| Hosts | |
| Bradley Walsh (FOX Pilot) Brooke Burns (GSN) Sara Haines (ABC) | |
| "Chasers" (Multiple Versions) | |
| Brad Rutter "The Buzzsaw" (FOX Pilot/ABC) Mark Labbett "The Beast" (FOX Pilot/GSN/ABC (Season 2)) | |
| "Chasers" (ABC) | |
| Ken Jennings "The Professor" (Seasons 1 & 2) James Holzhauer "The High-Roller" Victoria Groce "The Queen" Brandon Blackwell "The Lightning Bolt" Buzzy Cohen "The Stunner" | |
| Announcers | |
| Mark Thompson (FOX Pilot) Shawn Parr (GSN) | |
| Broadcast | |
   | |
| Packager | |
| ITV Studios America | |
The Chase is a game show based on the British format of the same name. Contestants compete against geniuses called "Chasers," for a chance to win hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is not to be confused with Chase.
Gameplay
A team of three contestants attempted to amass as much money as possible to put into a team bank by answering general knowledge questions. The money earned would go into the bank, but there was one person standing in their way: a quiz genius known as The Chaser. The Chaser's job was to catch each contestant and make sure the players were not able to put the money in the bank which the team had to collectively play for in "The Final Chase."
To begin, each player came up one at a time and played a game called "Cash Builder." In this game, each was given one minute to answer as many questions as possible with each correct answer worth a specific amount. The more correct answers given, the more money the players could add into the bank.
After the minute was up, the player's money was placed three steps down on an eight-step money board. The player could remain at this step and play for the money they had won, but if they so wished, they could be placed one step lower down the board for a smaller award, or one step further up the board for a greater award, with each award's value being set by The Chaser. The lower award could occasionally be a negative amount of money.
If the player elected to play for the greater reward, The Chaser was two steps behind them and the player had to answer six questions correctly to reach the end. If the player elected to remain where they were, The Chaser was three steps behind them and the player had to answer five questions correctly to reach the end. However, if the player elected to play for the smaller reward, The Chaser was four steps behind them and the player had to answer four questions correctly to reach the end.
Once the player nominated their starting position, they had to answer questions correctly in order to reach the bottom of the board and bank their money. Both the player and The Chaser were given the same multiple choice question with three possible answers, then had to secretly press one of the three buttons on their keypad to lock in their answer. If the player and/or The Chaser was correct, they (both) moved one step down the board, but if wrong (or if one of them failed to lock their answer before time expired, which rarely happened), s/he/they had to remain where they are. The Chaser's job was to catch up to the player and eliminate them from the game by capitalizing on the mistakes the player made before they could reach the bottom of the board. If this happened, the player was out of the game and the cash disappeared by the red arrow, and as the saying went, the chase was over (same as "game over" in some games). This was repeated for all three players.
The players who successfully outran The Chaser proceeded to The Final Chase. If all three players were caught, then the team had to nominate one player to proceed to what was called a "Consolation Chase." If the Chaser lost, they each won the value of one Cash Builder question in the GSN version. In the ABC version, the consolation amount was decided upon by the Chaser.
The Final Chase
In the final round, all or the remaining players answered as many quick-fire questions as possible in two minutes to amass as many spaces as possible. The more questions answered correctly, the more the players increased their chances to avoid being caught. To start, they were given one space per remaining member of the team. In the case of all three players being caught, then the one nominated person would receive a one-step head start on the GSN version, but on the ABC version, no head start was given in this "Consolation Chase".
To answer a question, the player had to press his/her own buzzer and only s/he could answer it. Upon buzzing in, an off-stage voice would say that person's name. But sometimes if the contestant was right and at the same time the other contestant pressed the button, it was counted as a wrong person answer, and they couldn't accept. Players were not allowed to confer or discuss questions in this stage. In the event there was only one player in the Final Chase, that player was not required to press the buzzer.
