Jenny Alexis Ryan (born 2 April 1982) is an English quizzer, singer and television personality, best known as one of the six chasers on the ITV game show The Chase, where she is nicknamed "The Vixen".
Life and career Ryan grew up in Horwich, near Bolton.
Ryan's first quiz show appearance was on University Challenge, helping the University of Leeds to reach the semi-finals in 2003. She also appeared on Mastermind in 2006, choosing the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer as her specialist subject, and appeared in both series of Are You an Egghead? in 2008 and 2009. She found success on Only Connect as a member of the team The Gamblers, who won the third series of the show in 2010. Additionally, she has made appearances on Fifteen to One and Weakest Link, and worked as a QI Elf.
Ryan has written questions for game shows. She joined The Chase as a chaser in 2015, making her debut appearance on 2 September. She was recommended for The Chase by Anne Hegerty, as they had competed on the same quiz team, with Ryan serving as captain. She has also played in the Quiz League of London since 2008. Her nickname on the show is "The Vixen", in reference to her red hair, freckles and ponytail; Bradley Walsh came up with the name and the producers liked it since "vixens are notoriously clever and cunning". She is also referred to as "The Bolton Brainiac" and "The Bolton Bombshell".
In 2017, Ryan appeared alongside fellow chasers Anne Hegerty, Shaun Wallace and Mark Labbett on Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief. They won the competition, performing a Wizard of Oz medley.
In 2018 Ryan, along with comedian Lucy Porter, launched Fingers On Buzzers, a podcast about quiz and game shows. The duo appeared on Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast in early 2019, where they discussed Fingers On Buzzers and other topics.
In July 2019, Ryan appeared on the 14th series of Celebrity MasterChef. In October 2019, she began competing in The X Factor: Celebrity. She was initially eliminated before the live shows, with heavy criticism of this decision from viewers leading to her being asked back to join the live shows. She went on to reach the final and finished in third place.
Ryan also plays the ukulele.
The X Factor: Celebrity performances and results Show Song choice Result Auditions "Somebody to Love" – Queen Eliminated, reinstated Live show 1 "Rise Like a Phoenix" – Conchita Wurst Safe, given Safe Seat Live Show 2 "This Is My Life" – Shirley Bassey Safe Live Show 3 "The Edge of Glory" – Lady Gaga Safe Live Show 4 "Euphoria" – Loreen Safe Semi-Final "Skyfall" – Adele Safe Final "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" – Judy Garland Safe (3rd) "The Edge of Glory" – Lady Gaga Third Place
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2003 University Challenge Contestant Semi-finalist 2006 Mastermind Contestant 1 episode 2008–2009 Are You an Egghead? Contestant 2 series 2010 Only Connect Contestant / The Gamblers Winner 2015–present The Chase Chaser / The Vixen 7 series (11-15 regular)6 series (celebrity)2 series (family) 2019 Celebrity MasterChef Contestant Series 14 2020 Supermarket Sweep Contestant Winner 2020–present Beat the Chasers Chaser / The Vixen 4 series 2021 Catchphrase Celebrity Special Contestant Winner 2022 Would I Lie to You? Panelist With Lee Mack and Stephen Mulhern 2022 The Masked Singer Live Contestant Appeared as Baby Dino in Newcastle 2022 Britain Get Singing Contestant With Anne Hegerty and Darragh Ennis2026The BoxContestantSeries 1
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