The Chase (2021) - General Discussion

[iMonrey]

I thought this was a pretty good one and I was impressed with all three players. My only criticism is they were way too slow to pass in the Final Chase. I also think they could have gotten up to 20 or more if Sara would read the questions faster. You pretty much needed a minimum of 20 steps to stand a chance against The Beast in the GSN version. I think she is going for articulation over speed. But I maintain she needs to work on the latter. Also, it did kind of seem like Ken had easier questions than the team did.

[Diana Berry]

Sara saying correct takes time off he clock.  There should be a light or bell to signify an answer is right.  Ken should have won

Edited February 13, 2021 by Diana Berry
Spellng

[iMonrey]

Quote

Sara saying correct takes time off he clock.  There should be a light or bell to signify an answer is right.  Ken should have won

But the host has always done that, so it shouldn't be something that applies to Sara specifically just because she's slower. I really hope the producers have taken her aside and encouraged her to read faster and avoid long pauses.

[Diana Berry]

10 hours ago, iMonrey said:

But the host has always done that, so it shouldn't be something that applies to Sara specifically just because she's slower. I really hope the producers have taken her aside and encouraged her to read faster and avoid long pauses.

Never watched the original.  They could always change it??

[30 Helens]

On 2/12/2021 at 12:13 PM, 853fisher said:

There didn't seem to be much of a sense of urgency in that Final Chase.  Brad was exactly right, they've got to be prepared to interrupt, and I thought they should've agreed to pass quicker too if an answer as was not forthcoming.  

The hesitation to pass was driving me crazy. If I’m not mistaken, they were letting a full 5-6 seconds go by before someone stepped in.  I wonder if it was because there were finally 3 people in the final round, making each one more reluctant to take charge and step on the others’ toes.

I think my other reason for not really enjoying this episode was none of the players had a really memorable personality. Ken was also especially low key this time, so just all around meh.

[illdoc]

Question: Do you think that it's fair that 3 players get a 3 step advantage and a solo player only has a 1 step advantage? Wouldn't it be more fair for the solo to have 3 steps (after all, he/she would have to answer all the questions themselves (including the "pushback")), whereas with 3 players, they have a better shot of a question being answered (and even confer with each other on the pushbacks).

[853fisher]

I see regular comments expressing displeasure that contestants don't go for the higher offers.  I never found that element of the game very interesting on the original, especially when it would occasionally be used to highlight or foment interpersonal conflict on the team ("Sally, how do you feel about having to split your winnings with Bob, given that you won on the high offer and he won on the low offer?" - if I wanted to watch Big Brother, I could).  The amount of money people I don't know are going to win has never made much of a difference to my level of investment in game show generally.  That said, I know others feel differently.  Maybe anyone lobbing schoolyard taunts at the people who choose not to risk the higher offers could get their wish if they guaranteed some cash in case of failure. 😉

12 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

The hesitation to pass was driving me crazy. If I’m not mistaken, they were letting a full 5-6 seconds go by before someone stepped in.  I wonder if it was because there were finally 3 people in the final round, making each one more reluctant to take charge and step on the others’ toes.

I think you're spot on.  I would feel like a chump if I jumped in with a pass when my teammate knew it.  I don't know just how to coordinate it, but I assume they can call see a clock, so maybe they could agree to pass after 2s or something?

2 hours ago, illdoc said:

Question: Do you think that it's fair that 3 players get a 3 step advantage and a solo player only has a 1 step advantage? Wouldn't it be more fair for the solo to have 3 steps (after all, he/she would have to answer all the questions themselves (including the "pushback")), whereas with 3 players, they have a better shot of a question being answered (and even confer with each other on the pushbacks).

I agree generally that it is more difficult for a single player to win than for a team of two or three, but I see the head start as a kind of reward for more team members having gotten through the second round, rather than as an attempt to boost the chances of players who may find themselves with a bigger challenge at the end.

[Kromm]

On 2/13/2021 at 12:10 PM, iMonrey said:

But the host has always done that, so it shouldn't be something that applies to Sara specifically just because she's slower. I really hope the producers have taken her aside and encouraged her to read faster and avoid long pauses.

This is still a weird debate to me.  Brooke Burns was really fast.  But Bradley Walsh really isn't all that fast.  He's just charming.  The weird annoying Aussie guy on their version is somewhere in the middle speed-wise too. 

I have to go watch more of the UK version. I haven't seen it in months.  I'm pretty sure my impression that Walsh isn't necessarily any faster is right but I guess I have to double check.  It might also be a good time to see if the questions are shorter. 

