A contestant on The Chase Around the World admitted she feared she would be sick as she ate a snail during a challenge on the ITV spin-off. The series, which launched last month, follows six pairs of contestants travelling across different countries, answering questions and facing challenges as they try to track down the Chasers and host Bradley Walsh.
Snail challenge in France
In the latest episode set in France, mother and daughter Nicola and Maddie took part in a food and drink round. They were offered a shortcut if they tried the French delicacy. Maddie refused immediately, saying the thought made her "genuinely nauseous". Nicola, however, decided to eat the snail when unsure of an answer, saying: "I'm going to eat a snail... I'm probably going to be sick."
Looking nervous, she picked up one of the snails and bit into it as Maddie watched. Afterwards, Nicola remarked: "It was vile... it was gritty."
Viewers question fairness
Some viewers felt the challenge was not fair, as father and daughter Ashwin and Nikita, who are vegan, were given garlic and onion to choose from instead. Several took to X to share their thoughts, with one insisting: "Can't compare onion to snails." Another posted: "Raw onion is much easier to eat than a snail.... probably." A third commented: "Raw onions instead of snails... not a fair comparison."
All contestants advance
Despite the controversy, it was a good episode for the contestants, with all of them making it through to the next phase. Nikita and Ashwin arrived last at the destination point but managed to beat Mark 'The Beast' Labbett and Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan in a quiz. Both Chasers made mistakes in a quickfire round, and The Beast looked dismayed after insisting the pair would not beat him again, following their earlier victory. One viewer commented on X: "The Beast had a heck of a bad work day."
The Chase Around the World is airing on ITV.
