The Beast on The Chase, has finally spilled the beans on why he won’t be seen strutting his stuff on Strictly Come Dancing.
In a recent episode, host Bradley Walsh was back in action at ITV studios, welcoming a fresh batch of contestants to the popular quiz show.
The four hopefuls, Will, Annaka, Debra, and Tom, were eager to test their trivia skills against one of the show’s formidable Chasers.
The team faced off against The Beast, who was on top form. Will from York kicked things off with an impressive £7,000 in the cash-builder round but ultimately succumbed to the pressure and was caught by the Chaser, leaving with nothing.
Annaka, hailing from Newton Abbott, didn’t fare much better, managing to scrape together only £2,000 before facing The Beast. It was during her moment in the spotlight that Labbett took the opportunity to explain his absence from the Strictly dance floor, remarking: “Good afternoon, Annaka. Well, you quiz like I dance: it’s not pretty and it’s the reason I’m barred from Strictly.”
To which Annaka responded: “Well, we’ll have to see how I do in this round but I accept that my performance was pitiful.”, reports the Express.
Unfortunately for Annaka, her nerves got the better of her in the head-to-head, making her the second contestant to bow out of the competition.
Debra was next to face the challenge, impressing the host by earning £6,000 in the cash-builder round. Unlike her teammates, she kept her cool during the head-to-head round and secured a spot in the final chase.
Tom was the last contestant to take on The Beast, earning £5,000 in the cash-builder round. However, in a tense head-to-head, he was caught out in the final question shoot-out, leaving Debra to go up against the quizzer alone in the final round.
In the final round, Debra answered 14 questions correctly within two minutes after her one point head start, earning applause from Mark himself.
However, with just 50 seconds left on the clock and no pushbacks secured, the master brainiac caught Debra out, leaving her with no money in the pot to take home.
The Chase airs on ITV1 weekdays from 5pm and can be streamed via ITVX