Don't Worry, The Beast Is Still on 'The Chase' — Just Not the U.S. Version

Tonight, The Chase returns on ABC, and fans will notice that it has a brand new host, Sara Haines. ABC had announced back in November that Sara would be the new host of the game show. Sara comes from The View, for which she was a guest host and then permanent host; she was on the show from 2016 to 2018, when she left for GMA Day. Then, in August 2020 it was announced that Sara would returned to The View as a permanent co-host (on top of hosting The Chase) so she'll be pretty busy.

Fans of The Chase might be wondering where the show's original "Chaser," whose name is Mark Labbett (also known as "The Beast") is. He was more predominantly featured on The Chase U.K., but hasn't made an appearance on the U.S. version. Today he tweeted, "Good luck to @KenJennings, @bradrutter and @James_Holzhauer tonight. I pass the American torch onto you, remember to dial up the meanness :)." It's unclear if he'll be returning at any point this season. 

Mark Labbett, aka The Beast, is still technically on The Chase, but just won't be on the U.S. version, that we know of. Mark appeared on The Chase (U.S.) in August 2013 as the only Chaser. According to his IMDb page, he's currently on Beat the Chasers. It's unclear why he's not on the American version of The Chase, although one Twitter user did ask him if he'd be on it if COVID-19 wasn't an issue (it's possible that the danger of traveling has made is so Mark can't come to the U.S. and film). The fan wrote, "Mark would you have taken part if it hadn't been for the virus?" but his question went unanswered.

So, The Beast is still around, and if you want to watch him, just tune in to Beat the Chasers, which you can try to stream online if you live in the U.S.

Meanwhile, on a more personal level, it seems like Mark has been using quarantine to lose some weight, which he's shown off on Instagram. "leaner, meaner lockdown with good folks of muscle foods. At this rate I will be the skinniest chaser :)," he wrote in a caption.

In July, he called himself the "Skinny Beast" and shared a photo of himself shedding pounds. "Gradually losing the waistline :)," he wrote.

Mark had recently made headlines for other reasons, though: He and his wife (who, yes, happens to also be his second cousin who's 27 years younger than him) apparently broke up so that she could date her lover. They had allegedly been in an open marriage. Mark said, per The Sun, "There was never any deceit on Katie’s part but it’s got to the point now where I realize it is better for us to go our separate ways and remain friendly.”

It seemed like the couple had decided on an open marriage so that they could still remain a family for their young son. Now, Mark has reportedly moved out. 

If you're interested in watching the U.S. version of The Chase (with the hopes that we'll one day have The Beast back on), the show airs on ABC every Thursday at 9 p.m. EST.