Enraged The Chase viewers brand 'selfish' contestant 'a disgrace' after she 'STOLE' £7,000
THE CHASE viewers were left raging this week when a contestant lost a huge £7,000 from her team-mate's prize fund in order to keep herself in the game.
Woman appears to steal £7,000 from her fellow contestant on The Chase
Competitors on the teatime show, hosted by Bradley Walsh, take it in turns to face The Beast, who 'chases' them up a board as they both answer general knowledge questions. The headstart they get depends on the size of the prize offer they accept - the higher the offer, the smaller the headstart.
If they lose, they are eliminated - but if they succeed, they get the prize they chose, which goes towards a cumulative cash fund. In this particular instance, that pot stood at £33,000 after a hopeful named Nigel was tempted with a higher offer and succeeded in winning it. Two other candidates had already been knocked out.
The Chase viewers slam contestant
However, his team-mate Elaine, 63, somewhat scuppered his progress when she was given offers of £67,000, £6,000 and -£7,000. She opted for the latter.
The audience loudly gasped and host Bradley's jaw dropped when she confidently announced her decision, which meant that she would either be eliminated (if she lost) or Nigel's hard-earned £33,000 would be slashed (if she succeeded).
Viewers were less than impressed at Elaine's decision
The Chase is a tough game show to win
Nigel has already secured £33,000 before Elaine blew it
When she was able to use her considerable headstart to win, the pair's balance plummeted to £26,000, and they were ultimately then defeated in the final round.
After the incident, angry fans took to social media to vent their frustrations.
One barked: "They would have taken the money if Elaine played an honest game ! They never ever take the money when ppl become selfish #thechase."
#thechase I think Nigel would have done better without Elaine butting in and he would have had more money thanks to her stealing 7k
— Crazy Dog Lady (@longtallshazza) February 29, 2016
They would have taken the money if Elaine played an honest game ! They never ever take the money when ppl become selfish #thechase
— ROOS (@roospooscreate) February 29, 2016
Another said: "Makes me so angry when people have the audacity to take the minus offer on the chase, you're an absolute disgrace Elaine you deserve nothing."
Yet another person raged: "#thechase I think Nigel would have done better without Elaine butting in and he would have had more money thanks to her stealing 7k."
To make matters even more distressing, if Elaine had accepted the £67,000 offer, it would have brought the prize to £100,000 - a sum that would've been the highest ever for the programme.