There’s a new game show in town and it’s called The Chase! It’s ABC’s newest quiz show – and a lot of fun!
I had the great opportunity to screen The Chase and chat with host Sara Haines and I’m excited to share some fun facts about the show, along with some good old motherhood wisdom, too!
Hosted by “The View”’s Sara Haines and starring “JEOPARDY! The Greatest of All Time”’s James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter as the Chasers, “The Chase” airs THURSDAY, JAN. 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (TV-PG, L)
Who is SARA HAINES?
Well, she’s kind of a big deal, so you probably already know who she is. I absolutely fell in love with her and it was such a pleasure to interview her!
Besides hosting of ABC’s “The Chase,” Sara Haines is the co-host of ABC’s daytime talk show, “The View,” where she returned to the panel for season 24 having been a co-host in 2016-2018 for seasons 20-21.
Most recently, Haines co-hosted ABC News’ “GMA 3: Strahan, Sara & Keke.” Prior to her association with ABC News in 2013, Haines was part of the fourth hour of NBC’s “Today,” alongside Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, a position she held from 2009 to 2013.
In 2008, she began online reporting as host of the program’s entertainment video blog “Backstage Pass” interviewing countless celebrity entertainers, actors and musicians.
Haines came aboard “Today” in 2002 as a production coordinator. Prior to joining NBC News, she was a member of NBC’s page program.
Haines graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in government. She is a native of Newton, Iowa. She currently resides in New Jersey with her husband, Max, and three young children, Alec, Sandra and Caleb.
ABC’s Newest Game Show “THE CHASE”
“The Chase” is a heart-racing quiz show where three competitors must pit their wits and face off against the Chaser, a ruthless quiz genius determined to stop them from winning cash prizes.
Each hour-long episode is a fast-paced battle of brain power, where contestants are challenged to think faster than they ever thought possible to answer up to 166 questions across all topics.
“Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time”’s James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter take turns serving as the Chaser, reuniting the three titans of trivia who last faced off in January 2020.
But now they’re no longer pursuing each other – they’re chasing YOU!
“The Chase” airs THURSDAYS (9:00-10:00 p.m. EST) on ABC.
Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu.
Fun Facts About ABC’s The Chase
Hosting The Chase requires speed and accuracy because money is involved. Sara Haines did “lots of practicing and preparing” and read the questions before the show to make sure she excelled at hosting.
Unlike The View, where Sara can be unapologetic about herself (even though the Twitterverse can “rip her apart,” The Chase is fully scripted.
Every episode that was recorded of The Chase made air and only “Little transitional moments” were clipped.
Sara really enjoyed when contestants had personalities that played to the moment, and when they bantered with the chaser.
Sara says the speed talking helps her be her authentic self. She’s had the experience of people always saying “I didn’t hear you, I didn’t understand you,” or she talks faster than the technology that she is allowed to read and now she’s finally found a place to call home, where she doesn’t have to be so deliberate in how she speaks. She blames it on her Iowa accent!
Sara said that “every contestant was really brilliant in their own way” and there are “lots of funny exchanges with the chasers and the contestants. “
On describing the set, Sara said:
“I stepped on that set and the place lit up. The color is magnificent up close. You could feel it. The sounds and the sight amps up the whole feeling. It sounds much better when it airs.”
Safety measures on the shooting site “were amazing” on set.
The questions are legally vetted, so she reads them as they are written. Sara did ad lib the commentary.
Contestants often know each other.
The comfort of just having a conversation helps contestants feel at ease. Sara is naturally curious person and she gets to really know them.
“People are so fascinating.“
The contestants sometimes would elaborate their answers – when they lock in – the board closes. Sometimes they gave explanations that had to be trimmed.
“For once in my life it wasn’t my fault that they went long,” says Sara Haines jokingly!
The Chase was shot in November, 2020.
Alex Trebek passed away the Saturday Sara was flying back home.
Fun Facts About The Chase Host Sara Haines
Sara Haines always dreamed of being part of a gameshow. She feels “very blessed.”
She associates games with nostalgia, family, and celebration. Her family always plays games, including Trivia Pursuit!
“Games are a unifying force for memories. Games are an opportunity for checking out and bring people together.”
Sara says she learned a lot of trivia in the process of making The Chase! She sometimes felt smarter for knowing the answer to the questions, too!
She’d go from “I knew that!” to “Is that true?”
The Chasers were her “own personal Google.” She also recalls “running back and looking things up or asking the contestants.”
Sara and The Chasers went out to dinner when they met and, by the end of the meal, they were bonded as family.
Sara uses these words to describe each of The Chasers:
Ken is warm (like a paternal figure).
James is snarky (like a sibling).
Brad is chill (like a cool guy to hang out with).
