A former contestant on the hit ITV programme The Chase has lifted the lid on her experience, disclosing what presenter Bradley Walsh is genuinely like when the cameras are off. Savannah applied for the show in 2021, but it was not until two years later that the production team contacted her. In a TikTok video that garnered thousands of views, she recounted how a casting assistant surprised her with a call as she was heading to work.
Instead of arranging another time, she completed a general knowledge quiz on the pavement beside a busy road. After a lengthy audition process, Savannah impressed the producers and secured her place on the programme.
Bradley Walsh's Off-Camera Personality
Savannah was quick to share her assessment of the veteran host's off-camera demeanor. She said: "He's been really lovely on all occasions. He is really professional and remember he works really long days, when he does things like The Chase, and it's his job, but he is really professional. He is really good at reading from the autocue and things like that, he gets the work done, but he is really, really friendly."
The quiz show hopeful added: "He gave me advice on where to go in Seville and where to go after the episode finished filming. He's a great guy."
Behind-the-Scenes Tactics
After meeting the other contestants in the 'green room', they devised a strategic plan before filming began. Savannah revealed that the team made a collective pact from the start: their sole aim was victory, avoiding unnecessary risks, with everyone focused on securing their share of the prize money.
She explained: "One of the biggest things that seems to make a difference in whether you win the final chase or not is how many people you have in your team." She continued: "So it's really important for even weaker players to get back. It's really important to get everyone back, which is why you see me going to everyone 'go low'."
The social media star admitted feeling the weight of expectation: "When I was up, everyone had gotten home, so I was really feeling the pressure. For extra context, I really needed this money at the time, which is also why I was playing it so safe and telling people to get back."
She elaborated: "I really needed some money, even if it wasn't a huge amount because I had a big vet bill. I went for £5k, which is what I got in the cash builder. Brad pointed out at the end, 'You could have had two goes at getting £72k and bringing it back', but I could have got caught on those, so I went for the middle offer and in total we brought back £13k."
Technical Secrets
Savannah also disclosed a backstage detail: "If you notice when we prepare to start the head-to-head, and I think he (Bradley) says something like 'the chase is on' or something, if you see people looking down instead of looking up. What we are looking down at is basically there is a flap that automatically comes open with the buttons that you can press to answer the question A, B or C. It's an automatic flap, and then it automatically closes at the end of the head-to-head."
She continued: "That's why so many people will be looking down as the head-to-head begins because we are looking at that to see where the buttons are because you don't want to accidentally press the wrong one."
You can catch up on The Chase on ITVX.
