Entertainment

The Chase’s oldest contestant, 91, delights viewers with sassy remarks

Feb 19, 2019

Jean stunned host Bradley Walsh. Source: Twitter/The Chase.

It takes a lot of guts to appear on The Chase, not only having to answer a series of difficult questions under immense pressure, but also facing one of the fierce Chasers while being filmed for worldwide TV.

But 91-year-old Jean showed no signs of fear as she appeared on the UK version of the show on Monday and left viewers stunned with her sassy remarks and charming appearance.

Jean, thought to be the show’s oldest ever contestant, managed to get £1,000 (AU $1,800) on the cash builder and, asked by host Bradley Walsh what she’d like to spend the money on, she said her dream would be to take her great-grandchildren to Disneyland.

However, showing her witty side, she then joked that she’d spend any extra on Botox for herself – getting her a round of laughs from the audience and Walsh.

Jean and @BradleyWalsh have amazing banter! 😄 #TheChase pic.twitter.com/acttjldmy9

— The Chase (@ITVChase) February 18, 2019

Elsewhere on the show, Walsh asked her who the most famous person she’s ever met is – and was not expecting the incredible response he got.

“[I had] lunch with Elizabeth Taylor’s husband,” she told him. “It was her fifth husband, John Warner… terribly posh.”

Sadly, despite putting up a good fight, Jean was unable to beat Jenny ‘The Vixen’ Ryan on the show and walked home empty-handed.

Viewers absolutely loved her and shared their praise on Twitter throughout the show, with one writing: “Love her. Such a character,” while another added: “Jean may well be my favourite contestant ever, sharp as a knife!”

We ❤ Jean! #TheChase pic.twitter.com/Yjqr4yfiRT

— The Chase (@ITVChase) February 18, 2019

Meanwhile one wrote: “She was wonderful. 91 years old and stood the whole time bless her xxx.”

While Chaser Jenny admitted her own granny would be disappointed in her, the win was no doubt a welcome one after she suffered a devastating loss just days ago against contestant Judith – who took home a record-breaking £70,000 (AU$128,000) following an incredible showdown.

With just seconds left on the clock, they were both asked: “A ragamuffin is what breed of pet?” While The Vixen answered incorrectly with ‘dog’, Judith then got the right answer with ‘cat’ – and she appeared gobsmacked as host Bradley Walsh announced she’d won.

Showing a rare moment of true sportsmanship and kindness, The Vixen stood up at the end of the show and gave Judith a standing ovation – congratulating her on an “outstanding” performance.

However, shortly after the episode aired, the Chaser was hit with cruel comments on social media from trolls who began calling for her to be fired for making the mistakes in the final round.

When one person shared a GIF simply saying, “You’re fired”, she replied: “Oh baby no, that’s not how this works x.”

She went on to spectacularly slam another troll who called the 37-year-old “thick” in a now-deleted post, replying: “At least I know that it’s ‘would have’, ‘you’re’, and the correct place to use ‘with respect’ i.e. not directly before being disrespectful, rude and completely incorrect. You’re also short of a couple of question marks.”

When the troll replied: “Ohh comprehension police…” The Vixen then hit back: “Yes, I fully comprehend your original Tweet, and it was rude. If I was going to Tweet somebody claiming they are thick, then I’d make quite sure my spelling and grammar was spot on, for the avoidance of irony.”

Meanwhile, when another wrote “youre s**t”, she then simply replied: “You’re missing an apostrophe.”

Seeing the onslaught of online abuse, Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett stepped in to defend his friend, writing: “Interesting, Jenny has by FAR the best win-loss record on #thechase over the last three years yet the moment she loses (to a great solo 20) somebody calls for her to be sacked. Everyday Sexism?”

Shortly afterwards, Anne ‘The Governess’ Hegerty jumped onboard too following her recent stint on I’m a Celebrity, writing:”I have an absolutely horrific loss coming up that’s going to make @jenlion look like Kevin Ashman.”