The Chase fans left baffled over 'rigged' final as contestant loses £75k

Bradley Walsh on the set of The Chase
-Credit: (Image: ITV)


The Chase returned to TV screens last week, September 19, providing viewers with an extremely tense episode. One contestant single-handedly brought excitement to the popular game, but ultimately lost a £75,000 prize, sparking some audience members to controversially deem the game "rigged".

During this episode, host Bradley Walsh welcomed the participants - Charlie, George, Sophia and James. Sadly, it was a tough beginning as the first three were quickly knocked out, resulting in James facing off against The Governess, Anne Hegerty, solo in the final challenge.

James put up an impressive front during his cash builder round and daringly decided to chase a £75,000 high-risk reward against Anne. Despite the immense pressure, he answered 18 questions correctly in what became a nail-biting finale, reports Lincolnshire Live.

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There was a moment of hesitation from Anne on the last question, giving James a glimmer of hope for a pushback. But when he couldn't give the correct answer, tension in the studio skyrocketed.

With the clock ticking down and only four seconds left, Bradley exhaled: "Oh wee... £75,000 in the balance. Chaser needs one with four seconds remaining. Here we go."

Bradley then kicked things back into gear with the prompt, "Your time starts again now." Yet, with a dramatic conclusion, Anne managed to catch up with James just as the clock showed two seconds remaining, leaving those watching utterly disappointed for him.

Fans took to social media to voice their frustration at the show, some even questioning the integrity of the game after Bradley Walsh paused briefly before continuing. One person said: "Rigged for Anne last question 100percent #thechase". Another person said: "#thechase Very harsh."

Someone else said: "Find it very interesting how Brad give it such a slow build up then a question comes up that can easily be interrupted/answered correctly within those 4 seconds... well done itv you've rigged it to save yourselves 75k. #TheChase".

Someone else weighed in with: "That's cruel. Chaser should've let him get the £75K #thechase". Another fan said: "Unforgivable."

However, there were viewers who praised contestant James. They said: "What an incredible performance by James £75,000 should have been his I feel for him."

Someone else said: "Well, that was a really disappointing ending. James absolutely deserved that win after all we've suffered tonight. God damn Rolls-Royce! #TheChase."

And another person said: "Absolutely amazing James on #thechase gutted he didn't win the money."