Beat The Chasers newbie Issa Schultz has told the whirlwind story about how he came to be the Chaser chosen to replace Anne Hegerty after she tested positive for coronavirus.
The 38-year-old Australian quiz whiz appeared on Wednesday’s This Morning remotely from Brisbane to talk about the new fifth season of The Chase spin-off on ITV.
Issa joins chasers Shaun 'The Dark Destroyer' Wallace, Paul 'The Sinnerman' Sinha, Darragh 'The Menace' Ennis, Jenny 'The Vixen' Ryan and Mark 'The Beast' Labbett on the panel this year.
Issa is no stranger to The Chase, as he's been a regular on the Australian series since its launch in 2015, where he is nicknamed The Supernerd.
The Australian television quiz personality told Holly and Phillip how he received the call from one of The Chase executive producers at 1am.
He explained: “They said, can you get on a plane that morning - seven or eight hours later - so I spent all night packing.
“That’s how it happened. I got on the plane, got three flights to get out of Australia and it’s about 24 hours with all the stopping and changing.
“Then the day I landed, we went straight to the studio. There was no time to sleep. We had to get the outfits worked out and straight into game play.”
He continued: “In the first episode, Mark, The Beast, very kindly said if you’re wondering why he’s a bit quiet, it’s probably because he’s feeling like a bit of a zombie right now.”
While Issa’s role is only temporary at the moment, with Anne expected to return for the next series, he has previously admitted he'd like to join Beat The Chasers permanently.
He told the Radio Times: "I'm very nerdy – I mean, we're all nerdy but I'm particularly nerdy. I like my video games. I love the quizzing obviously, my books and reading and don't go out much... so yeah, if they asked I'd definitely say yes, I'd be silly not to."
He added: "I'd love to explore that Bradley bond. A lot of the success is that Chaser-Bradley bond. He has a unique relationship with every Chaser on that set. I would love to develop my own."
He also said: "I can't believe I'm here. [I'm feeling] great, excited and flattered that they asked me. I've always dreamed to come on the UK version in some regard when the Aussie one started because as a dual citizen, it's a great opportunity.
“So with that in the back of my mind, I was sort of like, 'Yes! At last!' but the circumstances were unfortunate obviously."
Beat the Chasers continues on ITV and the ITV Hub at 9pm.
