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'The Chase' Episode 4: Dream team Daniel and Michael put James Holzhauer through his paces, fans celebrate win

Fans supported Daniel and Michael, the duo who broke records on 'The Chase' and took home the prize money

'The Chase' requires some of the best trivia minds in America to be able to take home that bank, and this week, a dream team duo managed to do just that. Daniel Donahue and Michael Rankins have both made the most impressive contestant showing on the show so far, taking home a substantial pot of prize money, and the fans were behind them all the way.

First up was Daniel Donahue, who quickly impressed audiences with the highest ever cash-building streak of the series. "6 answers right! That was the best performance on the Cash Builder this season! 150k. Please make it through the chase round..." wrote a fan. James Holzhauer made a pretty strong offer of $225,325, but Daniel stuck to his winnings and beat Holzhaur with a significant lead. "Banked the 150k pretty easily there! Could have got the high offer, but he moves on to the Final Chase! James may have a handful with Daniel here..." noted one fan. 

Though the second contestant, Ketty, was knocked out in the second cash building round, former 'Jeopardy' winner Michael stepped up to the plate with a lot to prove. He soon outdid his teammate Daniel with 7 correct answers in the cash-building round, for a total of $175,000. "Michael's out for blood. Never tickle a sleeping dragon," wrote a fan, referencing one of the 'Harry Potter' related answers Michael had gotten right.

Michael managed to keep his earnings, staying ahead of Holzhaur to make it to the Final Chase with Daniel, both contestants with their own strengths. "Michael knows his ribs, the other guy knows his Broadway. This is a dream team," wrote one fan.

The dream team proved to be a force to be reckoned with, breaking records once again with the highest lead in the season so far. Daniel's quick answers, supported by a few from Michael, won the team a 19-question lead after 17 questions correctly answered. Holzhauer's last Final Chase round was a perfect question, but his performance this time around was far below par.

Several stumbles over questions lost him valuable time, as did the pushbacks from Daniel and Michael. "James stubbed his toe too many times with a pushback," wrote a fan. Many fans felt like host Sara Haines was being a little unfair to the Chasers, too, as one wrote, "I hate how the host always reads the clues so slowly for the players but fast for the chaser." 

In the end, Daniel and Michael managed to stay ahead of Holzhauer, going home with combined earnings of $325,000, much to the delight of the viewers. "The team outran James! They take home $325,000. CONGRATS!" wrote one Twitter user.

The next episode of 'The Chase' will air on February 4, on ABC.