The Chase US - Recaps

The new American version of 'The Chase' (featuring UK Chaser Mark 'The Beast' Labbett) debuted earlier tonight (August 6th) with two back-to-back episodes and - major spoiler alert - a record-shattering win on the second episode aired, with three contestants splitting $180,000 US (just under £120,000 - £60,000 is the current UK record, according to Wikipedia).

There's a new host for this version - actress and TV personality Brooke Burns (Baywatch, Dog Eat Dog US), who proved adept at asking questions while on the clock, and much, much more adept at handling those awkwardly worded questions (there was one tonight about Pu Pu Platters) than Bradley.

The format is tweaked slightly - three contestants instead of four. Contestants who lose in the Individual Chase are eliminated outright, not qualifying for a share of the prize money if the other teammates win (not sure yet what happens if Beastie goes three for three, hasn't happened yet). The five-second time-press in the Individual Chase is also gone. The graphics have been slightly updated, including a shorter title sequence featuring Mark and the show's logo. The set is bigger with a larger, more prominent studio audience around and behind the Final Chase Wall, and the music is different, with Game Show Network (which airs the show) opting to compose their own original score (Disney recently did the same thing with the US version of 'Millionaire'). Overall, this version is a little different, but not bad.

I find one of the best sources for recaps of US quiz shows is the Game Show Kingdom blog. Here's their recap of the first episode to air (the fourth taped), and the second episode recap will be posted on that site tomorrow. There will be eight episodes in this run, with a second run to follow sometime next year.

http://gskingdom.blogspot.ca/2013/08/debut-chase-episode-104.html





Please let me know if there's some other way we can screw up tonight.
William Shatner, Star Trek 6