Trivia champs talk about big gambles on season 2 of 'The Chase' on ABC

ByJennifer Matarese OTRC logo
Friday, June 18, 2021
Trivia champs talk taking on season 2 of 'The Chase'
The "Chasers" on ABC's game show "The Chase" talk about their strategies for season 2.

NEW YORK -- "The Chase" is back for season 2 on ABC, this time with four trivia champion "Chasers."

Ken Jenning, Brad Rutter, and James Holzhauer return with the addition of Mark "The Beast" Labbett.

Jennings has been busy with executive producing on "Jeopardy!" along with taking a sting guest hosting the show as well. But, he says those duties make him a stronger competitor on "The Chase."

"I'm in my mid to late 40s now so I'm getting worse at trivia every second we're talking and I'm really grateful to gameshows for making me keep current on memes and YouTubers and stuff so I can annoy my teenage kids about them," Jennings said.

No matter if they're playing for a lot or a little, Rutter has one goal.

"Mostly, I want to eliminate them," he said. "I'd rather play for the big money though because I feel like I have an advantage there because I've done that many times."

Labbett is new to the show this season, but he's been a champion in the trivia world for more than 20 years.

He does have one weak spot though.

"I'm not from around these parts so I'll miss questions that you guys find quite easy," Labbett said. "Famously, just before James gave me a walloping on the original version of 'The Chase' I didn't know what Baskin Robbins was. I was probably the only person in the studio who didn't know. Now I do."

But, he makes up for it with his extensive knowledge of Europe and the British Common Wealth.

This week though, James "The Highroller" Holzhauer takes his seat as "The Chaser" in a race like never before.

With only seconds on the clock and more than $500,000 at stake, if we'll see if these players can beat the chaser - or get caught.

One thing is for sure though, this gambler loves the changes to the show this season that push players to take big risks.

"This season we're giving them three, four times the money for just an extra step and I feel like it's a good value proposition for them just as a gambler, and it's exciting for the audience, it's exciting for the Chaser. I think just everyone wins when the contestants are gambling and you'll see a lot more of that this season," Holzhauer said.

Don't miss "The Chase" this Sunday, June 20th at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC. Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu.

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