Tom on The Chase (Image: ITV)
A win on ended in tragedy for one contestant. Tom, from Twickenham, was welcomed to the show by Bradley Walsh with his episode airing on December 17, 2024.
The aspiring actor had only left the army one week prior to appearing on the show, when he made for a memorable episode – admitting that he had accidentally applied for the “wrong show”.
The player thought that he was applying for Hunted, when he was surprised to have general knowledge questions thrown at him as he went head to head with Chaser
Tom went on to choose a middle offer of £6,000 as he managed to secure himself a place in the final Chase, while adding to the jackpot. He finished the game £3,000 in a rare win for his team.
Speaking about what he did with the winnings, Tom told Express.co.uk: “On the episode they asked what I wanted to do with the money, and I said I wanted to get a dog. And I did, I got a dog.
Tom bought a puppy with his winnings – but there wasn’t a happy ending (Image: @tomtrainz)
“I got a dog on December 17, 2023. But last week, he got hit by a car and died.”
Coincidentally, Tom’s dog, Sammy, passed away when his episode finally aired – two years after filming. He explained how that impacted his grief, saying: “So, I had all these people messaging me saying ‘congrats on winning, are you going to buy a dog?’
“And I’ve been like ‘I did, but very sadly he passed away’. It’s so sad.”
He added: “Having a puppy was the best thing that ever happened to me. Even though the last year has been tough, like I’ve had a broken leg and my career has been slow and uncertain, I would say it’s been the best of my life because I had my puppy, Sammy.
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Sammy the puppy was sadly hit by a car (Image: @tomtrainz)
“If I could redo any year of my life, it would be this one. If I could do it again, I’d take all the s**t stuff, put up with the pain and the rubbish, just to spend one more day with my puppy.”
Giving more of an insight into how the show works, Tom explained that he received his winnings pretty much “straight away” after making his appearance.
He said: “They told us ‘we don’t know exactly when your money will come in, but it won’t be too long’. I remember one day I checked my bank account and three grand had just landed in there.”