The Chase set a brand new record this week when a solo player won the biggest ever jackpot in the ITV show's history.
On Wednesday (August 31), contestant Dan was playing alongside Annabelle, Toby, and Sarah against Chaser Jenny Ryan, AKA The Vixen. It didn't go particularly well for them at first, however, as Ryan was on top form.
Eventually, The Vixen knocked out all three of Annabella, Toby and Sarah, even though they had decent cash builders. That left Dan to face The Vixen all by himself. The contestant secured a £5,000 cash builder but decided to go all out on the quiz show after Ryan offered a whopping £80,000.
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"What have I got to lose? I’m going for the £80,000," Dan said.
Related: The Chase boss reveals big change made to 'boring' gameshow
Dan excelled in head-to-head and ended up 17 places ahead of the Vixen in the final chase. It looked like Ryan was going to make up that ground, however, until she got a decisive question wrong in the dying seconds of the game.
That offered Dan the opportunity to push ahead once more and he took it when he knew that the former president Israel's main airport was named after was Ben Burion.
"I think I’ll be spending a little bit longer in New Zealand than initially planned," Dan told host Bradley Walsh after the shock win, having previously revealing he planned to visit the country with his winnings.
Never the sore loser, Jenny told Dan he was a "sensational" player and "deserves every penny of" the huge £80,000 jackpot.
Related: The Chase star Anne Hegerty discovers family link to the Queen
This win beats the previous record set by a contestant called Eden, who beat Darragh Ennis to £75,000.
The largest jackpot ever seen on The Chase, however, was back in 2018 when a team of four players took home £100,000 — the only six-digit jackpot in the game show's history.
Still, Dan surely has to be thrilled with his own record. We're certainly impressed!
The Chase airs on ITV.
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Jacob is a freelance writer who specialises in narrative TV and film.
He graduated from the University of Roehampton with an MA in Journalism and has written for several publications since, including Gold Derby, Insider, and Screen Daily.
Jacob has covered major events in the world of film and TV, including numerous BAFTA ceremonies and the Cannes Film Festival, while he's also been an awards expert for several publications, including Korea's Arirang. His particular areas of interest include Star Wars, the MCU, the Oscars, and Hugh Grant.
