The Chase’s Mark Labbett “gutted” after being axed from US show

His US contract was not renewed.

UK quizzer Mark Labbett has shared that he will not be taking part in the upcoming series of the US edition of The Chase. Labbett, who is nicknamed The Beast on the popular quiz show, said that his contract has not been renewed for the American version of the show, and that no reason was given. The US Chase announced their lineup of quizzers earlier this week in a tweet that read: "New season. New chasers. Victoria Groce. Brandon Blackwell and Buzzy Cohen join Brad Rutter and James Holzhauer on May 3 when #TheChase returns." Labbett responded to the tweet saying: "Gutted to not be invited back but really excited at the new lineup. Am expecting Brandon and Victoria to wow America :)." https://twitter.com/MarkLabbett/status/1503782447854469121 He wished them well once more saying: "They will be fantastic :) Bon chance!" One fan then asked if Labbett had been cut due to contract reasons relating to The Chase Australia, which he subsequently denied. He told the fan: "No they just didn't renew me. No reason was offered." His fellow chaser, Ireland's own Darragh Ennis, welcomed the new US chasers saying: "Great choices." While some trivia fans were sad to see that Labbett would not be returning, others were delighted to see Brandon and Victoria - who have a cult following in the UK - on the billing. Victoria is currency the World Quizzer of the Year, while Brandon wowed audiences when he captained the Corpus Christi Cambridge team on University Challenge in 2020. Welcoming them, one fan wrote: "Victoria and Brandon are great picks: they aren't really known outside the trivia world, but still have strong personalities and fit right in." Another shared: "I am SO psyched to see Victoria Groce up in that Chaser seat. America, prepare to fall in love with the toughest, most delightful quizzer in the world."