The Chase (2021) - General Discussion

[illdoc]

1 hour ago, saber5055 said:

The only bright spot was James and the other lounge chasers saying how easily they would have beaten the team

I liked how, when the middle guy took the bottom ($5000) offer, the Beast got out of his chair and started walking out!

[Snow Apple]

Except for that one episode where all the contestants were great, I haven't enjoyed this season. The chasers all seem off.

The lounge is the best part of this season because they seem more themselves there.

[Whimsy]

17 hours ago, Fellaway said:

Okay, Sara deserves an Emmy for having to say that Lake name! Yikes!

 

16 hours ago, Driad said:

Lake Chaubunagungamaug

We just call it Webster lake lol.

I also loved that question because I'm local to it and I loved the CIA question because my daughter is a CIA NY grad.

[Arkay]

The team may have won some money, but I was embarrassed for all of them. The first two players were rotten and that guy was a coward to go with the lowest offer. The other girl was okay. Ken looked stupid. 
Really did not enjoy this episode at all.

[Fellaway]

2 hours ago, Arkay said:

The team may have won some money, but I was embarrassed for all of them. The first two players were rotten and that guy was a coward to go with the lowest offer. The other girl was okay. Ken looked stupid. 
Really did not enjoy this episode at all.

Yeah, Ken was definitely off his game this ep. You wouldn't know he's the GOAT from this performance.

I read an article today quoting "insiders" at Jeopardy as saying the host's job is Ken's to lose at this point. I'm not sure why; he has some of the same issues in his past that got Mike Richards canned from the position. These insiders could be wrong, of course, but I guess we'd be back to three Chasers if he does get it. Personally, I'd rather see Brad Rutter or Buzzy Cohen get it.

This season has really been lackluster. The contestants are winning too much! Which is a strange thing to say, in regards to a game show, but I think it's true for The Chase. If the contestants win too much it's hard to buy into the premise that the Chasers are the biggest and the baddest. And it's not like the contestants are winning because they're giving stellar performances. They're winning because the Chasers are also not giving stellar performances.

On GSN's The Chase, the contestants rarely won, even when they gave a great showing, because the Beast was just that good. And when they did win, they really earned it. Way more excitement and a better version of The Chase, for me.

Edited August 24, 2021 by Fellaway

[seacliffsal]

I agree with others that the premise of this show is that contestants are going up against the very best trivia players there are.  However, when the level of contestants is laughably low and they still win-it shows that there is a problem somewhere within the structure of the actual show/game.

One thing that I think is an issue is giving the contestants three extra steps in the final round when there are three players involved (and 2 for 2; 1 for 1).  I think getting the "push-back" is enough of an advantage so get rid of the freebie steps just for making it to the final round.  The fact that 3 people made it to the final round is an advantage in and of itself as they will have separate areas of expertise to help out their team.  So, eliminate those first extra steps.

Oh, and eliminate the stupid (IMO) nicknames.  Just call them by their names.  I have also been fast-forwarding all of the explanations that are given-I understand that they want new viewers to be able to follow the game, but it seems like there are more minutes dedicated to explanations than to actual play.

[Driad]

20 hours ago, Whimsy said:

We just call it Webster lake lol.

Most people do.  But "You fish on your side, I'll fish on my side, and nobody fish in the middle" is a cool name for a lake.

[saber5055]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

One thing that I think is an issue is giving the contestants three extra steps in the final round when there are three players involved (and 2 for 2; 1 for 1).

I've said that here many times. I don't see why three people, and therefore three different trivia bases, get three free moves. The single player should get three free moves, he/she only has his/her one brain while the three players can talk among themselves to get a push-back answer. Plus if one player doesn't know an answer, the other two might. Plus, three players mean three made it past the individual chase to add money to the bank and are (supposedly) smarter than average.

However, the show pays no attention to what I think.

[lynxfx]

6 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I've said that here many times. I don't see why three people, and therefore three different trivia bases, get three free moves. The single player should get three free moves, he/she only has his/her one brain while the three players can talk among themselves to get a push-back answer.

While it seems like an unfair advantage on the surface but the advantage is earned. However 3 people answering is also a disadvantage which we have seen in past episodes. Players end up wasting a lot more time on questions they don't know before passing. This has been reduced a bit now that they each have buzzers.

3 people is a huge advantage for pushbacks.

Wow this last ep was so bad ABC took 2 extra days before putting on hulu. That guy really took the joke offer. The third player was great and didn't deserve her team.

Sara was also reading a lot slower. 

