A contestant on The Chase has lifted the lid on what charismatic host Bradley Walsh is really like with players when the cameras stop rolling.
The hugely popular ITV game show sees four contestants go head-to-head with a quizzing master in the hopes of winning potentially huge cash prizes.
And now, previous contestants have come forward with their experiences of filming and spending time backstage with Bradley.
Taking to discussion website Reddit, a former player said the host was not as forthcoming as they expected.
‘Brad was nice but, aside from introducing himself, he never interacted with us during breaks when we stopped filming – different to hosts on other shows I’ve been on.’
The user went on to say that, despite this, Chaser Shaun was ‘lovely’ when he came down to meet the team after filming was wrapped, and ‘won them over’.
A contestant on The Chase has lifted the lid on what charismatic host Bradley Walsh (pictured) is really like with players when the cameras stop rolling
‘We won and the prize money came from ITV’s Payroll at the end of the month after we filmed,’ they continued. ‘With most quiz shows, you don’t get the prize money until the show airs.’
The player explained how they filmed at BBC Elstree, where EastEnders is filmed, after auditioning at ITV Towers in South Bank.
And the taxi that took the team to the studio drove through the plaza that was dressed as the entrance to Holby City Hospital.
‘To me it was 1980s Grange Hill,’ they continued. ‘When we went to the toilet we also got to see into one of the studios where the internal EastEnders sets were assembled.’
Another user responded with their own The Chase story, writing: ‘I’ve been on it. Brad was lovely – it must be hard to live up to people’s expectations too.
‘He’s professional and acts up for the camera which is not a negative by any means. He knows he needs to add levity and entertain those at home.’
But the contestant revealed one thing about the set that was ‘uncomfortable,’ adding: ‘I will also say the chairs the contestants sit on are the most uncomfortable seats ever! My back was killing for weeks after.’
Another Bradley fan rushed to his defence. ‘I’ve been on it,’ they said.
Now, previous contestants have come forward with their experiences of filming and spending time backstage with Bradley
‘Bradley was so, so lovely and really put me at ease as they were setting up for my head-to-head. I think he could see I was visibly shaking.’
It comes as The Chase viewers were left fuming after a series of ‘grim and bizarre’ questions that had fans branding the episode ‘an absolute shambles’.
In a vintage installment of the hit ITV game show, a series of unusually eccentric questions caught both the contestants and the chaser off guard.
One read: ‘The Rosetta Stone is inscribed with a decree on behalf of which Egyptian pharaoh?’
The three multiple choice answers were Rameses II, Ptolemy V and Thutmose III.
A baffled Paul was shocked, saying: ‘That was the hardest question I’ve ever seen on this show,’ as both he and player Mark answered incorrectly.
The next question was: ‘The US Department of Agriculture requires what to be at least 35 per cent cooked meat and no more than 50 per cent bread?’
The multiple choice options were pizza, kebab and sandwich, and when it emerged that sandwich was the correct answer, the studio was left shocked.
‘Is this a wind-up?’ joked host Bradley, before adding: ‘I’ll have to call the sandwich police. Don’t move, get on the floor.’
In yet another incorrect choice, Chaser Paul selected kebab on the basis that it was ‘the only logical answer.’
The Chase airs weekdays on ITV1 from 5pm and is available to stream on ITVX
