THE CHASE has the potential to see contestants win some serious big money prizes…. if you can beat those pesky chasers, that is.
With quizmasters trying to stop hopefuls in their tracks, it takes some serious skill in order to come out on top on the ITV gameshow.
Bradley Walsh has seen some huge wins during his time as host on The Chase[/caption]
But there have been times when people have managed it, taking home some incredible life-changing amounts – whether for themselves or for charity.
Here are some of the biggest wins ever on the show, and how they managed to do it.
But the question is – would you have known the answers? You’ll find all the answers at the bottom of this article.
1. Celebrity Top Spot – £160,000
Rachel and Kirsty hold the record for the biggest win[/caption]
Appearing for Soccer Aid in 2018, Kirsty Gallacher and Rachel Riley unwittingly made The Chase history in the process.
The pair made it to the final chase against Shaun ‘The Dark Destroyer’ Wallace, and seemed on the backfoot with only 16 points for him to beat.
However, soon they found themselves clawing it back thanks to a combination of wrong answers from Wallace and correct pushbacks, giving them the upper hand.
In the dying seconds of the game, Shaun was asked: “Which ex formula one driver is a multiple Paralympic champion?”
The Chaser didn’t know, and then Rachel gave the incorrect answer as David Weir.
In the end, Shaun only made it 11 spaces – and the pair took home the biggest prize packet ever given out in the show’s history. It’s still not been beaten.
2. Tense Final Chase – £100,000
Duo Karen and Ian took home a massive £50,000 each after beating The Sinnerman[/caption]
Duo Karen and Ian were the last two contestants standing at the final chase when they appeared on the show in 2024 – and it proved to be a nailbiter.
Throughout the final chase, Paul ‘The Sinnerman’ Sinha was extremely close behind them, with pushbacks meaning he came incredibly near beating them.
However, one last second slip-up (literally, with one second remaining) gave them the upper hand, and between them they took home a massive £100,000 prize between them.
Paul slipped up on this question: “Lesley Manville played the widow Cathy in what BBC sitcom?”
3. Besting The Beast – £120,000
Bryan Laura and Julia beat The Beast for £120,000[/caption]
Bryan, Laura and Julia made it through to the final chase together in 2023, going up against Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett.
But from the get go they made sure he had to work to stop them, racking up an impressive score of 23 points that Labbett had to beat.
In the final few seconds he was asked: “What island group appears on the signpost of Land’s End?”
While he got it right, in the end, he could only achieve 17 with pushbacks also coming in handy, and the trio walked home with £120,000 – or £40,000 each.
4. Biggest Solo Win Ever – £75,000
Eden won the biggest solo win on the show aged just 20[/caption]
In 2021, Darragh ‘The Menace’ Ennis was beaten by 20-year-old student Eden Nash in the final chase.
Darragh was asked: “‘When I give my heart’ is a line from what Nat King Cole hit?”
The Chaser answered correctly but time was not on his side.
The win meant Eden took home £75,000 – the single highest win on a daytime gameshow ever for a solo player.
As Bradley Walsh congratulated him, Eden joked: “That’s alright, innit!” with Darragh saying it was “brilliantly played”.
Eden said he was just going to “look at it in his bank account” rather than do anything with it.
Joe won the biggest single amount in a head-to-head, only to lose it moments later[/caption]
5. Biggest Head-to-Head Win – £201,000
Strictly star and YouTuber Joe Sugg made show history in 2023 when he managed to bag a staggering £201,000 for the prize pot.
In his head-to-head round against Paul Sinha, Joe took a massive gamble by going for the higher prize.
It all came down to a one question shoot out which was: “Which of a hedgehog’s senses is very poor?”
The options were sight, hearing, smell.
Joe managed to get the answer right, with Bradley hugging Joe at his impressive feat.
But in a devastating blow, he later lost it in the final chase when Paul ultimately caught up to the team’s score of 18 after a minor mistake.
When asked who starred in Stepbrothers, Joe and his celebrity team-mates answered Will Ferrell – but mispronounced his name as Will Farrell, which Bradley could not accept.
The team were instead awarded £1,000 each for their chosen charities.
6. Biggest group take down – £116,000
It’s rare that all four contestants make it to the final chase, so Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan had her work cut out from her at the start.
In this celebrity special, Tony Maudsley, Bryony Page, Kerry Godilman and Alexander Armstrong all made it through to the last round, with £116,000 in their prize pot for charity.
Racking up an impressive 23 points for The Vixen to beat, Jenny gave it her all but found herself suffering pushbacks when she got questions wrong.
In the final moments, she was asked: “What was the full name of the first Duke of Wellington?”
The Vixen knew her history, but it wasn’t enough to catch the players.
Maybe it was the Christmas spirit, but the team managed to take home the win – and more importantly £116,000 (29,000 each) for good causes, mainly children’s charities.
Rather than be annoyed, Jenny looked tearfully proud at the group for their achievement.
The answers!
- Alex Zanardi
- Mum
- Scilly Islands
- When I Fall in Love
- Sight
- Arthur
The Chase is available on ITVX.
