THE CHASERS were left fuming after a child beat them at Scrabble and general knowledge questions in a tense competition.
The TV geniuses faced what appeared to be their biggest challenge yet as went go head-to-head with the fresh-faced players in their new show.
Anne Hegerty, best known as the-no nonsense Governess on the ITV game show, was less than impressed when she was paired up with 11-year-old European Junior Scrabble champion Ruben.
Anne, 62, went on to lose the game of Scrabble despite her degree in linguistics and her work as a writer.
With a downcast face and her arms crossed she lost the words game by over 200 points.
The hilarious scene features on tonight’s latest episode of The Chasers Road Trip: Trains, Brains and Automobiles.
Dark Destroyer Shaun Wallace didn’t fare much better when he faced young Akshita in a general knowledge quiz.
After 14 questions, Shaun, 60, hadn’t managed to get a single question correct – but cheered excitedly when he finally gave a correct answer.
But he was slightly more gracious than his Chase colleague Anne and told Akshita: “Your general knowledge is fantastic” and described the youngster as “gifted”.
The latest clip comes after the show was slammed by the RSPCA after they were shown swimming with captive dolphins while in Florida.
The Chase brainboxes Mark Labbett, Anne and Shaun visited the US Dolphin Research Centre in last Thursday’s episode.
The trio were shown getting into the water at the centre to swim with the animals – but the charity was left unimpressed by the scenes.
A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: “We were disappointed to see animals being used in this way on The Chasers Road Trip.
“Swimming with dolphins may seem appealing to holidaymakers but we know that in reality they often have restricted space and can find swimming with people all day very stressful.”
They added to The Mirror: “Keeping dolphins and whales captive deprives them of some of the most basic freedoms and causes them unacceptable levels of stress and suffering. Captivity cannot provide for their needs and they can live shortened lives.”
The Humane Society echoed the charity’s words, adding to the publication: “It is extremely disappointing to see inhumane treatment of these highly intelligent animals promoted or normalised on TV.
“We urge ITV to rethink their policy that all too often sees them screening irresponsible interactions with animals.”
The show’s approach to representing a “research sanctuary” was also slammed as “very naïve” by a spokesperson for The Ethical Bucket List.
They added: “These animals were being directed by their keeper to perform.”
However, ITV defended themselves against the backlash in a statement, insisting: “There is no endorsement of mistreatment of animals in this programme.
“As the show makes clear to viewers, it sets out to challenge and enlighten our understanding of animal intelligence and does so in a way that prompts the Chasers to reflect on the ways animals are treated by humans within our cultures and ask whether this should change…..
“The Dolphin Research Centre where filming took place is a member of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums, the international accrediting body for marine parks, aquariums, zoos and research facilities.
“Alliance-accredited institutions are the gold standard in marine mammal care at which animal experts dedicate their lives to the well-being of the animals in their care and to the rescue and rehabilitation of marine animals in need of help.
“Louie, one of the dolphins who appeared in the programme, was rescued at a young age after being impacted by an oil spill while in the wild and has since had to remain at the facility, having been too young to develop hunting and social skills to survive in the wild.”
The Chaser’s Road Trip: Trains, Brains And Automobiles, Thursday, ITV, 9pm.