The Chaser was then given a further two minutes of different quick-fire questions to attempt to catch the team, just like the red arrow from the eight-step money board. If The Chaser got any question wrong or couldn't answer it, the clock stops and the question is thrown over to the players to confer. If they got the answer correct, The Chaser was pushed back one step and the clock was resumed. If the players answered The Chaser's question correctly while The Chaser was on zero steps, an extra step was added to the players' total. If The Chaser succeeded in catching the team, the team would leave with nothing, and again, the team's money will go down from The Chaser, and the chase was over, however, if the team was not caught by The Chaser when time was up, the prize pot was split equally between the remaining team players. Should only one player make it to the Final Chase and win, then that player would get the full amount. If the Chaser succeeded in the Consolation Chase, they would be allowed to split the consolation prize with their teammates.
Additional Rules & Information
GSN Version
The Chaser was "The Beast" Mark Labbett, also a Chaser on the original British version. Each correct answer in the Cash Builder round was worth $5,000. Celebrity players had an extra $5,000 added on before the Cash Builder started, supposedly for charity.
If facing a player that he did not want to play again in the Final Chase, usually those who got 10 or 11 questions right in their Cash Builder, The Beast would activate a “Super Offer”. This super offer had the potential for much higher winnings, usually in the $150,000 to $250,000 range. The offer is displayed as golden with black lettering, and the red lights around the set turn gold as well. The catch is that accepting the Super Offer would put the player just one step ahead of The Beast, so if the player got the first question wrong and The Beast got it right, the player would be immediately caught.
ABC Version
The Chasers are "The Buzzsaw" Brad Rutter, "The Professor" Ken Jennings, and "The High-Roller" James Holzhauer (plus "The Beast" Mark Labbett in Season 2 onwards). Each correct answer in the Cash Builder round is worth $25,000 in season one, and $10,000 in seasons two and on.
Ratings
The Chase became one of the highest rated original programs in GSN's history. The series debuted to 511,000 total viewers during its premiere while maintaining 90% of its audience with 461,000 total viewers during the second episode airing that night. On January 28, 2014, The Chase set a new series high in terms of total viewers and adults 18–49, with 827,000 and 234,000 viewers respectively.
Season 1
The first season of The Chase premiered new episodes Tuesday nights at 9:00 P.M., except for episode 2 which aired immediately after the premiere of episode 1 at 10:00 P.M.
U.S. Nielsen ratings
| Episode No. | Air date | Households (Rating) |
Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 6, 2013 | 0.3 | 511,000 |
| 2 | August 6, 2013 | 0.3 | 461,000 |
| 3 | August 13, 2013 | 0.3 | 397,000 |
| 4 | August 20, 2013 | 0.2 | 401,000 |
| 5 | August 27, 2013 | 0.3 | 506,000 |
| 6 | September 3, 2013 | 0.3 | 509,000 |
Season 2
The second season of The Chase premiered new episodes Tuesday nights at 8:00 P.M.
U.S. Nielsen ratings
| Episode No. | Air date | Households (Rating) |
Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 5, 2013 | 0.3 | 453,000 |
| 2 | November 12, 2013 | 0.3 | 433,000 |
| 3 | November 19, 2013 | 0.3 | 452,000 |
| 4 | December 3, 2013 | 0.3 | 466,000 |
| 5 | December 10, 2013 | 0.3 | 553,000 |
| 6 | December 17, 2013 | 0.3 | 410,000 |
| 7 | January 7, 2014 | 0.4 | 620,000 |
| 8 | January 14, 2014 | 0.4 | 666,000 |
| 9 | January 21, 2014 | 0.4 | 721,000 |
| 10 | January 28, 2014 | 0.5 | 827,000 |
| 11 | February 4, 2014 | 0.5 | 818,000 |
Season 3
The third season of The Chase premiered new episodes Tuesday nights at 8:00 P.M.
