The Chase fans question £142,000 celebrity final after Jenny Ryan’s narrow victory

A £142,000 charity jackpot slipped away in the final seconds of a celebrity edition of The Chase, prompting some viewers to question whether the game had been fair.

Jenny “The Vixen” Ryan faced Cheryl Baker, Mark Steel, Laura Tobin and Jason Bell in the celebrity special. After catching Jason earlier in the game, Jenny went into the Final Chase against Cheryl, Mark and Laura.

The trio managed to build an impressive target of 19, successfully pushing the Chaser back several times.

But despite their strong performance, Jenny eventually caught them with just three seconds remaining, leaving the celebrities with only £1,000 each for their chosen charities instead of a share of the £142,000 jackpot.

Jenny Ryan closes the gap

The team had managed to execute three of their attempts to push Jenny back, giving themselves a realistic chance of holding on to the money.

However, the Chaser continued to work through her questions and gradually reduced the gap.

As the clock approached zero, the celebrities were still hoping they could survive until the end. Instead, Jenny caught them with only seconds left.

Bradley Walsh summed up the result after the Final Chase.

“Four attempts to push back, three executed, caught with three seconds remaining, you needed one more,” he told the team.

He then revealed exactly what had cost them the jackpot.

“Do you know what that one more was?”

The answer was Jason Bell.

“Jason Bell. I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to take £142,000 away,” Walsh told the team.

Viewers question the final round

The result sparked a strong reaction among some The Chase viewers, particularly over the questions Jenny received during the Final Chase.

Several viewers took to X to accuse the show of being a “fix”, while others questioned the speed at which Walsh appeared to read the questions to the Chaser.

One viewer complained about Jenny being asked a question as simple as what three-letter word is used as a short form for “magazine”.

Another wrote that Walsh should stop speeding up while asking the Chaser questions, describing the situation as “a bit of a fix”.

A third viewer directly tagged the show and claimed that the game was “blatantly fixed”.

These were viewers’ reactions to the episode, rather than evidence that the programme was actually fixed.

Another celebrity controversy over a £116,000 win

The £142,000 episode was not the only celebrity edition of The Chase to leave viewers debating an answer.

In another festive celebrity episode, Tony Maudsley, Alexander Armstrong, Bryony Page and Kerry Godliman were competing for their charities when a £116,000 jackpot was at stake.

Armstrong was asked:

“What name is given to a pointed hand tool used for making holes in the ground for seeds or young plants?”

He was offered three choices: Dibble, Nibble or Quibble.

Armstrong selected Dibble, which Bradley Walsh confirmed as correct.

However, the answer later attracted attention because gardening enthusiasts pointed out that the standard term for the tool is “dibber”, rather than “dibble”.

Memorable moments from The Chase

Over the years, The Chase has produced plenty of memorable moments beyond its high-stakes celebrity specials.

Bradley Walsh’s famous laughter

Bradley Walsh has become known for his frequent fits of laughter on the show.

One particularly memorable moment came when he struggled to get through a question about the Elvis Presley song title engraved inside Freddie Starr’s coffin. He was unable to finish reading the multiple-choice answers without breaking into laughter, apparently finding the option “B: Way Down” particularly amusing.

The Double Trouble special

To mark 15 years of The Chase on television, ITV introduced a special “Double Trouble” format in which contestants faced two Chasers instead of one.

Despite the added challenge, the contestants still managed to leave with money.

Contestants with famous names

Viewers have also spotted unusual patterns in contestants’ names.

In one 2017 episode, Bradley Walsh introduced four contestants named Ross, Rachel, Phoebe and Joey, matching the names of the main characters from Friends.

Another episode featured contestants whose names were connected to characters from The Simpsons, giving eagle-eyed viewers another detail to spot.

When The Beast lost his temper

Mark Labbett also provided one of the show’s more memorable Final Chase moments during the 2024 season.

With the game close to the finish, Labbett made an incorrect answer to the question: “Rabbit was a 1980 hit for which Cockney duo?”

Realising his mistake, he shouted, “Oh, you idiot!” and slammed his hand on the table.

With only seconds remaining, he admitted defeat, saying: “I don’t deserve to win.”

The Chase airs on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.