Darragh ‘The Menace’ Ennis took on Bradley Walsh’s team on The Chase last night (February 26) – but it was ITV viewers who were left raging.
Fans blasted the episode as an “egregious waste of 60 minutes”, slammed the players as the “worst team in history” and even accused Darragh of being “stuck up” and “patronising” after his crushing win.
Last night, Shaun, Lanre, Simi and Pauline faced Darragh in a bid to take home thousands. Everyone but Simi made it through to the Final Chase, giving the trio £8k to play for.
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But things quickly unravelled.
‘You will be kicking yourselves’
The trio managed just a 10-step head start – a total that raised eyebrows among viewers at home.
“Normally when I come back I try and point out the positives, but there aren’t many positives of how you did there,” Darragh told them.
“Too many passes, you were asked which planet and you said pass. When you watch this back you will be kicking yourselves.”
And he wasn’t wrong.
He caught them with one minute and six seconds to spare. Bradley admitted: “Crikey, I don’t know what to say really.”
Darragh didn’t hold back either.
“When there’s three people in the final you can have one person not be on their game. But all three of you, I don’t know if it was nerves or what it was. You just didn’t perform how you could’ve done. I was taking tons of time. I could’ve caught that in 20 seconds less if I was really pushing myself. You didn’t set a high enough target.”
‘ITV should apologise’ after last night’s The Chase
Viewers were brutal in their verdict.
One fumed: “Switching over to catch the end of Pointless! The Chase = pointless!”
Another raged: “This entire episode was not worth our [bleep]ing time! And I believe ITV should apologise for this egregious waste of 60 minutes! May tomorrow hopefully not be this [bleep]y!”
A third declared: “One of the worst performances ever by a team on The Chase.”
“The worst team in history,” another agreed.
But it wasn’t just the contestants who came under fire.
After Darragh beat the team in 54 seconds, some viewers turned on him instead. He was branded “stuck up” and accused of being overly harsh.
“Darragh the stuck-up [bleep],” one wrote.
“Darragh lecturing them must have really been appreciated by the team,” another said sarcastically.
A third added: “Alright Darragh, you won. Don’t be so patronising though.”
For many watching at home, it wasn’t just a defeat – it was an episode they’d rather forget.
The Chase is on ITV1 weekdays at 5pm.
Read more: Chase fans baffled as ITV makes big decision about 2026 Christmas special
The Chasers don’t just sit around quizzing all day, they also have jobs outside of The Chase, with many of them having had successful careers before finding fame.
From doctors to lawyers and PE teachers, the stars of the ITV game show all had to make ends meet before finding fame, and here’s how they did it…
Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett
Mark worked as a PE and maths supply teacher in Newport, South Wales.
He’s also worked as a question writer for pub quiz company Redtooth, as well as at Butlins. It was at the holiday camp that he first began his forays into quizzing. Mark’s revealed he boosted his income with his winnings from the quiz machines on site.
The Chasers’ real jobs – Anne ‘The Governess’ Hegerty
Chaser Anne was a journalist before finding fame. She started her reporting career in 1980 at the South Wales Argus in Newport.
She’s also worked as a ghostwriter, penning two books under the name of children’s author-illustrator Richard Scarry.
Shaun ‘The Dark Destroyer’ Wallace
Shaun is one Chaser who still has a ‘normal’ job outside of his TV fame. He’s a qualified barrister.
And his career has even seen him take part in hearings at the Old Bailey. Away from TV, he’s a part-time lecturer. He gives talks on aspects of law in schools and colleges.
Paul ‘The Sinnerman’ Sinha
Chaser Paul is a qualified doctor. He became a GP in 1995. And, while training, he took part in the medical school’s annual revue, developing a taste for stand-up comedy.
He’s since performed up and down the country, including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
The Chasers’ real jobs – Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan
Jenny Ryan didn’t arrive on The Chase till 2015, but she wrote questions for it years before that!
Speaking to the Radio Times, Jenny explained: “I actually worked on the pilot of The Chase and wrote the questions on it. All the questions I wrote have long since been used. If I could remember every question I ever wrote I’d be the world quiz champion.”
Darragh ‘The Menace’ Ennis
The newest Chaser to join the team, Darragh was spotted when he appeared on the show as a contestant.
As far as his career outside of TV goes, he’s a qualified neuroscientist and entomologist.
When he’s not working alongside Bradley Walsh, he is a lab manager and research technician at Oxford University – where he specialises in researching the brains of insects.
So what did you make of the episode? Tell us on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.