 

[Rickster]

Worst performance by a Chaser in the history of the show, in my opinion (and I think I’ve seen almost all the GSN shows in reruns). I did think Ken got some difficult questions in the final chase.

I’ve always wondered why they increase the head start with more finalists in the final chase, too. I had sort of convinced myself that the intent was for the contestants to think more like a team in the one on one with the chaser, and not crash and burn by going for the higher offer.

[Alice Mudgarden]

Brad shouting "YOU'RE OLD" at the screen in disbelief when Ken got the pinball question wrong made me laugh out loud.

[Snow Apple]

Dang. I forgot to watch. Anything interesting happen?

[LennieBriscoe]

Nope. Two civilians ultimately lost to James, the third contestant having been knocked out earlier.  

[cinsays]

On 8/22/2021 at 9:25 PM, Fellaway said:

Sara is an attractive woman, but jeezalou... How can ABC's stylist, with all their money, do so very badly for her, week after week, when penny-pinching GSN's did so much better for Brooke? I still contend the lighting on this iteration's set is not flattering to Sara, but... Jeezalou. Maybe the stylist hates her. 

On either iteration, I've never understood why a contestant goes for the bottom offer. If you wanna go for that level of money, go on Wheel of Fortune. At least go for what you earned! How many shots are you gonna have in life at big money?

Ken is full of himself tonight. He's rather beastly. Did love him offering the first contestant $150,001.

Really? I did not particularly love the outfit they had her in last night, kind of schoolmarmish but usually I think she looks lovely. At least she's not in those ball gowns that they used to dress Vanna White in.

Agreed on Ken being full of himself, tonight and always. He's just a peg above James in likeability.

[Rickster]

On 8/22/2021 at 9:25 PM, Fellaway said:

On either iteration, I've never understood why a contestant goes for the bottom offer. If you wanna go for that level of money, go on Wheel of Fortune. At least go for what you earned! How many shots are you gonna have in life at big money?

The point of going for the low offer is to try to ensure you get in the final chase so you that get a third or half of what your teammates earned vs. getting knocked out and having 100% of nothing.

[Fellaway]

6 hours ago, Rickster said:

The point of going for the low offer is to try to ensure you get in the final chase so you that get a third or half of what your teammates earned vs. getting knocked out and having 100% of nothing.

Oh, I'm well-versed in the strategy of it. I remember the guy on GSN's version who took the low offer of $1000 and, perhaps consequently, the second contestant taking the low offer of $5000. Lucky for them, their third went for bigger money, though they eventually lost to The Beast. The first kid said $1000 is better than no money, and he's not wrong, but... I know some who do it call it "strategy," but I'm more inclined to see it as their losing the nerve to take that step closer to Beastie or whomever is the Chaser on this version.

10 hours ago, cinsays said:

Really? I did not particularly love the outfit they had her in last night, kind of schoolmarmish but usually I think she looks lovely. At least she's not in those ball gowns that they used to dress Vanna White in.

I haven't seen this week's ep yet. I was referring to her styling on last week's ep when she wore the leather/pleather/vinyl thing. Definitely not schoolmarmish. I didn't think it was flattering to her figure, didn't like her hair, she always looks kinda orange-ish to me on this set, hence my comments regarding the lighting. I turn on the TV at noon to watch the local news and catch their good-byes on The View and she always looks pretty there, so I know it's not her.

[cinsays]

13 hours ago, Fellaway said:

I haven't seen this week's ep yet. I was referring to her styling on last week's ep when she wore the leather/pleather/vinyl thing. Definitely not schoolmarmish. I didn't think it was flattering to her figure, didn't like her hair, she always looks kinda orange-ish to me on this set, hence my comments regarding the lighting. I turn on the TV at noon to watch the local news and catch their good-byes on The View and she always looks pretty there, so I know it's not her.

Ah, well, for some reason, i didn't catch that episode and i am now wondering what that could have looked like

At least she pretty much always looks well styled and put together, though on rare occasions dowdy, on the View, especially in contrast to her now-gone cohost

[iMonrey]

I think James Holzhauer is my least favorite Chaser. There's just something . . . performative?  . . . about him. Brad, Ken and even Mark Labbett just seem more genuine to me.

[seacliffsal]

Well, at least James caught the contestants this episode.

I think that eliminating the unnecessary narrative about the offers for the second and third contestants would help this show quite a bit.  All of the exposition just drags it down for me.  Add steps to the one-on-one chase segments and cut out a lot of the narrative.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I think that eliminating the unnecessary narrative about the offers for the second and third contestants would help this show quite a bit. 

