When four strangers turned up on the set of The Chase Australia, they had no idea they would become a record-breaking team.
Facing off against The Governess, Anne Hegerty, contestants Murray Fraser, Monica Lenaz, Ben Quinn and Helen-Mary McMeekan put their trivia skills to the test, and walked away with $141,000.
But none of them imagined they’d win. In fact, they were mostly concentrating on not stuffing up!
“My only goal was to not say anything stupid,” Sydneysider Monica, 24, tells Woman’s Day.
“I’m grateful we had a wonderful team with a diverse knowledge set.”
Ben says the whole experience was “surreal”.
“From spending time backstage to meeting Larry on set, my face hurt from smiling so much,” laughs the 39-year-old driver from Byron Bay.
BATTLING ANNE
For Helen-Mary, going up against her favourite Chaser was the highlight. “Anne’s such a fantastic woman who I find inspiring,” says the 65-year-old retired nurse from Sheidow Park, SA.
“She has such a wealth of knowledge and a great sense of humour!”
While paralegal Monica was hoping to battle The Smiling Assassin (Mara Lejins, also a lawyer), she loved her time battling Anne. “She’s not as scary as she seems – she made me genuinely laugh on a few occasions.”
For Helen-Mary and carpenter Murray, 49, from the Central Coast, The Chase wasn’t their first stint on a gameshow.
About 30 years ago, Helen-Mary won big on South Africa’s Telly Fun Quiz.
“Back in my early 20s I was a carry-over champion on Wheel Of Fortune,” Murray reveals. “The lady who did my makeup for The Chase also did my makeup back then, which was great!”
GRAND PRIZE PLANS
Walking away with $35,250 each, Murray, Monica, Ben and Helen-Mary know exactly how they’ll spend their winnings.
“I’ll be taking my lovely grandparents out for a nice dinner,” says Monica, who’s also planning to revisit the UK.
Ben’s share of the bounty will go towards a trip to Japan, New Zealand or Bali.
Helen-Mary considered doing The Camino [trail in Spain]. “But we’re in the middle of renovations,” she says. “So the winnings will go towards those.”
Murray says his share will go towards building his very own Batmobile car!
