‘I was a contestant on The Chase and this is what Bradley Walsh is really like’
A former contestant has lifted the lid on what it's really like to appear on ITV's hit game show The Chase
A former contestant has opened up about her experience on the popular ITV show The Chase and what host Bradley Walsh is really like behind the scenes.
Savannah applied for the ITV show back in 2021, but it took two years for show bosses to get in contact with her. In a TikTok video that received thousands of views, Savannah explained that a casting assistant rang her completely unexpectedly while she was walking to work.
Instead of arranging another time, she completed a general knowledge quiz there and then on the pavement beside a busy road. After a long audition process, Savannah impressed the show's bosses and made it onto the show.
At the centre of the action is the programme's long-standing presenter, Bradley Walsh. Savannah didn’t hesitate to share her opinion on what the host is really like when the cameras are not rolling.
She revealed: “He’s been really lovely on all occasions. He is really professional and remember he works really long days, when he does things like The Chase, and it’s his job, but he is really professional. He is really good at reading from the autocue and things like that, he gets the work done, but he is really, really friendly.”
The game show contestant added: “He gave me advice on where to go in Seville and where to go after the episode finished filming. He’s a great guy.”
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After meeting her fellow contestants in the ‘green room’, they decided to form a strategic pact before the cameras even started rolling.
Savannah revealed that they collectively decided from the outset that their aim was purely to win, with no desire to take any risks, and that they wanted to focus on walking away with a share of the cash prize.
She explained: “One of the biggest things that seems to make a difference on whether you win the final chase or not is how many people you have in your team.”
Savannah continued: “So it’s really important for even weaker players to get back. It’s really important to get everyone back, which is why you see me going to everyone ‘go low’”.
The TikToker admitted that she was feeling the pressure as she said, “When I was up, everyone had gotten home, so I was really feeling the pressure. For extra context, I really needed this money at the time, which is also why I was playing it so safe and telling people to get back.”
She went on: “I really needed some money, even if it wasn’t a huge amount because I had a big vet bill. I went for £5k, which is what I got in the cash builder. Brad pointed out at the end, 'You could have had two goes at getting £72k and bringing it back', but I could have got caught on those, so I went for the middle offer and in total we brought back £13k.”
Spilling a behind-the-scenes secret, Savannah revealed: “If you notice when we prepare to start the head-to-head and I think he (Bradley) says something like ‘the chase is on’ or something, if you see people looking down instead of looking up.
“What we are looking down at is basically there is a flap that automatically comes open with the buttons that you can press to answer the question A, B or C. It’s an automatic flap, and then it automatically closes at the end of the head-to-head.”
She added, “That’s why so many people will be looking down as the head-to-head begins because we are looking at that to see where the buttons are because you don’t want to accidentally press the wrong one.”
You can catch up on The Chase on ITVX