[alexa]

Who won last night?  

[Good Queen Jane]

The contestants. Brad Ritter was the Chaser.

[illdoc]

25 minutes ago, Good Queen Jane said:

The contestants. Brad Ritter was the Chaser.

So that's James: 2, Brad: 1, and Ken: 0 games won. So much for "GOAT" Ken.

[alexa]

23 minutes ago, illdoc said:

So that's James: 2, Brad: 1, and Ken: 0 games won. So much for "GOAT" Ken.

Well, Ken should have won the last one he did--the issue was definitely really long questions and slow reading of the questions that gave him the loss on that one.  He was within seconds and most likely would have won otherwise.  

[Cherpumple]

Wow, Brad really fell apart in the second half of the show. I'm surprised that he missed some of those questions.

I don't know who's styling the host, but it's not good. Her slicked back hair a few weeks ago looked super greasy, and the long fake ponytail last night reminded me of Madonna's look during her Blond Ambition tour in the early 90s. Yikes.

[Good Queen Jane]

1 hour ago, Good Queen Jane said:

The contestants. Brad Ritter was the Chaser.

I apologize to Brad RUTTER for misspelling his last name. He's just Brad to me.

[Spunkygal]

IMO, this show sorely misses Brooke Burns as host. She is perfection on the old version. 

[mjc570]

2 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

IMO, this show sorely misses Brooke Burns as host. She is perfection on the old version. 

I agree! Brooke is so much faster, and always seems like she's having a good time.  She really is also very good at pronunciations.  I can barely watch this version because the questions are so slow!  I wouldn't even mind a few more commercials if they'd pick up the pace.

[saber5055]

I guess I must be rooting for the chaser because I did not enjoy last night's episode. It somehow seems odd to me that a team of three people, three brains, three knowledge banks, get three free spaces ahead of the single, lone chaser. What's up with that. If there were five contestants, they'd get five free spaces? So whack. Makes no sense.

I also have a problem with the long questions.

I'm a fan of the host's hair NOT hanging down with fake extensions, all skanky, as is the style these days. But I did laugh at the little curls she had in front of each ear last night. I used to do the same with my hair ... when I was 18. I guess everything comes back in style.

I did notice some of the questions were phrased so that if someone interrupted and answered too early, they would have been wrong.

This show continues to be less fun with every episode.

[SHD]

I know it's a deliberate set of rules, but I hate that the team has to evenly split the combined total. I know they want to make it a team effort show, but why can't they just be a team working towards each winning what they individually brought to the pot? They would still have to work together. I just think it's unfair that the woman who brought the least amount of money to the pot and who (I think) got the fewest final questions right (and got at least one wrong) gets the same amount of money as the guys who killed it in their rounds. That makes me root for the chaser, even though I liked two of the three contestants.

Edited February 19, 2021 by SHD

[alexa]

37 minutes ago, SHD said:

I know it's a deliberate set of rules, but I hate that the team has to evenly split the combined total. I know they want to make it a team effort show, but why can't they just be a team working towards each winning what they individually brought to the pot? They would still have to work together. I just think it's unfair that the woman who brought the least amount of money to the pot and who (I think) got the least final questions right (and got at least one wrong) gets the same amount of money as the guys who killed it in their rounds. That makes me root for the chaser, even though I liked two of the three contestants.

I agree.  Especially because the first contestant that went was not good at all.  I wonder how some of the contestants make it through.  

[iMonrey]

I thought this last one was good, along with last week's. I enjoy it the most when they have good contestants. They should have started the season with the last couple of episodes then squeezed in the earlier episodes with the dummies somewhere in the middle. 

I'm sure it's a lot easier to play along at home when you're sitting comfortably on your sofa as opposed to standing up on stage surrounded by lights and cameras. That said, it's at least a little easier now than when they also had a full studio audience.

Edited February 20, 2021 by iMonrey

[853fisher]

I clicked into this thread rather than another before I'd seen the episode, spoiling the result for myself, but I enjoyed it anyway.  It was still a surprise that Brad barely made 12 steps in the end.  I don't know whether I'm smarter today or what, but I thought there were more relative "gimmes" throughout the game than in past weeks.

I think Sara has looked nice most weeks, but I can't deny that the little strands of hair on each side of her face this time made me think of Jan Brady's ringlets in the 90s parody movie.  I would like her to work on pronunciations.  Tisha Campbell-Martin pronounces her name "TEE-shuh."  Thunberg was also pretty bad.

