Former contestant reveals all the behind the scenes secrets of 'The Chase'

Publish Date
Thursday, 3 August 2017, 3:56PM
Photo / Getty

Photo / Getty

We watch it every evening, and feel like we've known Bradley Walsh for years after only watching a couple of episodes, but we've never heard about how everyone's favourite game show comes to fruition.

That is until now - Marco Spiro has opened up with The Sun about what it was like recording his episode of the show back in 2015.

He starts by saying how long it actually took to get on the set, apparently he waited three years after interviewing before he got the call to come into the studios.

Also, the application process was very appealing due to how short it all was.

"Normally you’ve got to put in so much about yourself," he said. "This one was literally your name, date of birth, your age and your availability. I did that and got asked to go in fairly soon after."

They did a quiz and a mock-up of the show, a vague couple of exercises on that to see how you interacted with the team.

"There were about 15 to 20 people there. Some got called in for a second round and some got asked to go home.

"I think they look for people who are relaxed and chilled out on screen. The Chase is quite an interactive show, it's more about the people on it than the actual questions.

"We had to be there at 5:30am, so I drove down from uni in Bristol at 3:30am to Watford, where they film it.

"It was really weird because there’s no audience, so it’s really quiet and the studio is much smaller than it seems on the telly."

"You give them to their personal dresser, and they pick what you actually wear," he said.

"They also gave you travel expenses - they do the statutory mileage allowance - so I got 45p per mile. It was about £75 for my drive from Bristol."

The four contestants were given a bacon roll and a coffee in the green room before they were called out to the studio.

He then met Mr. Walsh himself, and apparently, he is just as nice in person!

"He was really friendly, he’s pretty much as he seems on the show.

"You talk to him for five or 10 minutes before the filming starts. He’s a big Arsenal fan, and so am I, so we had that common ground initially."

Throughout the whole preparation period, which chaser that they are going to face stays a secret.

"I don’t know where the Chaser's dressing room is or anything. Until they walk out onto the stage you don’t have a clue.

"What really shocked me was when the Chaser – Anne Hegarty – got a really easy question wrong.

"I’m not sure whether she was told to get it wrong, I can’t imagine that she would be, but the question was, 'Carl of Denmark puts his name to what beer?'

"I just think that’s off the bat, really, really easy – even people I’ve spoken to who don’t drink beer, you think, ‘Carl, Carlsberg’. But she said Kronenburg. But in the heat of the moment, you don’t know."

He and his teammate went on to win the final chase, and they took home quite a tidy amount each.

"I took a few mates to Portugal on holiday and saved the rest."

So who's going to apply?

 

 

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