Mark Labbett, known as The Beast on ITV's The Chase, has criticised the standard of contestants following a particularly poor performance on Tuesday's episode. Contestant Matt only managed to answer six questions correctly in the final chase, losing the £3,000 prize pot he hoped to use for a new pet shop.
Host Bradley Walsh noted the low score, joking: 'We'll need some pushback.' Labbett himself remarked during the round that he had faced lower scores only twice before, including a loss to five points in Croatia.
Viewers reacted with shock on social media, with one writing: 'I would not show my face in public again if I went on #TheChase and scored 6 in the final round.' Another added: 'If this is the future standard of contestants in #thechase - the show isn't worth watching.'
Labbett later tweeted: 'Sorry guys, I had a job to do but that was no fun #thechase.' He added: '@OneQnShootout should confirm that this season's teams are statistically poor :('.
When a viewer asked whether the poor quality of contestants signalled the end of finding new challengers, Labbett responded: 'There are loads of really good players out there, just the contestant selection process appears to be too cautious at moment.'
