The Chase contestant accidentally gave the correct answer by saying “pass” and left Bradley Walsh stunned

One of the most unexpected moments in The Chase came when a contestant tried to skip a question because he had no idea what the answer was, only to discover that the word he had used was exactly what the question was asking for.

The bizarre moment left host Bradley Walsh stunned and marked a first for the long-running quiz show.

Fintan’s lucky answer

The moment took place during an episode featuring contestants Miriam, Fintan, Ewan and Caroline, who were taking on Mark “The Beast” Labbett in the hope of winning a cash prize.

Fintan was working through his cash builder when Bradley Walsh presented him with a question about computer security.

The question was:

“In computer security what word would go before code, phrase and word?”

Fintan clearly did not know the answer. Rather than guess, he simply said: “Pass.”

That should normally have meant moving on to the next question.

Instead, Walsh immediately replied: “Correct!”

For a moment, neither Fintan nor the audience seemed to quite believe what had happened.

The answer was indeed pass. The three phrases were passcode, passphrase and password.

Bradley Walsh could hardly believe it

The audience laughed as the unusual answer sank in, while Fintan continued with his round.

He got the following question wrong, then answered the one after that correctly. But it was the accidental “pass” answer that had already become the moment everyone would remember.

When the round was over, Walsh turned towards the camera in disbelief.

“It’s happened!” he said.

“It’s actually happened. It’s actually happened… The word ‘pass’ is an answer!”

He then turned to Fintan and called him a “jammy so-and-so.”

The moment was particularly unusual because contestants regularly use the word “pass” when they do not know an answer. In this case, however, Fintan had unknowingly said the correct answer while attempting to skip the question.

The episode was broadcast on 18 May 2023, and reports at the time described it as the first occasion in the show’s 14-year history when “pass” had effectively been the correct response to a question.

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Fintan still didn’t make the final

The lucky answer helped Fintan during his cash builder, but it ultimately could not carry him through the rest of the game.

He went on to face Mark Labbett in the head-to-head, with hopes of winning £50,000 and reaching the final.

Labbett eventually caught him, sending Fintan home without the money.

According to reports from the episode, Fintan had built up £5,000 in his cash builder, with the accidental “pass” answer contributing £1,000 to his total.

The clip quickly became a hit online

Although Fintan left the show empty-handed, the extraordinary answer gave him a memorable moment that viewers were quick to celebrate.

The official The Chase account later shared the clip on TikTok with the caption:

“After 14 years of #TheChase, it FINALLY happened!”

The post added that the moment was “as GLORIOUS as we imagined.”

Viewers found Walsh’s reaction almost as entertaining as the answer itself.

One person commented on his expression when he realised Fintan had got it right. Another described the clip as the best thing they had seen all day, while another summed up the bizarre sequence with: “Task failed successfully.”

Someone else pointed out the uniquely British nature of Walsh’s reaction, writing that “You jammy so-and-so” had to be one of the most British insults ever.

The joke worked because Fintan genuinely had no idea what the answer was. He was not attempting to give a clever response. He was simply trying to move past a question he could not answer.

Instead, “pass” turned out to be exactly right.

It may not have earned Fintan the £50,000 he was hoping for, but it did give The Chase one of its most memorable quiz-show moments.