ITV’s The Chase sparked heated debate among viewers after Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett called out a contestant for her questionable tactics.
The controversy unfolded last night (January 28), when host Bradley Walsh welcomed four new contestants hoping to bag a sizeable cash prize.
However, tensions rose when one player’s strategy didn’t sit well with either the Chaser or the audience at home.
Olivia rubs Mark Labbett up the wrong way on The Chase
After Nathan, the first player, was quickly eliminated by Mark, the remaining contestants were left shaken.
The pressure was on when Olivia stepped up for her round, having already secured £4,000 in her Cash Builder round.
However, instead of backing herself, Olivia opted to play it safe and chose the lower offer of £1,000.
This decision left the audience stunned.
But what riled viewers even more was what followed. Olivia enthusiastically encouraged her teammates, Martyn and Michaela, to take the higher offers, despite having gone low herself.
The hypocrisy wasn’t lost on Mark Labbett, who, visibly baffled, immediately called her out. “How can you say that?” he questioned.
Viewers quickly took to social media to express their dismay.
One unimpressed fan wrote on Twitter: “Have some shame, Olivia.”
“Olivia – not impressive,” another agreed.
“Wow, Olivia has got nerve. GO HIGH right after she went for the dreadful low offer,” a third viewer fumed.
One annoyed fan even suggested a bold strategy for the remaining contestants.
“Olivia tells Michaela to ‘go big’ for £60k after she went low for a grand. P3 and P4 should’ve gone high anyway and left her on her own with her grand, then get annihilated by The Beast.”
Despite the backlash, Olivia secured her spot in the final round, joining Martyn and Michaela for one last shot at victory.
The Beast beaten!
Despite the controversy surrounding Olivia’s decision, her teammates Michaela and Martyn stepped up with outstanding performances.
The final team had £12,000 to play for, setting the stage for an exciting showdown against The Beast.
In an unexpected twist, the team put in an exceptional performance, correctly answering 18 questions in the Final Chase.
This impressive feat put serious pressure on Mark.
To the surprise of many, Mark Labbett faltered in the Final Chase, missing multiple questions and allowing the team to capitalise on pushbacks.
One stunned viewer reacted on social media. “The Beast wasn’t just off-form today. I’ve never seen him lose a chase by such a wide margin. Congratulations to the team though – they deserve the win.”
“The Chaser gave up at about the 10-12 second mark,” another noted. “BUT still, a brilliant game by the team, fantastic pushbacks!! Congrats to a well-balanced team.”
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