Viewers hit out at quiz show for 'unfair' question given to blind contestant

Viewers of the UK version of the TV quiz show The Chase have hit out at the show on social media for an "unfair" question given to a blind contestant.

During his appearance on the hit ITV game show earlier this week, contestant Rob - along with his guide dog, Bobby - told host Bradley Walsh that he sadly lost his sight within a three-day period back when he was 17 years old.

His teammates had already managed to amass a respectable £11,000 ($15,100 USD) in the bank, with Rob then answering five correct questions in the first-round cash builder.

However, rather than sticking with his decent £5,000 ($6,870 USD), Rob decided to accept Chaser Paul Sinha's high offer of £45,000 ($61,800 USD) in the head-to-head.

After losing his sight, Rob revealed how he became a Paralympic athlete and hoped to use some of the prize money to purchase a £5,000 computer that is specially designed to help individuals who live with visual impairment.

Credit: ITV

Despite an impressive run up until this point, Rob's luck changed when he was asked the question: "How many numbers usually appear on a standard UK barcode?"

Not sure, Rob guessed 'nine' - but he was outdone by the Chaser, who correctly answered '13'.

Prior to exiting, Rob told Bradley that he'd had a "great" time on the show and that he had no regrets about going for the higher offer.

Nevertheless, some viewers took to social media to brand the question "unfair".

One person tweeted: "Giving a blind guy a question about a barcode is poor #thechase".

A second added: "Another unfair question for a blind contestant #TheChase how hard is it to adapt them?"

A third Twitter user sarcastically tweeted: "A nice level playing field on #TheChase, let’s ask a blind contestant [how] many numbers there are on a barcode."

"Asking a blind contestant how many numbers are there on a barcode is totally absurd! How on earth would they know," another tweeted.

However, some viewers were quick to defend the show on social media, with one person responding: "You do realize blind people are capable of knowing things without seeing them right?"

Another person added: "I think the questions are random. That would be reverse discrimination if they didn’t let the questions fall where they land. So well done ITV."

Featured image credit: ITV