I noticed in the credits that stage managers include Jerri Churchill and Winston Churchill.  Jerri is definitely a human professional in the industry with a few accolades and an online footprint, but there has to be an inside joke or a little story there, like Winston is her dog.  I hope so anyway.

Edited February 20, 2021 by 853fisher

[Snow Apple]

I wonder if the episodes are shown out of order. I thought Sara's speed would improve with time, but she seems to be getting slower.

I also miss Brooke. She's fast and gets faster as the clock starts to run out. I agree Ken should have won that time, even though I like when contestants win. 

[GenerationX]

Brad had such a bad round in one of the lead-in games - missed a bunch of questions - and you could almost see the confidence drain from him.  He tried to rally, but I just sensed he would not catch the team in the final chase.

What I appreciate most about Sara's hosting skills are her reactions and asides.  She banters so well with both contestants and chasers.  She's smooth, funny, and charming.  She'll subtly tease the chaser, too.

[opus]

I’ve heard complaints the show is mean spirited , but it seems to me they all attempt to make it light hearted teasing (this version, haven’t seen others).

[30 Helens]

On 2/19/2021 at 9:46 AM, saber5055 said:

This show continues to be less fun with every episode.

Sadly, I agree. In terms of the Chase/Hustler block, this started out being the show I really looked forward to, while The Hustler was something I might watch later, whenever. Now, it’s the opposite. The Hustler has really grown on me, and I watch it right away. I feel no urgency to watch The Chase, and it usually takes me a couple of days to get to it.

I'm not even sure why I feel this way. There’s not really anything wrong with the show that I can point to, it’s just not all it should be. 

[rr2911]

I don't know if it has been asked already but, does the Chaser get anything "extra" for catching the contestants or contestant? What would prevent the Chaser feeling sorry for them and letting them win?

The previous version had The Beast as the chaser. I don't know his name, but he was intimidating! That version seemed better. 

[lynxfx]

1 hour ago, rr2911 said:

I don't know if it has been asked already but, does the Chaser get anything "extra" for catching the contestants or contestant? What would prevent the Chaser feeling sorry for them and letting them win?

They are paid a regular salary whether they win or not. No different than being the host. The exact amount hasn't been disclosed on any version that I can find. 

[SHD]

I sometimes feel like the chaser tanks questions in the final chase they may actually know just for dramatic effect if they're far enough ahead that they know they're going to catch them anyway. I thought that in the original version, too. I did feel bad for the guy last night who absolutely killed it in his round. I was glad he was alone at the end so he wouldn't have to share with others who didn't contribute as much, but James was just too good.

[MrAtoz]

9 hours ago, rr2911 said:

The previous version had The Beast as the chaser. I don't know his name, but he was intimidating! That version seemed better. 

The Beast's name is Mark Labbett.  He is one of several chasers on the British version of the show, and was the only chaser on the syndicated American version on GSN.  I do sort of prefer him to any of the three chasers in this version, at least so far.  He seemed more natural at the trash talk, although that may be simply because he's been doing it longer.

I think last night's lone remaining contestant could have won if he had gotten one more pushback correct.  I expected him to get Hawaiian Airlines.  I thought it seemed like a natural to have "Inter-Island Airways" as its predecessor.

[SHD]

2 hours ago, MrAtoz said:

The Beast's name is Mark Labbett.  He is one of several chasers on the British version of the show, and was the only chaser on the syndicated American version on GSN.  I do sort of prefer him to any of the three chasers in this version, at least so far.  He seemed more natural at the trash talk, although that may be simply because he's been doing it longer.

I think, too, that fans of these types of shows know our Jeopardy champ chasers so well and we know that they're nice guys, so the trash talk seems forced.

[saber5055]

I did enjoy last night's episode. I like when James gives background info on how he arrives at his answers, and how he met his wife was an eye opener. Jimmy was very good, and I liked that James gave him props at the end, he deserved some kind words from Giant James, that was all he was taking away with him. I typically root for my jeopardy Heroes to beat the players, but last night I felt vaguely sad for Jimmy. In all, it was a good episode after a few dreck ones. I guess I'll keep watching.

Edited February 26, 2021 by saber5055

[SHD]

2 minutes ago, saber5055 said:

I did enjoy last night's episode. I like when James gives background info on how he arrives at his answers, and how he met his wife was an eye opener. Jimmy was very good, and I liked that James gave him props at the end, he deserved some kind words from Giant James, that was all he was taking away with him. I typically root for my jeopardy Heroes to beat the players, but last night I felt vaguely sad for Jimmy. In all, it was a good episode after a few dreck ones. I guess I'll keep watching.

