Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking quizzes The Chase star Shaun Wallace
The Chase's Shaun Wallace is returning to New Zealand for the second time this year to grill the sharpest Kiwi quiz minds.
Wallace - known as the Dark Destroyer on the immensely popular TV show - will be hosting the Sky New Zealand Pub Quiz Championship in Auckland next month and visiting cities he missed when he was here in February.
Wallace's "warm" affinity for New Zealand started with a chance encounter in Britain with a friend of Brendan Lochead, who is organising next month's pub quiz championships.
""It's all about who you know. Shaun ran into a friend of mine at a football match in the UK," Lochead said.
"I get an email from my friend. Six degrees of separation. Put me in touch with Shaun.
"A week later he's on a plane and I'm put together an itinerary racing around New Zealand with him in February. Became really good friends, and now he's coming back.
Lochead is the founder of Believe it or Not Quiz Events, which is running the Sky New Zealand Pub Quiz Championship at Alexandra Park next month.
This time downunder Wallace will be visiting Dunedin, Palmerston North, Whangarei, Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland doing Q&A evening's and hosting local quiz events.
"I had such a wonderful time when I was in February this year, everybody made me feel so warm and so welcome," Wallace told the Weekend Herald.
"And I was wondering 'will I get the chance to go back to this wonderful country'. So I'm looking forward to seeing everybody in New Zealand in November."
Shaun Wallace from The Chase stayed behind to take photos with fans at The Horse & Trap. Photo / The Horse & Trap / Facebook
Lochead said it was a coup to get Wallace back.
"This is quite a novel opportunity for us. In the past we've had various celebrity hosts but this is quite a step above, because he is world quiz royalty," Lochead said.
The popularity of the Chase around the globe has been huge. In New Zealand, over 400,000 viewers on average watch the show each evening.
Lochead says it's clear "a lot of care and attention goes" into the production of the programme.
"There's two aspects to that show. One is you've got the best minds in Britain going up against everyday people and you're trying to beat them. And there is something about that, you know every man has his day.
"But you look at the calibre of the questions they ask, they're very cleverly written, very creative, and not just another boring quiz question."
Shaun 'the Dark Destroyer' Wallace wowed patrons during quiznight at The Horse & Trap. Photo / The Horse & Trap / Facebook
Lochead says Wallace's talks to school pupils in February had a big impact, as he relayed the story of his humble upbringing in Britain as the son of Jamaican immigrants to becoming a qualified barrister and Mastermind champion.
"He has a story of rags to riches but there is not one inch of arrogance about the man at all. He's just down to earth, friendly," Lochead says.
"The kids he speaks to just sit up 6 inches taller. You know 'I can make something of myself'."
The 20th annual Sky New Zealand Pub Quiz Championship starts at 6pm on Saturday November 23 at Alexandra Park Function Centre, with up to 80 teams of eight battling it out for the national title.
There will also be a "Best of Shaun Wallace" round where the Dark Destroyer sets his best 10 questions ever. The top prize will include brunch with Wallace for the winning team.
