The Chase fans were left "heartbroken" as a contestant was sent packing from the ITV show with Chaser, Shaun Wallace even admitting that he was "the best player ever" despite being eliminated without a prize.
Bradley Walsh introduced four new contestants - Tom from Liverpool, Jessica from Lincoln, Felix from Ilfracombe, and Linda from Lowestoft - who teamed up to challenge the Chaser in hopes of amassing a prize fund for the final chase.
The game began promisingly with Tom from Liverpool acing the cash builder round, racking up £10,000, the Express reports.
During the offer stage, Shaun advised Tom against taking the lower £3,000 option and tempted him with a high £60,000 offer, remarking: "Tom, you're probably one of the best players I've ever played against in my 14 years of The Chase. Try this for size."
After discussing with his teammates, Tom bravely opted for the higher stake. Unfortunately, the subsequent round did not go in his favour, and he was caught just one question short of safety.
Shaun commended his performance, stating: "That was a superb effort. I'm telling you, I think you are the best player I've ever met."
A gracious Tom responded: "I'll take that as a huge compliment, thank you. You've got to go for it, haven't you." He left the stage with no regrets.
Viewers were left gutted by the result. One fan took to Twitter, expressing their disappointment: "Heartbreak! ! Unlucky. That's depressing for a Monday. Dang it #thechase."
Another chimed in: "I am so disappointed. I wanted Tom to go through and everyone else to go low so that Twitter would explode into a fit of rage. #TheChase."
A third viewer commented: "So unfair! They definitely got the questions out of the hard box for Tom! ! Clever lad. #thechase."
Another added: "@TheShaunWallace did himself a huge favour knocking out Tom #thechase. Tough break for the team."
A fifth viewer lamented: "Unlucky Tom, deserved to get through especially when you see people scrape through with little or no knowledge #TheChase."
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