All of this - exactly how I feel. The Beast on the GSN version would also do something like that if he beat a worthy opponent. He would even sometimes congratulate ONE person on the team, making sure the others on the team knew he thought they were the weak links.

[MrAtoz]

21 minutes ago, SHD said:

He would even sometimes congratulate ONE person on the team, making sure the others on the team knew he thought they were the weak links.

I have a vivid memory of The Beast once saying at the end, "You played excellently.  Shame about your teammates!"

Oh, snap, Beastie!

[Snow Apple]

I always feel bad when the contestants lose after all that work. A lot of other game shows at least give out $1000.00 to the last person/team standing. But I guess the contestants know what they're getting into and were willing to take the risk.

[GenerationX]

On 2/26/2021 at 2:25 PM, saber5055 said:

I like when James gives background info on how he arrives at his answers

Brad and Ken do this a bit, as did the Beast, but the window into James' thought processes is a true highlight of this show.  His ability to explain how he arrives at answers he doesn't know outright is very entertaining and shows just how extremely logical his "guesses" are.

I enjoy watching the expert reveal the secrets of their craft.  The window to their genius.  The last time I was struck by this was during the ten part "Last Dance" ESPN special in 2020 that detailed the Bulls last championship season.  The three or four minute monologue/expert class Dennis Rodman gave on how to rebound was truly the highlight of the ten hours.

[30 Helens]

How much I like each episode seems to depend a lot on how much I like the contestants. This week, I liked Jimmy, so I liked watching him play and was rooting for him.

I was also glad when he got to play alone, because it seemed unfair that he would have to split his winnings with people who contributed much less. (Of course, it didn’t matter in the end, and maybe he would have done better with a partner.) I also think it’s more fun to watch a head-to-head match. 

I wonder if a change in format might make the show more interesting: Like, if the contestants first played against each other while all the Chasers watched and commented, and the one who did best won the opportunity to go against a Chaser in the final round. Or, if it were done tournament style across several episodes, and the highest scoring winners came back to battle the Chaser(s) for the jackpot.

However they want to do it, I think the show would really benefit from having returning players. As it is, the contestants are too easily forgettable, making them hard to care about. I mean, the only reason we care about any of the Chasers is they came back over and over.*. Would anyone remember, or root for, a one-and-done Ken Jennings? Doubtful.

(*on Jeopardy)

Edited March 1, 2021 by 30 Helens
clarity

[Eolivet]

Was it my imagination or were James' questions way easier than Chaser questions usually are? I thought they were supposed to be more difficult. "Better Call Saul" is a spin-off of what belongs in Jimmy's category, not James'. Same as what juice is used to flavor a mojito?! I don't drink and even I knew that one. Usually, I can get maybe 2-3 of the Chaser questions, and I got at least half tonight.

So irritating, because Jimmy seemed like a good match-up for James, if the questions had actually been tougher.

[Bliss]

Elliot is my new favourite contestant of all time. Absolutely. Hilarious!

 

[Triviagirl]

3 hours ago, Bliss said:

Elliot is my new favourite contestant of all time. Absolutely. Hilarious!

 

Was Elliot on another game show? I know I have seen him before but without the mustache.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Triviagirl

[MrAtoz]

6 hours ago, Triviagirl said:

Was Elliot on another game show? I know I have seen him before but without the mustache.

He was a four-day Jeopardy champion in 2015.  According to the J! Archive he also won $58,500 on Millionaire and $48,360 on Wheel of Fortune.

I'm not quite sure it's safe to travel yet, otherwise I might sign up to be a contestant.  Maybe next year.

[Good Queen Jane]

Ken was red hot in the first hour. I think the only question he missed was the name of Cap'n Crunch's ship. He beat the contestants so quickly that we had lots of time to hear comments from Brad and James. I wondered why they didn't use that episode as the finale until I realized I'm weird because I'm rooting for the Chaser to win.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Good Queen Jane

[Madding crowd]

I thought the second episode was refreshing because the people on the one before it were terrible. I especially didn’t like the woman who kept saying she guesses at every question and doesn’t even try to reason out an answer. I get it that they were hard questions, but these shows are really more for trivia people than regular smart/academic people. I had more fun with the second group.

