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Jenny Ryan
Born
Jenny Alexis Ryan

(1982-04-02) 2 April 1982 (age 43)
Other names The Vixen
The Bolton Brainiac
The Bolton ...
Alma mater University of Leeds
Occupation
  • Quizzer
  • singer
  • television personality
Years active 2002–present
Television The Chase
The X Factor: Celebrity
Beat the Chasers

Jenny Alexis Ryan (born 2 April 1982) is an English quizzer, singer, and TV star. She is best known as "The Vixen" on the popular ITV game show The Chase.

Jenny Ryan: The Vixen on TV

Jenny Ryan is famous for being one of the "Chasers" on the TV quiz show The Chase. On the show, she uses the nickname "The Vixen". This name was chosen because of her red hair, freckles, and ponytail. The show's host, Bradley Walsh, came up with it. Producers liked it because vixens (female foxes) are known for being clever and cunning.

Jenny's Quiz Journey

Jenny has been a quiz whiz for a long time! Her first big TV quiz appearance was on University Challenge in 2003. She helped her team from the University of Leeds reach the semi-finals.

She also appeared on Mastermind in 2006. Her special subject was the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Jenny also competed in Are You an Egghead? in 2008 and 2009.

A big win for Jenny came on Only Connect in 2010. She was part of a team called The Gamblers, and they won the third series of the show! She also appeared on other quiz shows like Fifteen to One and Weakest Link. Before becoming a Chaser, Jenny even worked as a "QI Elf," which means she helped research questions for the TV show QI.

Jenny joined The Chase as a Chaser in 2015. Another Chaser, Anne Hegerty, suggested her for the role. They had played on the same quiz team, and Jenny was even the captain!

Singing and Other Talents

Jenny isn't just smart; she can sing too! In 2019, she competed on The X Factor: Celebrity. She was first eliminated from the show, but fans were upset, so she was asked to come back. Jenny then made it all the way to the final, finishing in third place!

She also plays the ukulele. In 2017, Jenny teamed up with fellow Chasers Anne Hegerty, Shaun Wallace, and Mark Labbett for Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief. They won the competition by performing songs from The Wizard of Oz.

In 2018, Jenny started a podcast called Fingers On Buzzers with comedian Lucy Porter. The podcast is all about quiz and game shows.

Jenny Ryan's TV Appearances

Jenny Ryan has appeared on many TV shows over the years. Here's a list of some of them:

Year Title Role Notes
2003 University Challenge Contestant Reached the semi-finals
2006 Mastermind Contestant Appeared in one episode
2008–2009 Are You an Egghead? Contestant Appeared in two series
2010 Only Connect Contestant / The Gamblers Won the series
2015–present The Chase Chaser / The Vixen Regular, celebrity, and family series
2019 Celebrity MasterChef Contestant Appeared in Series 14
2020 Supermarket Sweep Contestant Won the episode
2020–present Beat the Chasers Chaser / The Vixen Appeared in four series
2021 Catchphrase Celebrity Special Contestant Won the episode
2022 Would I Lie to You? Panelist Appeared with Lee Mack and Stephen Mulhern
2022 The Masked Singer Live Contestant Performed as Baby Dino in Newcastle
2022 Britain Get Singing Contestant Performed with Anne Hegerty and Darragh Ennis
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