Viewers of ITV's popular quiz show The Chase were left in a state of disbelief on Thursday evening after a contestant's extraordinary error during a head-to-head round. The moment, described by many as a 'whole new level of useless', saw competitor Gail fail to press her buzzer at all, leading to her immediate elimination and leaving Chaser Anne 'The Governess' Hegerty visibly uncomfortable.
The Fateful Music Question
The incident occurred as Gail, the third contestant of the episode, attempted to secure her place in the final chase. After accumulating £3,000 in her cash-builder round, she faced Hegerty in a tense one-question shootout. Host Bradley Walsh posed the critical query: 'Which of these was the name of a 1960s American folk-rock band?'
The options presented were:
- The Lovin' Spoonful
- The Dancin' Plateful
- The Helpin' Cupful
While Anne Hegerty selected her answer immediately, Gail remained silent and uncertain. As the pressure mounted, Walsh urged, 'We need an answer now!' However, Gail failed to press her buzzer within the time limit, gasping in shock as she was declared out of the competition.
Aftermath and Reaction
In a frustrating revelation, Gail later confessed she would have chosen option A, The Lovin' Spoonful, which was indeed the correct answer. 'I can't believe it!' she exclaimed in dismay. Hegerty, who had correctly identified the band, offered a sympathetic but awkward response after eliminating her opponent. 'Yeah, bad luck,' she remarked, before providing some musical context about the band's frontman, John Sebastian.
When Walsh questioned if the Chasers enjoy winning in such a manner, Hegerty replied uncomfortably, 'Not especially, no. That's unfortunate.'
The blunder sparked an immediate and furious reaction on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. One viewer posted, 'That's a whole new level of OH FOR F**K SAKE! on #TheChase tonight. Oh Gail.' Another commented, 'How on earth can you forget to press the button on a one question shootout! Deservedly caught.' Further criticism included, 'Failed to press the button! At least put something down! Useless contestant!' and 'Why the f**k would you just press nothing?'
Contrast with Previous Episode Drama
This incident followed another dramatic moment on Wednesday's episode, where Chaser Mark 'The Beast' Labbett erupted in frustration after a wrong answer. During the final chase, with the team performing strongly, Labbett incorrectly identified the cruise line associated with the ship Mauretania as P&O. Upon learning the correct answer was Cunard, he slammed the table and shouted 'Idiot!' in a fiery tantrum.
That team, consisting of Katheryn, Paddy, Kamal, and Savannah, had built an impressive £13,000 prize fund and answered 22 questions correctly in two minutes. Their collective effort ultimately defeated Labbett, with each member winning £3,250.
The Chase continues to captivate audiences with its blend of high-stakes quizzing and unpredictable human moments. The show airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV1 and is available for streaming on ITVX.