[saber5055]

I had a few LOL moments on these episodes, when Ken trolled James about beating him twice and James bursting out into laughter when he heard that. Then Elliot when he whipped out his fan to cool himself after beating Brad down the board. Elliott was a needed breath of fresh air on this show, smart, funny as heck, and cute on top of it. Plus yes, nice suit Elliot.

I still think it's unfair for three contestants to get a three-square head start on the single Chaser. I mean, what's up with that since it's already three brains against one. I think this is the first time Chaser Brad has let players take home money, and the first time Chaser Ken has stopped players. (Not that I'm keeping track or anything.)

I liked evesdropping on the two Chasers in the lounge.

[SHD]

On 3/2/2021 at 7:32 PM, Eolivet said:

Was it my imagination or were James' questions way easier than Chaser questions usually are? I thought they were supposed to be more difficult. 

I don't think they say on this version, but on the GSN version, they have two sets of questions, A and B, and the contestants get to pick which set they want to play. The chaser got the other set. It was a blind pick, but at least there was no question about questions favoring the chaser or the contestants. One set might be easier, but it was a random pick that determined who got which set.

I think that the "consolation prize" amount they let them play for was too high in the first episode last night. They should've made it minimal, like $15,000 to split if their representative contestant had won.

Edited March 5, 2021 by SHD

[Snow Apple]

11 minutes ago, SHD said:

 

I think that the "consolation prize" amount they let them play for was too high in the first episode last night. They should've made it minimal, like $15,000 to split if their representative contestant had won.

I was shocked at the $250k offer. I didn't even know the chaser makes the decision. I thought it would just be an automatic set amount like $10-20k in situations like this.

[saber5055]

4 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I was shocked at the $250k offer.

I think it was pretty safe that no one was going to take that $ home, so it made for some nice drama while it lasted.

I did like the bold move the one player made, taking the higher offer though.

Edited March 5, 2021 by saber5055

[853fisher]

I didn't realize there were two episodes last night.  Hulu showed me the second one first, and I might not have realized the first was also there had I not read about it here.  So cheers all!  I'm surprised they're going through two episodes in one go, as "To Tell the Truth" did recently.  Maybe just a hole in the schedule to plug?

The team in the second episode seemed a little uncertain in the middle round, but really impressed me at the end.  That was exciting to watch.  Then, I don't know, Brad seemed a little off his game.  Does he get into his head a little?  The first episode: yikes for the gameplay, although James was not bad. I really wish they would do something differently about contestants

I always cringe when adults, clearly having been asked for a "fun fact" that makes them seem smart, volunteer their SAT score or their National Merit Scholarship or anything else that happened in high school.  Haven't they done anything to speak of since then?  Won bar trivia?  Given a cool presentation in a hobbyist group?  Written a great letter to the editor?  Something!

[basiltherat]

I don't know if I'm being evil, but I ALWAYS root for the chasers (especially James).  I was yelling foul when they were playing for such a huge consolation prize on the first one.  If all the contestants are out, why not make it a chaser vs. chaser final for charity?

[iMonrey]

I root for the contestants, not the Chaser. But then I get pretty disgusted when the contestants aren't very good. The first guy in the first episode was actually pretty good, so in fairness his questions were pretty hard, but the second two weren't great. I knew he wouldn't have much of a shot against the Chaser. The second group of contestants in the final episode were much better. I'm assuming this is the last episode for awhile. I really did enjoy it, despite the fact that I preferred the GSN version.

[Bliss]

4 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I had a few LOL moments on these episodes, when Ken trolled James about beating him twice and James bursting out into laughter when he heard that. Then Elliot when he whipped out his fan to cool himself after beating Brad down the board. Elliott was a needed breath of fresh air on this show, smart, funny as heck, and cute on top of it. Plus yes, nice suit Elliot.

I still think it's unfair for three contestants to get a three-square head start on the single Chaser. I mean, what's up with that since it's already three brains against one. I think this is the first time Chaser Brad has let players take home money, and the first time Chaser Ken has stopped players. (Not that I'm keeping track or anything.)

I liked evesdropping on the two Chasers in the lounge.

This was the best episode yet IMO... and Elliot was a highlight! His responses of being "used to" men chasing him, choosing "Whoopee" as an answer in the final chase, and the last comment, "That sounds like FUN!" (something like that) cracked me up. I appreciate his quick wit. Plus his intelligence.

I like all 3 chasers and for some reason, I have a mom-crush on Brad (I like his snark the best), so I wanted to give him a hug last night.

Edited March 6, 2021 by Bliss