Issa Schultz

Issa Schultz
Born (1984-03-01) 1 March 1984 (age 40)
Truro, Cornwall, England
Other names"The Supernerd"
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom, Australia
OccupationTelevision quiz personality
Known forThe Chase Australia
Hell's Kitchen Australia

Issa Schultz (born 1 March 1984)[1] is a British-Australian television quiz personality best known for being one of the "chasers" on The Chase Australia, where he is nicknamed "The Supernerd".[2]

In addition to his current role on The Chase Australia, Schultz is also an eleven-time winner of the Australian Quizzing Championships (2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)[3][4] and seven-time Pairs champion (2012–17, 2020). He also appeared on The Rich List, where he won $200,000 in 2009, as well as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and The Einstein Factor.[2][5]

His name Issa is an Arabic version of the name "Jesus", which he was named after a best friend of his parents when they worked in Qatar in the 1970s.[6] Schultz and his family moved to Australia from Britain in 1995.[7] They settled in Tewantin, Queensland and Schultz attended Noosa District State High School. He was one of the four school captains in 2001.[8]

In 2017, Schultz appeared as a celebrity contestant on Hell's Kitchen Australia.[9][10]

Schultz placed 23rd in the 2020 World Quizzing Championships,[11] and has been the top-ranked Australian competitor ten times since 2011.[12]

In March 2022 he stood in for Anne Hegerty in ITV's Beat the Chasers after Hegerty tested positive for COVID-19.[13]

Schultz also competed in the twentieth series of Dancing with the Stars in early 2023. He was paired with professional Tasmanian dancer Lily Cornish.[14][15]

In November 2024 Schultz represented Australia at the III Quiz Olympiad in Spain.

References

  1. ^ "Issa Schultz (@Issa25)". Twitter. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Seven previews The Chase". Mediaweek. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  3. ^ "Press Release: "Supernerd" regains national quiz title". prwire.com.au. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
  4. ^ "All the results are now final. Congratulations to the Top 10 Australians at the 2018 World Quiz Championships. Issa Supernerd Schultz claims his sixth national title". Facebook. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2023. [user-generated source]
  5. ^ "Master of trivia to be crowned on the Gold Coast". Pan Pacific Masters Games. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  6. ^ "The Chase Australia" (PDF). p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  7. ^ Dale, David (4 October 2015). "Other game shows 'too slow' for The Chase's Supernerd". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  8. ^ Rex, Sarah (13 February 2016). "The Supernerd – one of the smartest men on television". Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  9. ^ Saw, Amelia (24 March 2017). "The celebrities taking on Marco Pierre White in Hell's Kitchen Australia are named". news.com.au. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  10. ^ Coster, Alice (24 March 2017). "Hell's Kitchen Australia host doesn't know the celebrity contestants". Herald Sun. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Results – World Quizzing Championships". Quizzing.com. Quizzing Interactive Ltd. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Quizzing Australia - Quiz Results". Quizzing Australia. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  13. ^ Rouse, Sabina (18 March 2022). "Anne Hegerty forced to pull out of Beat the Chasers as she announces replacement". Express. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  14. ^ Harris, Rachel (14 June 2023). "Supernerd Issa Shultz takes on DANCING WITH THE STARS". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  15. ^ Christmass, Pip (14 June 2023). "Dancing With the Stars: The Chase Supernerd Issa Schultz takes to the dancefloor". Seven News. Retrieved 12 September 2023.