Kiwi contestants will be up against two international quizzing legends, when The Chase New Zealand premieres on November 3.
Thousands of Kiwis applied for the 16 coveted spots on the four-part special to be hosted by Paul Henry. And the chosen 16 better be well prepared as the nation tunes in to watch them face down two of the most renowned Chasers in the history of the wildly successful show.
Known for her quick wit, inscrutable demeanour, and one of the most successful win rates of any Chaser, Anne Hegerty, best known as The Governess, is taking on Aotearoa. Joining her and bringing his signature bowties, will be Australia’s Issa Schultz, familiar to audiences as the whip-smart Supernerd.
Asked why she wanted to be involved in The Chase New Zealand, Hegerty said: “I’ve always known that The Chase is really popular in New Zealand. The one time I went there, I practically got mobbed – it was brilliant. So, I know that New Zealanders love The Chase UK, and I thought, if they want to do their own Chase, then that would be absolutely brilliant, I’d be happy to!”
Schultz will be equally tough competition for the Kiwi contestants, having won the Australian Quizzing Championships 12 times. On what he’s expecting from our contestants, The Supernerd said: “I’ve played New Zealanders before in international quizzes and they’re very smart, so I imagine they’ll put me up for a bit of a challenge, but hopefully I’ll come out on top.”
Sixteen chosen Kiwis will have slight edge
With thousands of applicants competing for just 16 contestant spots on The Chase New Zealand, our chosen few will enjoy a slight edge over The Governess and The Supernerd, thanks to the inclusion of Kiwiana within the general knowledge questions. But Hegerty and Schultz (like all the Chasers) are known for their aversion to losing, and as they’ve both known for months about their inclusion in The Chase New Zealand, they’ve had plenty of time to swat up on the land of the long white cloud.
And while the Kiwi contestants might hold the superior local knowledge, there’s no competing with the deep familiarity with The Chase format that Schultz and Hegerty will bring. Both are veterans: Hegerty has appeared in the Aussie version and in popular UK spin-offs of the show, including Beat the Chasers, The Celebrity Chase and The Chasers’ Road Trip.
Meanwhile Schultz, who’s already on Aotearoa’s screens in The Chase Australia (weekdays, on TVNZ DUKE) recently took part in the UK’s spin-off, Beat the Chasers.
Take sixteen local dynamos, add two international legends and stir in some of the famously dry wit of Paul Henry. We can only imagine the tension on The Chase New Zealand set will be sizzling.
The Chase New Zealand premieres on November 3, 7.30pm on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+.
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