Jenny Ryan went up against four new contestants who were hoping to walk away with a cash prize on The Chase.

Jenny Ryan

Jenny Ryan faced four new contestants on The Chase (Image: ITV)

The Chase viewers were devastated as one player was sent packing after a nail-biting head-to-head. The ITV programme returned on Tuesday (March 4), with four new contestants going up against Jenny Ryan. The team got off to a shaky start, with players one and three both being caught by The Vixen.

The final contestant to take on Jenny was Maria, a sales director from Letchworth. The 34-year-old answered five questions correctly in the cash builder, meaning she had the chance to take the team’s total to £10,000 after Jolene made it through with £5,000. Jenny attempted to shift Maria’s position on the table, offering her -£1,000 and a whopping £65,000. Despite Jolene’s advice to take the middle option, Maria couldn’t resist playing for the high offer.

The Chase

Jolene played for £5,000 alone (Image: ITV)

Bradley Walsh had his head in his hands as he bid farewell to Maria. And he wasn’t the only one gutted by the departure as viewers flocked to social media to share their thoughts.

“Goodbye Maria,” one wrote, followed by several broken heart emojis. A second penned: “Oh, bad luck. Lovely lass, so close.”

“So close yet so far,” shared a third as another added: “Oh no she panicked, shame.”

Maria’s exit meant Jolene was playing alone, following the earlier departures of Ben and Alfie. Playing for £5,000, the law graduate answered 12 questions in the final chase.

Despite the impressive solo performance, it was no match for The Vixen, who caught her score with 53 seconds remaining.