The Chase contestant Dan makes history with £80,000 win after stunning last-minute answer

One question, asked with only seconds left on the clock, turned a tense The Chase final into a record-breaking victory.

Dan was the last contestant standing after Jenny Ryan, known as The Vixen, eliminated his three teammates. He then took the Chaser’s £80,000 high offer and held his nerve through a dramatic Final Chase, eventually becoming the show’s biggest-ever solo winner at the time.

Dan takes the £80,000 gamble

The episode, which aired on 31 August 2022, began with Dan competing alongside Annabelle, Toby and Sarah against Jenny Ryan.

The Vixen proved formidable from the outset, catching all three of Dan’s teammates and sending them out of the competition. That left Dan to face the Final Chase alone.

Dan had built up £5,000 in the Cash Builder, but instead of settling for a smaller offer, he decided to take the £80,000 high offer.

It was a huge gamble, particularly with no teammates left beside him. But Dan backed himself and went through with it.

The decision quickly began to look inspired.

In his individual round, Dan answered 16 questions correctly, putting himself in a strong position before Jenny’s turn.

Jenny Ryan is left chasing the game

The Final Chase then switched to Jenny, who needed to catch Dan before the clock ran out.

She made a strong start, but Dan’s 16 correct answers gave her plenty of ground to make up. When she reached the 17th question, she was forced to pass.

That gave Bradley Walsh the chance to offer Dan a crucial pushback.

The question was:

“Israel’s main airport is named after which Prime Minister?”

Jenny did not know the answer.

Dan did.

Without hesitation, he answered: David Ben-Gurion.

Bradley initially reacted with a stunned “Unbelievable”, before confirming the answer was correct.

The correct answer sent Jenny back one step and left her with only four seconds to answer two more questions.

She managed to get the first one right, but the clock ran out before Bradley could even ask the second.

Dan had done it.

A record-breaking £80,000 prize

As the final seconds disappeared, Bradley announced Dan’s victory and the size of his prize.

“Time is up! £80,000! Unbelievable!”

The win made Dan the highest-earning solo contestant in The Chase at the time, surpassing the previous solo record of £75,000 set by Eden.

Dan had won the entire £80,000 by himself, despite starting the Final Chase as the only remaining member of his team.

Bradley was visibly impressed by the performance, particularly after Dan had successfully executed three pushbacks against The Vixen.

The moment was all the more remarkable because Jenny had already eliminated Annabelle, Toby and Sarah. Dan was effectively fighting the Chaser alone from that point on.

What Dan planned to do with the money

After securing the record-breaking prize, Dan explained that he planned to use some of the money to visit his family in New Zealand.

He also intended to pay off his car, buy a house in Birmingham and put money into Premium Bonds.

The win was still difficult for him to take in as he celebrated his unexpected fortune.

The episode also produced a memorable reaction from Jenny, who accepted the result graciously and praised Dan’s performance.

Jenny Ryan later praised Dan’s performance

Dan’s record-breaking appearance continued to attract attention after the episode aired.

On 27 December 2023, Jenny shared a clip of the victory on X and praised Dan as a “very good” player. The post brought the dramatic episode back into the spotlight, with viewers remembering the extraordinary final question and congratulating Dan on his win.

One viewer described Dan as a fantastic player and looked forward to new episodes of the programme.

Another singled out the David Ben-Gurion answer, calling it an incredible answer to produce at such a crucial moment.

A third simply praised the performance.

The full episode remains memorable for the way Dan held his nerve after his teammates were eliminated, took the £80,000 gamble and then found the answer that changed the outcome in the closing seconds.

For Dan, one piece of last-minute knowledge was worth £80,000 and a place in The Chase record books.