Issa Schultz once replaced Anne on Beat The Chasers (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
The Chase has been gracing our screens for over a decade, earning its name as one of the most famous British quiz shows.
Anne Hegerty has formed a force to be reckoned with alongside fellow Chasers on the popular quiz show for years. Biting insults and frosty reactions instill fear in contestants, earning her the nickname ‘Frosty Knickers’ from presenter Bradley Walsh.
However, an Australian star replaced her during one episode after she contracted Covid-19. Issa Schultz, or Supernerd as he’s commonly referred to, shot to fame on the Aussie edition of The Chase.
Born in Cornwall, 38-year-old Schultz moved to Australia with his family in 1995 and settled in Queensland’s Tewantin. His first name, Issa, translates to Jesus in Arabic, inspired by a close friend of his parents from their time living in Qatar during the 1970s.
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He’s an eight-time winner of the Australian Quizzing Championships and has snagged the Pairs champion title seven times.
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Issa wants to become a permanent team member (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Issa made waves by ranking 23rd in the World Quizzing Championships in 2020, pocketed a cool $200,000 on The Rich List in 2009, and enjoyed stints on The Einstein Factor, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and Hell’s Kitchen Australia.
Yet, his claim to fame comes as a Chaser on the Aussie edition of The Chase, known to viewers as ‘The Supernerd’.
When it came time to fill The Governess’s “cold and chilly shoes”, Issa didn’t hesitate to hop on a flight from Brisbane to the UK at the eleventh hour.
Recounting the whirlwind experience to The Sun, Issa exclaimed: “What a delight. It was close to 1am Brisbane time – I’m a night owl and my Australian boss said to the UK bosses: ‘Just call him, he’ll be up.’ Then I was on the plane. I think it was close to 9am that very morning. As they say, the show must go on! I’d be foolish not to do it.”
Ties with Anne Hegerty, known as The Governess, run deep. They’ve been team members on the Australian version of The Chase for an impressive seven years.
Issa shared the warmth within the team, stating: “My fellow chasers were lovely and so welcoming. Anne was so supportive – she said: ‘Go for it Issa, I know you can do this’.”
Now the fresh face on the block, Issa has opened up about the intense competitive spirit of the show, with all Chasers hungry for victory and aiming to top the scoreboard.
Issa was born in Britain but moved to Australia in 1995 (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
He’s “pretty confident” when sizing himself up against other UK Chasers, although he likens the transition to going from a sizeable fish in a small pond to a minute fish in “a pacific ocean”.
He has even playfully cautioned Anne Hegerty about ‘overtaking’ her within the quizzing circuit, so she ought to stay on her toes.
Adding to his thoughts, he said: “Paul is good and I’m pretty sure most of the time is better than I am. Anne, I’ve started to overtake in the world rankings. As much as I want to be world number one, it may happen, it may not, it’ll keep me interested for many years to come.”
Darragh Ennis, who became the newest addition to the Chaser lineup in 2020, shared that Issa was straight into production upon arriving in the UK, all while Darragh was still having breakfast.
The seasoned Chasers are fully behind him, with no doubts about his abilities given his quizzing background.
In an interview with RadioTimes.com, Issa expressed his aspiration to become a permanent member of the UK Chase team.
He described his eagerness: “I’d love to explore that Bradley bond. A lot of the success is the Chaser-Bradley bond. He has a unique relationship with every Chaser on that set. I would love to develop my own.”
Issa believes he adds a novel dynamic: “And I think it would bring something different because even though I’m British born, I haven’t lived here for over 25 years so there’s that sort of angle of, you know, ‘Well, he might be good at the Aussie stuff, but the contestants may have the advantage here,’ there’s a different sort of element I think that I bring.”
Issa has also had plenty of female admirers contacting him via social media since his appearance on the show. However, he is still reportedly single.