U.S. Nielsen ratings
| Episode No. | Air date | Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 8, 2014 | 494,000 |
| 2 | July 15, 2014 | 534,000 |
| 3 | July 22, 2014 | 578,000 |
| 4 | July 29, 2014 | 531,000 |
| 5 | August 5, 2014 | 558,000 |
| 6 | August 12, 2014 | 515,000 |
| 7 | August 19, 2014 | 596,000 |
| 8 | August 26, 2014 | 651,000 |
| 9 | September 2, 2014 | 665,000 |
| Episode No. | Air date | Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | November 11, 2014 | 610,000 |
| 11 | November 18, 2014 | 645,000 |
| 12 | December 2, 2014 | 560,000 |
| 13 | December 9, 2014 | 743,000 |
| 14 | December 16, 2014 | 434,000 |
Season 4
The fourth and final season of The Chase initially premiered new episodes Tuesday nights at 8:00 P.M.
U.S. Nielsen ratings
| Episode No. | Air date | Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 27, 2015 | 749,000 |
| 2 | February 3, 2015 | 598,000 |
| 3 | February 10, 2015 | 667,000 |
| 4 | February 17, 2015 | 646,000 |
| 5 | February 24, 2015 | 600,000 |
| 6 | March 3, 2015 | 613,000 |
| 7 | March 10, 2015 | 620,000 |
Beginning Summer 2015, new episodes of The Chase premiered Thursday nights at 8:00 P.M.
| Episode No. | Air date | Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | July 16, 2015 | 668,000 |
| 9 | July 23, 2015 | 688,000 |
| 10 | July 30, 2015 | 737,000 |
| 11 | August 6, 2015 | 571,000 |
| 12 | August 13, 2015 | 578,000 |
| 13 | August 20, 2015 | 664,000 |
| 14 | August 27, 2015 | 625,000 |
| 15 | September 3, 2015 | 571,000 |
Beginning Fall 2015, new episodes of The Chase premiered Friday nights at 8:00 P.M.
| Episode No. | Air date | Viewers |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | November 6, 2015 | 695,000 |
| 17 | November 13, 2015 | 688,000 |
| 18 | November 20, 2015 | 555,000 |
| 19 | December 4, 2015 | 522,000 |
| 20 | December 11, 2015 | 602,000 |
Ratings Sources
Rating
Studio
International Versions
| Country | Local Title | Channel | Host(s) | Chaser(s) | Premiere Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | The Chase Australia | Seven Network | Andrew O'Keefe (2015-2021) Larry Emdur (2021-present) |
Anne Hegerty Matt Parkinson Issa Schultz Brydon Coverdale Mark Labbett (since Season 2 in 2016) Shaun Wallace (guest chaser in 2018) Cheryl Toh (guest chaser in 2019 and 2020) |
2015 |
| China | Tiaozhan Wenhua Dashi Challenge the Culture Masters |
Jiangxi Television | Liu Wei | Meng Man, Ji Lianhai, Kang Zhen, Li Bo | 2014 |
| Croatia | Potjera The Chase |
HRT | Tarik Filipovic (2013-2019) Josko Lokas (2019-present) |
Dean Kotiga, Mirko Miocic, and Morana Zibar | 2013 |
| Finland | Jahti Chase |
MTV3 | Mikko Leppilampi | Eero Yitalo Magnus Mali Markus Leikola |
2018 |
| Germany | Gefragt-gejagt Asked - chased/hunted |
NDR Fernsehen (2012-15) Das Erste (2015-present) |
Alexander Bommes | Holger Waldenberg (2012, May 2015-April 2017) Sebastian Jacoby (June 2013-present) Sebastian Klussmann (June 2013-present) Klaus Otto Nagorsnik (August 2014-present) Grażnya Werner (January-April 2017) Manuel Hobiger (May 2018-present) Thomas Kinne (August 2018-present) Adriane Rickel (September 2021-present) |
2012 |
| Israel | המרדף HaMirdaf/The Chase |
KAN 11 | Ido Rosenblum | Itai Hermann Ron Kofman (guest chaser in 2017 and 2018) Nadav Jacobi (guest chaser in 2018) Michal Sharon (2018-present) |
2017 |
| The Chase to Home | Dudu Erez | Itai Hermann | 2020 | ||
| Norway | Jaget Hunted |
TV 2 | Sturla Berg-Johansen | Trine Aalbord Jan Arild Breistein |
2014 |
| Russia | Pogonya Pursuit |
Russia 1 | Alexander Gurevich | Alexander Ediger, Juriy Hashimov, Olga Uspanova, and Boris Burda | 2012 |
