If you’ve never watched the 5 o’clock phenomenon that is The Chase Australia, allow us to fill you in.
Essentially, four ordinary Aussies do battle with a well-dressed person who is really good at trivia – the chaser.
After earning some cash in a rapid-fire round of questions, the contestants have to defend their prize money by going head-to-head with the chaser. Both chaser and contestant are given the same questions, with the contestant getting a head-start on the chaser. If the contestant answers too many incorrectly, however, the chaser “catches” them, and they go home empty-handed. At the end, the remaining contestants battle it out with the chaser in ‘the final chase’.
The chasers themselves are a motley crew of colourful characters. But admittedly, some destroy contestants’ dreams of European backpacking trips and long-overdue home renovations more comprehensively than others. With that in mind, here’s our ranking of the chasers on The Chase Australia, for their ability to crush the spirits of contestants.
#6 Issa ‘The Supernerd’ Schultz
This bloke is the clear fan favourite, which, along with his sweater vests, speaks volumes of his inability to strike fear into the hearts of contestants. Lack of scare factor aside, ‘The Supernerd’ is the young gun of the Chasers and is a clear menace at trivia. With a slight penchant for cracking under pressure in the final chase, he’s unfortunately been place #6 here. Nevertheless, he’s a force to be reckoned with.
#5 Cheryl ‘The Tiger Mum’ Toh
The jury is still out on Chase newcomer, Cheryl Toh. Making her debut in 2019, she hasn’t appeared in nearly as many episodes as the other chasers. Toh apparently came up with her own, slightly sketchy nickname, and is a lawyer by trade. She is clearly pretty great at trivia, and will no doubt continue to crush contestants’ spirits later in the series.
#4 Matt ‘Goliath’ Parkinson
Real trivia nerds might remember Matt Parkinson as a regular Brains Trust panellist on ABC’s The Einstein Factor. Standing at nearly two metres tall, the actor and comedian strikes fear into the hearts of all he faces. He’s also probably the only Chaser with above-average banter. However, according to statistics accrued by Project C, the big man’s statistics have taken a dive in 2020, leading him to be pushed further down the list.
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#3 Anne ‘The Governess’ Hegerty
One of the two chasers to have featured in the original British version, Hegerty’s resemblance to Miss Trunchbull is probably what makes her such a fearsome chaser. Statistically speaking, she’s got the second-best final chase accuracy, but has also carked it to the lowest total, failing to defend a target of 12.
#2 Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett
The other of the series’ British imports, ‘The Beast’ is an absolute trivia behemoth. He’s a professional quizzer (definitely not a job we knew you could have) and is also the only chaser to have appeared on the short-lived American version of the series. Statistically, he’s performed second-best of the chasers in the head-to-head round this year.
Brydon “The Shark” Coverdale out to crush dreams
#1 Brydon ‘The Shark’ Coverdale
This man is an absolute gun. In 2020, he’s had the best head-to-head success rate of any chaser. On top of that, he boasts the highest final chase accuracy, and also the best dress sense to be honest. Back in the day, Coverdale smashed it on various quiz shows, including Sale of The Century and Million Dollar Minute.
Check out ‘The Beast’ on The Chase Australia:
