The Chase’s ‘Dark Destroyer’ Shaun Wallace gets quizzed by Jono & Ben

The Chase star Shaun Wallace, also known as the Dark Destroyer, is heading back to New Zealand later this month to test Kiwis’ quiz skills - but can he beat the Herald quiz? 

The Hits Breakfast radio hosts Jono Pryor and Ben Boyce have been wondering the same thing, so they decided to put Wallace’s expert skills to the test ahead of his visit to Aotearoa. 

During their chat, Boyce told Wallace it’s always been his and Pryor’s dream to get 10/10 on the Herald daily quiz - “so we’re wondering if you can help us see if we can get to 10 out of 10”. 

The Hits hosts Jono and Ben put Chaser Shaun Wallace's trivia skills to the test. Photo / The Hits

The Chaser was more than up for the challenge and instantly declared, “Go on then, let me try it, go on then.” 

As the quiz kicked off with a question about former US President Woodrow Wilson’s years in office, Wallace went into full Chase mode, not only answering the questions correctly at lightning speed, but also sprinkling them with fun facts - the product of his two hours a day spent testing his trivia knowledge. 

He left the radio hosts stunned as he powered through the quiz on topics from art to movies to the printing press - no spoilers as to the right answers though, in case you haven’t done the Herald quiz yourself today. 

But (spoilers ahead) it was question number seven - “Which British band is known for hits like The Killing Moon and Lips Like Sugar?”- which tripped him up. 

The Chase star Shaun Wallace, whose favourite rugby team is the All Blacks, will be in Hastings later this month.

Wallace hesitated before declaring, “I don’t know this one”, and took a stab in the dark by guessing The Cure. But it was not to be - the correct answer was Echo and the Bunnymen. 

Which means that if you got that answer right, then you’ve officially beaten the Chaser. 

The Dark Destroyer recovered quickly and got the remaining questions right, finishing with 9/10 as Boyce revealed, “That is the best that we’ve ever done on the Herald daily quiz.” 

“And we’re all gonna remember Echo and the Bunnymen, and their song ... maybe we’re not all gonna remember Echo and the Bunnymen,” Pryor joked. 

Wallace is heading to New Zealand at the end of the month to test Kiwis’ trivia skills in a series of ‘An Evening with Shaun Wallace’ quiz events run by Believe It Or Not, including a stop in the Hawke’s Bay to raise funds for cyclone relief. 

He told the Herald earlier this month he has “great affection” for New Zealand. 

“When I heard about the cyclone in February, it gave me a good opportunity to head back to your shores to see if I could help in any way, as I’d been prevented from doing so due to Covid for a few years,” he said. 

Asked why Kiwis love watching The Chase so much, Wallace humbly put it down to the skills of the show’s host. 

“They love the show because of the host Bradley,” he says, adding it’s also down to “the personality of the Chasers, and it’s a great way for people to improve their knowledge at tea time.” 

Hear Jono and Ben’s full chat with The Chase star Shaun Wallace tomorrow morning at 7.30am on The Hits Breakfast. 

An Evening with Shaun Wallace 

Wednesday, May 31 - Grand Hall, Eden Park, Auckland 

Saturday, June 3 - Toi Toi Events Centre, Hawke’s Bay 

Sunday, June 4 - Mac’s Brew Bar, Wellington 

Tuesday, June 6 - Stadium Southland, Invercargill (sold out) 

Thursday, June 8 - Hiwa i te Rangi, Kaiapoi 

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.