From Formula One (ShaneEyoho Universe)
Jump to: navigation, search

This Page is Work in Progress[edit | edit source]

In the ShaneEyoho Universe The Chase is a British television quiz show hosted by various people throughout the series (this was done to keep the format fresh.) Contestants play against a professional quizzer, known as the "chaser", who attempts to prevent them from winning a cash prize. With rare exceptions for special episodes, only one chaser participates in any given episode.

A team of four contestants individually attempt to amass as much money as possible, which is later added to a prize fund if the contestant survives their individual chase. The chaser must attempt to catch each contestant during their individual chase, eliminating that person from the game and preventing the money from being added to the collective prize fund. In the individual chase, the player must choose between a higher offer, their earned money, and a lower offer. Later, in the final round, contestants who survived their individual chases play collectively as a team against the chaser for an equal share of the prize fund.

With a regular audience of three to five million, The Chase is one of ITV's most successful daytime shows ever.[7] It has been nominated six times at the National Television Awards, winning in 2016, 2017, and 2019.

Gameplay[edit | edit source]

Cash Builder and Head-to-Head rounds[edit | edit source]

Each contestant individually attempts to accumulate the team's prize fund through two rounds. In the first round, known as the "Cash Builder", the contestant answers as many questions as they can within one minute, with each correct answer worth £1,000. After completing the Cash Builder, the contestant enters the "Head-to-Head" round, attempting to move the money down to the bottom of a seven-step board and into the team bank ("home") without being caught by the chaser. The board had eight steps in the first series.

The contestant chooses one of three starting positions on the board:

  • Three steps down from the top, giving a three-step head start and requiring five steps to reach home, for the amount won in the Cash Builder
  • Two steps down, with a two-step head start and requiring six steps to reach home, for a larger amount
  • Four steps down, with a four-step head start and requiring four steps to reach home, for a smaller amount

Depending on how many correct answers the contestant gave, the smaller amount can be zero or even negative. Once the starting position is chosen, the host asks a series of multiple-choice questions to the contestant and the chaser, both of whom individually select one of the three answer options on keypads. After either person locks in a guess, the other must do so within five seconds or be locked out for that turn. A correct answer moves the person who gave it one step down the board, while a miss or lock-out leaves them where they are.

If the contestant successfully reaches home without being caught, they advance to the Final Chase and their money is added to the team's prize fund (or deducted, if they took a negative amount). If the chaser catches up, the contestant is eliminated and their money is forfeited. If all four contestants are caught by the chaser, they nominate one contestant to play the Final Chase alone.

Final Chase[edit | edit source]

The contestants who win their head-to-head chases blindly select one of two question sets for themselves, with the other set put aside for the chaser, and then have two minutes to answer as many questions as possible on the buzzer. If a contestant responds without buzzing-in, their answer is not accepted. The buzzer is not used if only one contestant is participating in the Final Chase. Every correct answer moves the team one step ahead of the chaser, and they are given a head start of one step per contestant playing in this round. The contestants may not discuss or confer on any questions during this portion of the round.

Once the team's time has expired, the chaser is given two minutes to answer questions from the unused set and catch the team, moving one step ahead per correct response. If the chaser passes or misses a question, the clock is briefly stopped and the team are given a chance to discuss it and respond; a correct answer pushes the chaser back one step, or moves the team ahead one step if the chaser is at the starting line.

If the chaser fails to catch up to the team before time runs out, the participating contestants split the prize fund equally; otherwise, they leave with nothing. If all four contestants have lost their head-to-head chases and the contestant they nominate wins the Final Chase, every contestant wins £1,000.

In the celebrity/special editions, which are played to benefit charitable organisations named by the participants, a consolation £1,000 is donated to each celebrity's chosen charity if they lose the Final Chase.

Chasers[edit | edit source]

  • Mark Labbett (Season 1 – present)—Appeared on Mastermind, University Challenge, Fifteen to One, The Syndicate and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (twice, winning £32,000 and £16,000); runner-up on The People's Quiz, runner-up on Brain of Britain, part of a winning team on Only Connect, represented Wales from 2005–2007 at the European quiz championships. Ranked 134th in the World Quizzing Championships 2014. Best known in Australia for being one of the chasers on The Chase UK as well as the sole chaser on The Chase USA. Nicknamed "The Beast", "Beastie Boy", "The Man Mountain of Maths" (due to him being 6'6" and a Maths teacher by trade) and "The Transatlantic Giant."
  • Matt Parkinson (Season 1 – present)—A championship winner on the television game show Sale of the Century in the 1990s and a frequent member of the "brains trust" on The Einstein Factor in the 2000s. Nicknamed "Goliath" or "Colossus" due to his tall body size, a chaser on The Chase Australia.
  • Guest Chasers —Sometimes when Labbett or Parkinson weren't available to film an episode, a guest chaser was placed into the episode these can range from one of the host's friends to another Chaser from the UK or Australian version of the show.

Seasons[edit | edit source]

Series Start date End date Episodes Notes
1 18 May 2020 May 2020 10 This season features a chase team record win of £123,000 in Episode 1.

Season 1[edit | edit source]

Ep. Airdate Chaser Players Money Final Chase result Notes
1 May 18, 2020 Matt Parkinson 4 contestants banked £123,000 11/6 (Team Won) This was the highest amount ever banked on The Chase
2 May 19, 2020 Mark Labbett 4 contestants banked £95,000 16/3 (Team Won) This was the worst performance by a Chaser in the show's history.