Outrage after The Chase’s Paul Sinha, The Sinnerman, appears to cost team $185K with ‘wrong’ answer

Paul 'The Sinnerman' Sinha.

This article was one of Herald Entertainment’s best-read stories of 2024.

We’ve all heard of One Direction - the iconic band that rose to fame in the late 2000s consisting of Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and... Ian Payne?

A chaser, in the hit TV show The Chase had a directioner faux-pax that landed him in hot water with some viewers of the show, who think he won the game by wrongly calling bandmate Liam, Ian.

In the final round of The Chase UK, Paul ‘The Sinnerman’ Sinha, was up against a team consisting of players Gavin, Meera and Katie who were playing for £90,000 ($185,000).

The team had 16 steps on the Chaser and the clock was ticking down when the alleged mistake took place.

The Sinnerman was asked by host Bradley Walsh; “Which former One Directioner is the father of Bear Payne?”

Bandmate Liam shares a 6-year-old son called Bear with singer and former X Factor judge Cheryl.

Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne. Photo / Getty Images

However, when The Sinnerman answered the question, it sounded an awful lot like he said “Ian” and not the correct answer of “Liam”, however, he was given the point and went on to beat the team.

And fans of the show took to social media, reacting to what they felt was an unfair win against the team.

“My hearing must be going cos I swear he said Ian instead of Liam,” shared one fan on Twitter, which is now called X.

“I’m sure @paulsinha answered Ian Payne and not Liam on #TheChase,” wrote another.

A third added: “So close. I’m sure Paul answered Ian Payne instead of Liam Payne for one of his answers, though. Gutted for you, either way #TheChase’.”

The episode comes after Sinha recently opened up about suffering with Parkinson’s disease following his diagnosis in May 2019.

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and co-ordination.

However, The Chaser is adamant he won’t let the degenerative condition hold him back and will now make it part of his life, including his standup comedy routines.

This article was originally published on January 3, 2024.