The new series of Beat the Chasers got off to a dramatic start as The Chase star Mark Labbett, aka The Beast, stormed off after losing £100,000 to one lucky contestant.
In the closing minutes of tonight’s ITV1 quiz show spin-off, fireman Gavin faced off against five Chasers for a shot at the mega jackpot sum.
After making £4k in the cash builder, Gavin, host Bradley Walsh and the other Chasers were shocked when The Beast made his offer of six figures to go up against five Chasers on the clock.
‘I disagree with my colleagues; I think they’ve been far too stingy. I’m gonna reduce the time to 40 seconds on our clock… and you’ll be playing for £100,000,’ Mark said.
Feeling brave, Gavin accepted and went up against Mark, Paul Sinha (The Sinnerman), The Governess (Anne Hegerty), The Vixen (Jenny Ryan) and The Menace (Darragh Ennis).
And, in spite of mixing up the Munsters and the Addams family, Gavin romped to victory, leaving The Beast red-faced… and headed for the door.
It was looking sticky for a while there, as Gavin’s initially strong lead reduced following a string of wrong answers.
However, he managed to recover (thanks, in part, to a fire-related question for the fireman), beating all five Chasers with only four seconds left on the timer.
As Bradley and the Chasers congratulated Gavin on his win, Mark joked: ‘Firstly, well played, Sir. Secondly, I’ll get my coat.’
He then left the stage and didn’t return even as the end credits rolled.
‘There’s very little we can do. It doesn’t matter how many of us are up here when you were getting so many of yours right,’ said The Vixen.
‘When you missed the Addams Family one, I thought, “Oh, the wheels might come off here,” but you got straight back on it.’
‘At least you got the pyromancy one right,’ laughed The Menace, in reference to Gavin’s career.
As Gavin’s win aired, viewers took to social media to congratulate him on his hard-fought victory.
‘Congrats Gavin, well played,’ wrote DanJBrownMUFC on X as the show ended.
‘Very well done. Congratulations,’ said Gemma42981517.
R3TRO8OY said: ‘Absolutely loved @TheShaunWallace response to Gavins win,’ referencing his thumbs up and cheer of ‘well done bro.’
‘Gavin winning 100,000 giving no f***s and no fears against those chasers bruh this guy is a ultimate savage,’ said hfreeman_93.
‘Amazing!! Well done,Gavin,’ cheered JulesDavis6.
Gavin’s £100k win makes him one of the few winners to enter triple-digit territory. He joins celebrity contestants Rick Edwards and Shaun Williamson among the elusive triple-figure club – both of whom managed £120k for their respective charities.
This comes days after The Chase aired an appearance from headteacher Tim McCarthy, who won £50,000 on the show.
Tragically, the 64-year-old died before he could enjoy his prize, passing away from a long-standing illness only months after he was filmed on the ITV quiz show.
Gavin was one of five challengers in tonight’s episode of Beat The Chasers, and the second to walk away with a cash prize.
Earlier in the show, Daisie had gone up against The Governess, The Vixen and The Dark Destroyer (Shaun Wallace) to take home £25,000.
Meanwhile, kebab hobbyist Rosh, quiz fan Liz, and shark fan Natasha all came away with nothing to show for their trouble.
Beat the Chasers airs at 8pm on Saturday night on ITV1.
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