The Chase star Shaun Wallace, aka The Dark Destroyer, takes on Hawke's Bay Today reporter Mastermind-ish Mitchell Hageman
When those engrained in the quiz world hear the name “The Dark Destroyer” a wave of panic rushes over them.
The ice-cold, super smooth practising barrister from TV’s The Chase has been a professional quizzer for the last 20 years, and anyone who’s watched the show knows he takes noprisoners.
“It’s just another day at the office,” he gloats to those who get caught.
But this cunning, calculated persona is nothing like the man behind it.
In reality, “The Dark Destroyer” is merely the on-screen alias of Shaun Anthony Linford Wallace, the mild-mannered Englishman who skyrocketed to fame after becoming the first black person to winMastermind in 2004.
Nearly two decades later, Wallace told a packed-out quiz audience at Toitoi in Hastings on Saturday that he’d never in his wildest dreams imagine he’d be standing in front of them.
“I’ve heard that Hawke’s Bay residents are very very good quizzers and big fans of The Chase, so it’ll be really interesting to see how good they really are,” he told Hawke’s Bay Today ahead of his regional debut here.
“Especially when they come up against the final chase against me, I think I’m going to be pushed to my limit.”
Straight off the back of an Art Deco tour in Napier, Wallace arrived at the National Distillery Company and was impressed with the architecture and history.
“It was great to see how the city rose from the devastation of the earthquake in terms of adopting the Art Deco style, which was the architectural style of the 1920s and 30s,” he said.
“I know [Hawke’s Bay] is synonymous for being the wine region and world famous as well.”
Unlike the entitled disdain of his TV terror, when Wallace heard about the devastation that happened in the region he jumped into action.
“I said to my dear friend and tour manager Brendan Lochead (of Believe It Or Not Quiz Nights) that I wanted to come to New Zealand once I heard about the devastation that had occurred.
“It also gives me a chance to meet the New Zealand public who have made [The Chase] such a phenomenal success. It’s my way of saying thank you on behalf of the Chase family.”
Shaun Wallace said he made it his mission to come help support the people of Hawke's Bay on behalf of the Chase family. Photo / Paul Taylor
His night at Toitoi began with a heartfelt tribute to the region when he appeared on stage donning a Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Recovery T-shirt.
What followed was three hours of behind-the-scenes insights, stories and quizzing from a man who clearly has his heart and incredible mind on his sleeve.
“All success does is bring you to the starting line of a different challenge,” he told the captivated audience.
The Dark Destroyer and reporter Mitchell Hageman play nice before their battle. Photo / Paul Taylor
“What it takes I suppose is a love of learning. You’ve always got to prepare all the time; you can’t sit still in terms of feeding your mind with information and knowledge,” Wallace said.
“It does require a complete form of dedication in terms of wanting to learn, and also enjoying it because if you’re not enjoying it you aren’t going to absorb the information you’ve got to prepare for.”
And his skills and passion were certainly on display in droves over the weekend, with the ultimate goal being to raise spirits and funds for Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Relief.
“We’re going all out to try and help rebuild the morale of the Hawke’s Bay region.”
A quiz evening with Shaun Wallace saw a sold out crowd in Hastings. Photo / Mitchell Hageman
Before his Hawke’s Bay debut, this Chase-mad journalist even had to take the opportunity to put his own quiz skills to the test.
Safe to say it was a tight race. Perhaps it’s time for a New Zealand version of the show?
