Viewers of ITV's The Chase were left fuming after a recent episode saw a contestant's answer controversially rejected.
The incident, which occurred on May 14, sparked outrage when 23-year-old George's answer, which many viewers deemed as correct, was dismissed by host Bradley Walsh.
The ruling left many fans outraged with some even threatening to complain to Ofcom, believing George had been unfairly denied points in the final chase.
The controversial decision potentially cost the team their £48,000 prize pot, as they were ultimately caught by Chaser Darragh 'The Menace' Ennis.
ITV The Chase: Bradley Walsh was quick to reject one player's answer
ITV
The episode featured four hopefuls competing for a substantial cash prize against Ennis. Gary from Hull kicked things off by securing £6,000 in his cash-builder round, followed by Sarah from Clitheroe, who added £7,000 to the pot as she dreamed of a new wardrobe for her Australian getaway.
Scottish strawberry farmer Ailsa from Fife made a bold move by accepting the high offer of £44,000, which paid off handsomely when she made it back to the team.
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ITV The Chase: George was the one to provide the answer
ITV
The Menace praised her courage, saying: "You deserve that with the bravery of going for it." George, a 23-year-old supermarket worker from London, raised eyebrows by opting for the minus £9,000 offer, reducing the team's total to £48,000.
The controversy reached its peak during the Final Chase when Bradley asked George: "The term carjack is a blend of car and what other word."
George quickly responded with "hijacked," but Bradley immediately dismissed his answer, declaring "Hijack!" before moving swiftly on.
The abrupt rejection threw the team off balance with precious seconds ticking away and as the round concluded, Bradley provided an explanation.
He remarked: "Bad luck with hijacked, we needed hijack." Despite having built an impressive 18-point lead over Darragh, with the team answering 14 questions correctly on top of their four-step head start, the rejected answer proved costly.
Viewers took to social media to express their outrage at the decision. One disgruntled fan wrote on X: "Yet again #TheChase is a joke. Hijack/Hijacked."
"I'm going to write a strongly-worded email," another fumed while a third complained: "Hijack. Hijacked This show is getting more corrupt every day."
The criticism continued with one viewer noting: "So harsh that Bradley couldn't accept hijacked instead of hijack," and another declaring: "Hijacked definitely should've been allowed."
ITV The Chase: Darragh Ennis was the Chaser to take advantage
ITV
Despite their strong performance, the team was ultimately caught by Darragh with just 13 seconds remaining on the clock, meaning they went home empty-handed.
It's not the first time of late that the long-running ITV quiz show has found itself at the centre of controversy.
ITV The Chase: Darragh Ennis ended up beating the team
ITV
Earlier this month, fans fumed the show was "fixed" when Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan faced off against a fresh team of budding quizzers.
In the episode in question, Ryan faced an uphill battle in the Final Chase, but fans were left claiming bosses "should be ashamed" as they claimed the question levelled at the Chaser were easy, resulting in her catching the team.