| Serbia | Potraga The Search |
RTS | Jovan Memedovic | Milorad Milinkovic, Uros Duric, Milica Jokanovic, Zarko Stevnovic, Slobodan Nesovic, Maja Lalic | 2013 |
| Slovakia | Na love
On the hunt |
TV Markíza | Viktor Vincze | TBA | 2022 |
| Spain | El Cazador The Hunter |
La1 | Ion Aramendi | Erundino Alonso Paz Herrera Ruth de Andres Lilit Manukyan |
2020 |
| Turkey | Takip Tracking |
Kanal D | Uraz Kaygilaroglu | Muhsin Divan | 2014 |
| United Kingdom | The Chase | ITV | Bradley Walsh | Mark Labbett (2009-present) Shaun Wallace (2009-present) Anne Hegerty (2010-present) Paul Sinha (2011-present) Jenny Ryan (2015-present) Darragh Ennis (2020-present) |
2009 |
- Additional Note: In Australia, the Seven Network had once considered producing a local version of the show for the network and filmed a pilot using the original UK set but later decided not to proceed. Additionally, reruns of the UK version air weekday afternoons at 3PM due to good ratings. However, as of May 2015, it was rumored that the network might have a renewed interest in doing their own version of the show. The Australian version (formerly hosted by Andrew O'Keefe, now Larry Emdur) premiered on September 14, 2015.
Merchandise
A single mobile game was released for the iPhone and iPad by GSN in 2013.
Trivia
- In 2012, a pilot for The Chase was originally going to be recorded on the UK set for FOX with Bradley Walsh from the original UK version as host along with former Jeopardy! champ Brad Rutter and Mark Labbett as the Chasers which unfortunately was never sold.
- Before Brooke Burns, famed ESPN and ABC sportscaster Dan Patrick was the original choice to host the GSN version of The Chase before negotiations fell through at the last minute. More recently, Patrick was the host of Crackle's Sports Jeopardy! from 2014 until 2016.
- This was the second American adaptation of a British game show hosted by Brooke Burns. Eleven years ago, her first was Dog Eat Dog that originally aired on NBC from 2002 until 2003.
- Mark Labbett (a.k.a "The Beast") is not only a "chaser" in the U.S. version but also in the original U.K. version as well. Since 2016, Labbett is also a "chaser" in the Australian version. In addition, Anne Hegerty (a.k.a "The Governess") is also a "chaser" in both the U.K. and Australian versions as well.
- Raj Dhuwalia beat The Beast and won $125,000 in season one of the show, making him the biggest winner in GSN history.
- An August 15, 2013 recording for Season 2 featured The Beast's birthday that aired on November 5, 2013.
- The episode from January 21, 2014, was the first taped episode from Season 1.
- Reruns of the U.S. version along with its original British counterpart can also be seen daily on U.K.'s equivalent network to GSN, Challenge (also known as Challenge TV).
- In 2015, Season 4 of the show aired alongside the revived game show Chain Reaction, hosted by Mike Catherwood.
- As of 2021, contestants Muffy Muraco, Jonathan Corbblah and Arianna Haut are panelists on another GSN show, Master Minds, also hosted by Brooke Burns. Ken Jennings is also a frequent Master Minds panelist.
Controversy
On March 24, 2021, the writers of the ABC version of The Chase went on strikes because producer ITV America has refused to abide by some of the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that covers the show. In a statement, ITV America countered that "We began good faith negotiations and proposed a package for the writers that includes generous, over scale pay increases and health benefits through the WGA."[1]
On April 5, 2021, both ITV and WGA[2]settled an agreement by reaching a deal to end two-week strike.