Her favorite part of shooting The Chase was finding her connection with these guys!
Fran Taylor is responsible for dressing Sara Haines, who rocks the fashion in each episode. She’s excited for everyone to see her French braid in one of The Chase episodes. She would have never dared try this on her own!
“I’m well aware of that I don’t know in life. I’m not a micromanager. I trust the people around me and I owned it – and it ended up being my favorite look!”
Sara confessed that profanity just spills out of her mouth when she feels like she messed up. And she’s hard on herself for using inappropriate language.
Sara would love to see a kid version of The Chase in the future.
Motherhood Wisdom from Sara Haines
I already knew I was in great company before I asked her “the question,” when Sara was opening up to us about dealing with anxiety, and chocking because she doesn’t do well with pressure or speed. I can relate!
So she says to me:
“You have the most beautiful smile, Elayna, your head has been in the corner of my shot and every time I look over, you are just lit up and I’m like that is contagious.”
And I forgot how to articulate anything properly!
Since Sara had to go off and shoot away from her family, I wanted to know how that affected your family dynamics in a positive ways, and how she defines balance in motherhood, being the amazing working mom she is.
She humbly said I was “assuming a lot, there,” but the wisdom she shared can serve all of us as moms as we juggle our responsibilities inside and outside the home.
That was tough. That was the longest I’ve been away from my kids. We have a four year old, a three year old and a one year old.
I’m sure three kids for anyone is hard and the condensed age is also just really hard stages.
My husband and I typically divide and conquer and when one of us leaves, we’re like: ‘Don’t leave me here alone! How do you do this? [ It’s ] just so much right now!
We moved from an apartment to a house, which with more space comes more work. I’ve never been so physically exhausted … The carrying up and down and around is a lot.
So my husband was great and said, we’ll be fine, and he tried to explain to the kids, mainly Alex.
He’s the one that understood that sometimes mommas and papas have to leave for work and that we’re going to miss each other but we’re going to talk every day, and we have this
I’m sure as moms you guys have read The Invisible String. That heartstring book makes me cry every single time.
So whenever we leave each other we say I’m going to tug on my heart string when I miss you and all those conversations.
It was really hard being away because I know other than counting down the sleeps that I was away, they didn’t comprehend fully what I was doing.
But then when I think back, normally I don’t show them the things I do that- we don’t do a lot of TV so I’m not like ‘hey come look at mommy on the TV.’
I wanted to sit them down for The Chase because, for the first time, I left home to do it. So I said, ‘this is a game, this is what mommy was doing in California.’
And Alex really seemed to understand. ‘Mama I saw The Chasers’ and I don’t know if he knows what that means, but I needed him to know that there was a there was a reason to be away.
And I know he’s not getting it all. But I feel like it’s better to talk ahead of time and let them catch up, that’s the first thing.
Second. I don’t know if I fully do balance working. I honestly admit sometimes wish I could stay at home [with the kids], I don’t think I was cut out to do that.
What I get from work is a selfish, filling of my own personal tank to make me better when I come home, for my family. Because even before I had kids I needed this and then [I need it] for my kids.
And I think depending on the day, you’re probably giving one [area of your life] more than the other.
The big thing is I never lose sight of how one wins out in the game of life. My kids and my family are the most sacred part of my life. And if anything is going to drop, I will always choose my family [over it]. My husband my children and that is it.
Motherhood Lessons from Sara Haines
- Being a mom can be emotionally hard
- Motherhood takes teamwork
- Being a mom can be physically exhausting
- Motherhood requires heart-to-heart conversations
- Books like The Invisible String (and the workbook, too!) can help you navigating difficult topics.
- Show the kids what you were doing when you were apart from them
- Know what works for you
- Fill your own personal tank first
- Take care of yourself FOR your kids
- Give each area of your life the attention it needs when it’s needed
- Choosing family is how you win at the game of life
And I’ve had so many amazing opportunities and I love being able to share these opportunities with them. But they know and I know and I will never let them forget for a day that they are first no matter what.
All I could say after that was “That’s what matters!” And isn’t that the truth!
This week’s episode (Jan 28th) of The Chase with Sara Haines:
“You Should Have Stayed in Vegas” – The race to “The Chase” continues with James Holzhauer stepping into the hot seat as three new contestants compete to beat one of “JEOPARDY!’”s greatest players of all time as they pit their wits against a ruthless quiz genius determined to stop them from winning cash prizes.
Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu.
Follow “The Chase” (#TheChase) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
* Photos courtesy of ABC
Elayna is a single mom of 4, award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 4x TEDx speaker. Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results, so you can have the wealth, opportunities, and freedom you deserve. Connect with Elayna Fernández at thepositivemom.com/keynote-speaker and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.
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