The Chase Australia is back — and better than ever — with a brand-new format.
Australia is introducing a world-first version of the game called Double Trouble — which, as the name suggests, involves not one but two Chasers.
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Explaining the new format was Chaser Matt Parkinson or, as he is known on the popular Channel 7 show, Goliath.
“It works like this — normally, the contestants only have to deal with one Chaser, but in Double Trouble … there’s more than one Chaser,” he tells 7NEWS.com.au.
“That’s probably all I can say at the moment — less than seven Chasers, more than one, somewhere in the middle there.
“But (there’s) a lot more trouble than (the contestants) are used to; that’s where the fun comes from.”
Parkinson says that, as with the standard version of the game, contestants don’t know which Chasers they will be facing.
“It’s been fun for us to muck around together because it’s usually a solo game,” he says.
“We think it works pretty well, Double Trouble.”
Upon learning of the new format, Parkinson says he upped his game “to make sure I was as good as my colleagues”.
“Although we all pretend to be great mates, we are seriously competitive with each other,” he laughs.
Issa Schultz, known as The Supernerd, believes the new format changes his strategy to be “more supportive” of his fellow Chaser.
“I like to be supportive, because I’ve done quizzing for a very long time,” Schultz says.
“I take it very seriously. I love international quizzes, all of that. And I appreciate the others don’t have time to do that.
“So I just wanted to make sure that they felt comfortable, and I wanted to make them proud as well.
“I know they know a heck of a lot that I don’t, and vice versa.”
Mara Lejins, known to The Chase fans as The Smiling Assassin, says that usually “being a Chaser is a lonely experience”.
“You’re up there by yourself and no one else wants you to win,” she says.
“It’s kind of nice to have a teammate who’s actually cheering for you and wants you to do well, rather than everyone at home being like, ‘The Chaser won again, what a pain’.”
In this format, Lejins works with good friend and colleague Schultz, who she says has “so many” areas of expertise.
In that pairing, Lejins believes that modern pop culture and sports are where her strengths lie, while Schultz’s skills cover more worldly “nerdy” topics.
“But Issa and I both aren’t into certain sports so we’d probably have some gaps,” she says.
“Double Trouble is a bit more pressure because you don’t want to look stupid in front of your colleagues.”
To get ready for each show, Lejins says she uses her “usual preparation” tactics.
“But I put a bit more effort into my science to make sure Issa doesn’t show me up,” she laughs.
The Chase Double Trouble premieres 5pm on Monday 29 January on Channel 7 and 7plus.
