The Vixen's weakness - REJECTION IS MY BIGGEST FEAR

CHASE QUIZZER JENNY ADMITS SHE SOMETIMES QUESTIONS HERSELF!

- Donna Fleming

Future contestants on The Chase should be warned – when it comes to pop culture questions, you won’t stand a chance against Jenny “The Vixen” Ryan.

During the Covid restrictions in the UK, when the programme couldn’t be filmed for six months, the quizzing genius spent her time stuck at home immersing herself in films, TV shows and podcasts, so she’s going to be clued up when it comes to shooting upcoming episodes.

“I got through a lot of box sets and I have pretty much completed Netflix, so I’m ready for the pop culture questions,” says Jenny, speaking to the Weekly from her home in Bolton, near Manchester, England. “The way I learn is through consuming media so, in a way, lockdown was good for me.”

As useful as it was to have plenty of time to study, she was delighted to be back on set filming new episodes, including a Christmas special.

An aficionado of television, being able to work in the medium and at the same time indulge in her passion for quizzing is a dream come true for Jenny, 38. It was her beloved granddad, Kevin Ryan, who fostered her love of general knowledge.

“He cared for me before I went to school, and taught me to read and write, do maths and use a typewriter. But the most important thing he taught me was how to quiz. We’d watch quiz shows together and he’d also read the paper with me. If there was an article about a place, like Nigeria, he’d say, ‘Can we find it on an atlas? What’s the capital city?’ The research skills I have in quizzing come from my granddad.”