Yeah the over-splainin' bugs, but that's a game show for you. I'll still take this show over Who Wants To Be A Millionaire any day of the week. That show was just painful to sit through. A contestant could literally take ten minutes to answer one question! The Chase is almost an antidote to having to sit through an episode of that.

[Rickster]

At least they pushed to the commercial break the “talk over the offers with your teammates”, which was the most pointless part of the daytime show.

[DietCokeJunkie]

Ken really buzzed through those questions on the final chase last night (Sept12).  I was glad to see it, because I was really not impressed with these contestants. The drama coach (Ari?) took over during the final in an overbearing way. Who buzzes in just to pass? Give the other contestant a chance! He was quick on the draw with some answers but not a very good team player. 

[saber5055]

I was so excited that this, my favorite show, was on last night. I saw the first contestant get $60,000, then she lined up to compete with Ken ... and my antenna dropped the station. Nothing I could do would get it back. It finally returned on its own three hours later. So bummed. I will say, on a shallow note, that Ken's pink vest and matching pocket square were very stylish, he looked great.

And that's all I got.

[iMonrey]

saber5055 - that first contestant was decent in the cash builder but she got caught by Ken and had to leave the game. The middle contestant was just so-so but made it to the final chase, as did the third, who was much better. 

Quote

The drama coach (Ari?) took over during the final in an overbearing way. Who buzzes in just to pass? Give the other contestant a chance! He was quick on the draw with some answers but not a very good team player. 

I actually liked him, and thought he did a good job. I don't mind that he answered almost all of the questions in the final chase. They got to 19, that's pretty good. Time is money on this show, literally. It's not smart strategy to let the seconds tick away if you don't know the answer. The other guy had just as much opportunity to buzz in so if he didn't then passing is the right move. I thought Ken just got much easier questions in his final chase.

[LennieBriscoe]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

saber5055 - that first contestant was decent in the cash builder but she got caught by Ken and had to leave the game. The middle contestant was just so-so but made it to the final chase, as did the third, who was much better. 

I actually liked him, and thought he did a good job. I don't mind that he answered almost all of the questions in the final chase. They got to 19, that's pretty good. Time is money on this show, literally. It's not smart strategy to let the seconds tick away if you don't know the answer. The other guy had just as much opportunity to buzz in so if he didn't then passing is the right move. I thought Ken just got much easier questions in his final chase.

Ken got ridiculously easier questions. 

[catlover79]

On 8/31/2021 at 6:50 PM, iMonrey said:

I think James Holzhauer is my least favorite Chaser. There's just something . . . performative?  . . . about him. 

Yeah, but I felt the same way about him when he was on Jeopardy! Terrific player, but he does seem more natural when he's in the Chaser Lounge. 

[853fisher]

I wasn't particularly impressed with the players this time so I didn't mind that Ken smoked them.  I really can go either way on this show.

I was surprised they gave Ken a hard time about "Mandela."  Earlier they accepted "Taraji" for Ms. Henson.  So what gives?

It is definitely interesting to hear the way constants talk about "the amount they've earned" vs the others.  I had to laugh when Ari described that amount as "a bird in the hand."  Not yet, buddy!

Not that I'm a hair model myself, but I really didn't like Sarah's.  The difference between her own hair and the extension / clip-on / what-have-you that was her ponytail was stark.  I wouldn't have swept my kitchen with whatever they added.  I really don't think her stylist does her any favors.

[LennieBriscoe]

19 minutes ago, 853fisher said:

I wasn't particularly impressed with the players this time so I didn't mind that Ken smoked them.  I really can go either way on this show.

I was surprised they gave Ken a hard time about "Mandela."  Earlier they accepted "Taraji" for Ms. Henson.  So what gives?

It is definitely interesting to hear the way constants talk about "the amount they've earned" vs the others.  I had to laugh when Ari described that amount as "a bird in the hand."  Not yet, buddy!

Not that I'm a hair model myself, but I really didn't like Sarah's.  The difference between her own hair and the extension / clip-on / what-have-you that was her ponytail was stark.  I wouldn't have swept my kitchen with whatever they added.  I really don't think her stylist does her any favors.

Re: Mandela. I figured the specific name was required because Winnie was also an activist.

[Snapdragon]

I cannot believe that neither the contestants nor Ken got the Selena question right.  I was so shocked by it that I yelled out when it happened and my husband (who was in another room) came out to ask what was going on.  

[saber5055]

[seacliffsal]

I actually can fast-forward through this show fairly quickly due to how much exposition Sara has to give in each episode.  Although it can be interesting to hear how contestants choose their answers in the one-on-one section, it can get overly long (especially due to all the "basically I just guessed" answers they give).  I wish there was more "content" to the show, but maybe it's too complicated if they need the extensive explanations.

