The Chase star Darragh Ennis reveals secrets about show fans never knew about

A star quiz master from The Chase has lifted the lid on some secrets to the show that fans never knew about.

The Chase star Darragh Ennis, nicknamed “The Menace” on the show, has taken to social media to answer some of viewers’ burning questions about the show.

Ennis, who was first a contestant on the show in 2017 before becoming the first ever contestant in the UK to become a new Chaser in 2020, said he gets asked a lot of questions about the show and wanted to share them with the world.

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Ennis touched on a number of questions but also delved into one particular tricky comment from a viewer.

The first question Ennis answered was: how many shows do you film a day?

“We film three shows on most days but it’s usually three different Chasers and sometimes you do two shows but most of the time you just do one a day,” he explained.

When asked about how the Chaser is picked, Ennis joked that they’re chosen by a “giant claw machine” that picks up a chaser.

However, he then clarified: “No, it’s just a schedule. It’s a work rota. Why do people think... there are not all six of us out waiting at the back. That’s not how it happens.”

In December, fans of The Chase claimed the show was “rigged” after one team missed out on £100,000 ($205,000) in the last few seconds.

A recent episode aired in the UK has upset fans after Chaser Mark Labbett aka “The Beast” managed to catch a team of four - who made it back from the cash builder - mere seconds before they could have taken home the huge prizemoney.

The Daily Mail reported that in 27 seconds, Labbett was able to beat the team - which included brainbox Joann - in their 18 steps, sailing through the questions. Now, fans have claimed they were too easy as they at home were also able to easily answer them. Some of the questions included “what colour are most vinyl records?” and “what domesticated fowl lays barn eggs?”

Since the incident, one fan asked Ennis if he wears an earpiece on set.

Letting out a sigh, the newest Chaser addressed any cheating speculation thrown the show’s way.

“No, we don’t have earpieces or anything like it. That would be cheating and it would literally be a crime.”

This was followed up with a question about why don’t Chasers let people win.

Ennis explained: “Why do we not let celebrities win for charity? Because it would be a crime. It’s against the law. It’s tax fraud. Winnings are tax-free and it would also wreck the show and I’m a professional.

“If you’re working in your job, say you work in a supermarket, do you just let people take stuff for free? No you don’t, that’s your job.

“The whole thing would collapse and it would be a terrible show if we let people win. There’s a good chance to win but they have to do their best and we have to do our best.”

The secrets come after host Bradley Walsh revealed the secret about why lawyers are on set during filming.

The Mirror has reported the show - which films three episodes a day each taking 90 minutes to record, must follow many rules and regulations to make sure it is a fair game. And while rare, there can be slip-ups that result in frustrated viewers questioning the integrity of the show, meaning there must be lawyers on set at all times.

Another reason lawyers are in the studio is that Walsh doesn’t get to see the questions before filming commences - something that occasionally causes blunders like the infamous “Fanny Chmelar” moment 13 years ago in which Walsh burst into laughter upon hearing the name of former alpine skier Fanny Chmelar.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Walsh said: “If there is a slight misread, I am stopped immediately - bang - by the lawyers.”

“We have the compliance lawyers in the studio all the time. What you have to do is go back to the start of the question, literally on video tape where my mouth opens - or where it’s closed from the previous question - and the question is re-asked. It is stopped to the split second.”

He added: “It means no time is lost for either the contestant or the Chaser.”