The Chase's Bradley Walsh takes a cheeky swipe at player for failing in final round

Bradley Walsh didn’t hold back on Friday’s episode ofThe Chaseas he made a playful dig at a contestant who failed to contribute much in the final round.

During the latest instalment of the ITV quiz show, four new hopefuls – Gareth, Anthony, Jeanette, and Louise – took on The Beast, Mark Labbett, in a bid to win a cash prize.

Things got off to a rocky start when Gareth, despite earning £4,000 in his cash builder, was quickly eliminated by Mark.

Players play it safe

Next up was Anthony, a maths student who impressed with his quick thinking, securing £6,000 in his opening round. But when faced with The Beast, he chose to play it safe and went for the low offer of £1,000 to ensure his place in the final round.

Jeanette followed suit, opting for another low offer after securing £2,000 in her cash builder.

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Louise, however, broke the trend, sticking with her £7,000 winnings and making it through to the final chase.

In the end, the team banked £9,000 to play for in the final round.

Bradley makes a cheeky dig

With a three-step head start, the team managed to set a respectable target of 18 for The Beast to beat.

As Bradley praised their efforts, he singled out Louise and Anthony for their strong performance, telling them: "That’s where we need to be. Well done, Louise and Anthony. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."

But one person was notably missing from his congratulations.

A quiet Jeanette then mumbled: "He didn’t mention me."

Bradley, never one to let a moment pass, was quick to respond with a cheeky dig: "Well, I didn’t mention you, Jeanette, sadly, because the one you did chip in on, you got wrong."

Jeanette quickly defended herself, saying: "I was going to say football funnily enough, but I changed my mind."

Bradley laughed, but didn’t let her off the hook: "Okay, alright. However – 18 is the number to beat."

The Beast catches the team

Unfortunately for the trio, Mark made light work of the final chase, catching them with 27 seconds to spare.

Despite their strong effort, the team walked away empty-handed, with Bradley wrapping up the episode by reminding viewers just how difficult it is to beat a professional quizzer.

Fans were quick to react to the moment online, with one viewer tweeting: "Bradley is absolutely savage today!" while another added: "Poor Jeanette, but he’s not wrong!"

The Chase airs weekdays at 5pm on ITV1 and is available to catch up on ITVX.