The thrill
of The Chase
Since it launched in 2009, UK quiz show The Chase has become a phenomenon with millions of fans tuning in every day to watch regular people go up against a team of general knowledge savants.
But how often do teams beat the Chaser? How much money do they win? And who is the hardest Chaser to go up against?
By the numbers
As of May 2022, nearly 1800 episodes of The Chase have gone to air.
The first season, in 2009, was just 10 episodes. There were two original Chasers: Mark Labbett and Shaun Wallace.
The team of Chasers has grown to six and there are now hundreds of episodes a season, airing most weekdays of the year.
The potential prize money each episode has ranged from just £1000 to £100,000 (NZ$2000 to NZ$195,000).
But 76% of the time, the Chaser wins... meaning contestants win nothing at all.
That means there’s a huge gulf between the total amount of money the show has stood to lose over the years, and what it has actually paid out.
If success is unlikely, what might stack the odds in your favour?
First of all, hope for smart team-mates.
The cash-build stage is a good predictor of how well a team will do at setting a high target for the Chaser to hunt down: teams that build a bigger cash pool seem to also set higher targets.