The Chase is an American television quiz show adapted from the British program of the same name. It premiered on August 6, 2013, on the Game Show Network (GSN). It was hosted by Brooke Burns and featured Mark Labbett as the "chaser" (referred to on air exclusively by his nickname "The Beast"). A revival of the show premiered on January 7, 2021, on ABC. It is hosted by Sara Haines and initially featured as the chasers Jeopardy! champions James Holzhauer (who was a contestant on the GSN version), Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter. Labbett returned as a chaser in June 2021, before stepping down in 2022 along with Jennings. In their place are Buzzy Cohen, Brandon Blackwell, and Victoria Groce.
The U.S. version of the show follows the same general format as the U.K. version, but with teams of three contestants instead of four. The game is a quiz competition in which contestants attempt to win money by challenging a trivia expert known as the chaser. Each contestant participates in an individual "chase" called the Cash Builder, in which they attempt to answer as many questions as possible in 60 seconds to earn as much money as possible to contribute to a prize fund for the team. The contestant must then answer enough questions to stay ahead of the chaser in a head-to-head competition scored on a game board; otherwise, they lose their winnings and are out. The contestants who successfully complete their individual chases without being caught advance to the Final Chase, in which they answer questions as a team playing for an equal share of the prize fund accumulated throughout the episode.
Gameplay
Cash Builder and individual chases
Three new contestants participate in each episode. Each contestant attempts to win money for their team by answering as many questions correctly as possible during a one-minute "Cash Builder" round, earning money per correct answer ($5,000 on the GSN version, $25,000 in the first season of the ABC version, and $10,000 in the second and third seasons). (During GSN celebrity episodes, each contestant is credited the value of one correct answer at the outset.)
After the Cash Builder, the contestant participates in a head-to-head "chase" against the chaser. Both sides answer a series of questions, with the contestant attempting to move the money down a game board and into the team bank without being caught. The contestant and chaser stand at opposite ends of the board, which has seven spaces, and the contestant chooses a starting position. They may begin three steps ahead of the chaser, requiring five correct answers and play for the money earned in the Cash Builder. Alternatively, they may accept one of two offers from the chaser: either start one step closer to the chaser and play for a higher amount or start one step farther away and play for a lower amount. The lower offer can be zero or even negative, depending on the result of the Cash Builder. On occasion, a contestant is presented with a "Super Offer" to play for even higher stakes with a head start of only one step.
Once the contestant chooses a starting position, the host asks a series of questions with three answer options, and the contestant and chaser secretly lock in their answers on keypads. After either side locks in a choice, the other must do the same within five seconds or be locked out for that turn. A correct answer by either side moves them one space down the board and toward the bank, while a miss or lockout leaves them where they are. If the contestant successfully moves the money into the bank, they advance to the Final Chase and their money is added to the team bank; if the chaser catches up, the contestant is eliminated and their money is forfeited.
If all three contestants fail to win their individual chases, the team selects one contestant to play the Final Chase alone for a dollar amount divided evenly among the team ($15,000 on the GSN version, an amount offered by the chaser in the first season of the ABC version, and $60,000 in the third season). During GSN celebrity episodes, contestants who are caught leave with $5,000 for their respective charities.