Insider secrets of The Chase: Kiwi contestant shares what goes on behind the scenes

Willis Fouwler, second right next to host Bradley Walsh, centre, reveals behind-the-scenes secrets from his time on The Chase.

New Zealander Willis Fouwler recently appeared on hit game show The Chase – he shares what it’s like to be on the other side of the TV screen.

You’ve watched the show at home, known the answers to some of the questions, and no doubt thought “I could do better than the contestants”. But what is it really like to appear on global hit game show The Chase?

Aucklander Willis Fouwler, 30, is now based in Liverpool after leaving NZ in May 2022. In January, he appeared on The Chase, facing Shaun “The Dark Destroyer” Wallace. He shares his experiences of being on the show, as well as some insider secrets only contestants get to find out.

Why did you want to go on The Chase?

When I was still living in NZ, my boyfriend and I had a tradition with our best mates who we were living with where we would have prosecco and watch game shows. We loved The Chase, and Tipping Point.

After we had booked our flights to move over to the UK, our mates said, “well while you’re over there you absolutely have to try and get on a quiz show”, so when I saw applications were open, I thought I have to try for a laugh.

Are you a regular at pub quizzes or trivia nights?

Yeah, we love a pub quiz. There’s one we normally go to on a Sunday night, it’s hosted by a drag queen and she somehow doesn’t know how to pronounce very normal words so it’s often chaotic and hilarious.

The Chase is a global hit.

Do your friends/family tell you you’re really good at general knowledge?

I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’ve always loved quizzes and general knowledge – I’ve often been known to go down Wikipedia rabbit holes on the most random of topics.

Plus with my history working in travel, I love flags and capital cities – staples of a quiz.

Have you been on any TV shows before?

Never! This was a first.

How do you apply to be a contestant on The Chase?

Basically you have to submit a big long application about who you are, where you come from and what makes you interesting.

Then after a while I got a call at work from one of The Chase team, who asked me a few general questions about myself and then hit me with about 20 general knowledge questions. They don’t tell you how you did, and after that they let you know if you’ve made it to the next round.

What’s the selection process like?

After you’ve made it through the phone interview, they set up a Zoom with a group of other potential contestants and a few producers from the show.

You all get a chance to chat about yourself, then do some quiz bits. It’s more to get your vibe and check if you’d be good on telly.

After that, they go away and deliberate about you and come back to confirm if you’re in the casting pool.

The Chase's host Bradley Walsh has "been doing the show for years and was super slick". Photo / ITV

How did you feel when you found out you were going to be on the show?

Excited but also nervous, like what if I go on and make an absolute fool of myself and get super basic questions wrong?

What’s the day of recording like?

The studio it’s filmed at is in Elstree and Borehamwood, just outside of London.

I got a train down the night before and stayed in a hotel, then got collected in the afternoon because they film a few episodes each day.

The costs were all covered, plus they reimburse you for a meal.

The studio is actually somewhat famous because they film other shows there, like Strictly Come Dancing, and I believe quite a few films have been made there too.

Because you’re there for quite a few hours, sitting in the green room going through all the rules and how the day is going to run, there was always food for us.

We had three producer/runner-type people who basically hung out with us all day.

What were your fellow contestants like?

All super lovely, we had a great bunch.

How much time do you spend together before you go on set?

It must have been about three or four hours before you set foot on set – plus make-up, and getting your clothes checked and steamed/ironed.

Was there any competitiveness between the team members?

Not especially, it’s a team game at the end of the day so you’re not battling against them, really.

How nervous were you when it came to your turn?

I won’t lie, I was pretty bloody nervous when it came to my turn but everyone on set, [host] Bradley [Walsh] included, made me feel super welcome and as comfortable as possible.

The Chase star Shaun Wallace, aka The Dark Destroyer, visited New Zealand in July last year and took part in a pub quiz at the Empire Tavern. Photo / Dean Purcell

What did you say you’d spend the money on if you won?

I said I haven’t been back to NZ since moving to the UK, so it would go towards flights for me and my partner to take a trip home.

And if there’s money left over, stop by Japan and South Korea for some exploring as we’ve always wanted to go there.

What happened when you started to answer questions?

I just tried to get into the zone. The last thing you want is to panic and waste time not answering or getting hung up on a wrong answer.

It all went past pretty quickly once it started though and I managed to get five questions right in the cash builder, which was a solid score.

What happens if you need to go to the toilet when you get on set?

You get a final chance for a toilet break before you go in but once we were in there, it basically runs as you see it on the telly.

What was host Bradley Walsh like?

He was wonderful, a consummate professional. He’s obviously been doing the show for years and was super slick.

Who was your Chaser and what did you think of them?

I had Shaun Wallace and he could not have been nicer, quick with the banter and even gave me a sneaky wink when we were facing off.

He also has a soft spot for New Zealand, he’s been over loads and hosted quizzes. He’s a huge All Blacks fan too. I think the producers may have put me with him because I’m a Kiwi.

Did you make it through to the final rounds?

No, I was absolutely gutted. I got knocked out in the head-to-head round. It did sting a little, but at the end of the day when you’re there, if you don’t know the questions, what else can you do?

How do you feel about your performance?

I was disappointed for sure when I walked off that I didn’t make it to the final round, but upon reflection I still got five questions right in my round, had a good experience and didn’t get lucky with my head-to-head questions.

What are the insider secrets you can share that people wouldn’t know unless they’ve been on the show?

One of the things people probably won’t realise is how long the day is from start to finish, but also how long you gab to Bradley during your section.

We were chatting about New Zealand, where he hasn’t been, and I was telling him to go to the Coromandel or up North for a summer break.

It must have been about five full minutes of chatting which was edited down to about 20 seconds of the show!

A full day of filming is edited down to just 45 minutes of TV.

Did you watch your episode back? What was it like to see yourself on the show?

I did, and it was weird. My partner and I watched it and had a laugh, there was a moment when I got a question about British biscuits wrong and I nearly yelled at Brad, “I’m not from here Brad, I don’t know your biscuits!”

Watching it at home, did you think you could have done better?

Maybe. There was a question I was going back and forth on but I wasn’t sure. You can only answer the question you get so it’s luck of the draw.

Do you keep in touch with your fellow contestants?

Yeah, we had a WhatsApp group and when we found out the transmission date. We all chatted about it

Then we messaged during the episode (and reminded each other to avoid social media because people are insane on there).

Will you apply to be on any other quiz shows now?

Hard to say. It was dead fun and I’m so glad I had the experience but it’s quite the process to get there, plus I had to take a couple of days' annual leave to do it all so maybe not for a little while.

The Chase screens daily on TVNZ1 and is available to stream on TVNZ+