THE CHASE EP Vincent Rubino on Season 2 Changes, Adding Mark Labbett, and More

THE CHASE – ABC’s “The Chase” stars Brad Rutter, Mark Labbett, Sara Haines, Ken Jennings, and James Holzhauer. (ABC/Peggy Sirota)

THE CHASE returns for season 2 on Sunday, June 6 as a new batch of contestants team up in an attempt to take on the squad of Chasers, hoping to both outwit them one-on-one in the Cash Builder round, and then, in success, as part of a team effort in the final round.

But in season 2, the Chasers are getting a little bit of help. In addition to the JEOPARDY GOATs—James Holzhauer, Ken Jennings, and Brad Rutter—returning, Mark Labbett (who has appeared on international versions of the show for a dozen years, as well as the GSN version that ran in the 2010s) has joined the mix.

“We wanted to bring in Mark Labbett, The Beast, from the UK, which was one of my favorite things to do,” executive producer Vincent Rubino explains. “Rob Mills, [an executive] from ABC, had always wanted to do that from the get-go, but we felt like we need to break the show in primetime with people that America knew, the GOATs, and then season 2, we could introduce Mark. And it was the right time, that’s for sure.”

Here, Rubino talks about the changes the show made between seasons, how The Beast is shaking up the show, finding the right contestants, and more… Read more