I was glad Ken caught the contestants.  I liked the woman who was the first contestant as she was a real fan of the show and Jeopardy.

[SHD]

I liked the two guys who busted out in the banking round and I kind of wanted the woman that was playing for her Dad to win because even though she had one of those big personalities that kind of annoy me, she seemed sincere. So, probably the first time I wasn’t 100% rooting for the chaser.

[LennieBriscoe]

James was awesome, what can I say. 

[basiltherat]

I was hoping that Show wasn't going to throw the game to Amanda because of Dead Dad, because then every contestant would use the same ploy.  Just shut up and play.  She was definitely good enough to win "on her own"

[Snapdragon]

I felt that the last question in the last round was BS.  Asking in what movie did Kelly Marie Tran voice the main character would have been fine but saying she voiced Raya in Raya and the Last _____?  Come on.  

[iMonrey]

That was disappointing. The first and third contestants seemed really good, it's a shame the first one didn't make it to the final chase. Not that it would have mattered, I don't think. James had plenty of time left on the clock so he probably would have beaten them both anyway.

[saber5055]

That first guy was so good getting $90,000, then I was surprised he tanked on the chase part. Even I knew John Jay and Uganda for those two answers. Not that I ever would have earned more than him on the question round, I'd be lucky to garner $10,000.

Being involved in the show-dog world, I answered "Neuticals" as soon as that question was read. Side note: If found implanted in a show dog, that dog would be banned for life by AKC.

The first photos of Obama after he left office were of him kite surfing with Richard Branson off his island in 2017. Too bad Amanda didn't pay more attention to those news feeds. I did feel badly for her when she left with nothing though. She was a good contestant, and bravo for going with the high amount offered by James.

[SHD]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

That was disappointing. The first and third contestants seemed really good, it's a shame the first one didn't make it to the final chase. Not that it would have mattered, I don't think. James had plenty of time left on the clock so he probably would have beaten them both anyway.

But if first guy had made it to the final round, he might've known some of the answers that the librarian got wrong or passed on - or that she didn't know the pushback answer to -  upping their score by a possible 4-5 points, which would've made it harder for James.

 

2 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

I felt that the last question in the last round was BS.  Asking in what movie did Kelly Marie Tran voice the main character would have been fine but saying she voiced Raya in Raya and the Last _____?  Come on.  

You could've given me all but one letter to the answer and I'm not sure I would've gotten that one. I had no idea what that was.

[saber5055]

11 minutes ago, SHD said:

You could've given me all but one letter to the answer and I'm not sure I would've gotten that one. I had no idea what that was.

Same here. Last Supper? Last Samurai? Last of the Mohicans? I'm running out of Lasts.

It was pretty funny when James said he didn't have a good track record against female librarians on game shows.

Edited September 20, 2021 by saber5055

[LennieBriscoe]

No "Chase" 9/26?

[illdoc]

Chase is over for the season. They have different game shows for the fall (Celebrity WoF, for example). Chase will probably be back during the "winter season" (time between Tgiving and New Year's). If not, then next summer, I guess. I'm not even sure it's been renewed for Season 3.

[Miss Chevious]

I’m going to miss it. 

[opus]

Back on Jan. 5

ABC Midseason Schedule: 2021-2022 Premiere Dates Announced! |

[LennieBriscoe]

Watching the daytime version repeats, because I never did. 

Surprised yesterday during the Celebrity Episode, when "Clay Aiken" was an answer---and the celeb knew it!

[illdoc]

Reminder: New season of "The Chase" begins Wed, Jan 5, at 10/9 Central. James Holzhauer is the Chaser for this episode. 

[cinsays]

17 hours ago, illdoc said:

Reminder: New season of "The Chase" begins Wed, Jan 5, at 10/9 Central. James Holzhauer is the Chaser for this episode. 

yeah!

except for holzhauer being the chaser.........boo

[Ailianna]

That was a fun and exciting premiere. I really ended up liking Neil but it was some quality shade being thrown at his shirt.

[iMonrey]

I chuckled in spite of myself at whoever likened his shirt to the yodeling cowgirl from Toy Story. 

Disappointing ending. They seemed to be doing really well in the final chase but only got to 16. I knew James would beat them. 

[LennieBriscoe]

I'd rather go against the Beast than James! 

[DB in CMH]

Did they glitz up this episodes, or was it just me? I'm not sure if glitz is the right word, but the intro of James, Sara doing a trite idiom at the end, etc. It felt cornier then I remember 

Edited January 7, 2022 by DB in CMH