Issa Schultz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 March 1984 |
| Other names | "The Supernerd" |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom, Australia |
| Occupation | Television quiz personality |
| Known for | The 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 Tewantin State School and 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.