MARA & BRANDON 'WE'RE SECRET BESTIES'

The Chase Australia stars reveal how they struck up an unlikely but instant connection on the show

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While he's been terrorising The Chase contestants in the US for several years now, Brandon Blackwell, aka The Lightning Bolt, is gearing up to face off with a slew of brave Aussies on The Chase Australia this month.

And even though the 41-year-old admitted he needs to brush up on his local knowledge, the New York native appears to have the ultimate ally (and tour guide) in his corner - Mara Lejins aka The Smiling Assassin!

The pair met while Mara was studying at Columbia University in New York in 2022. She had recently been hired to star on The Chase Australia and a producer reached out to see if she'd like to hang out with a star who was on the US version while she was there.

"I'm so glad that happened," Mara, 28, tells Woman's Day.

"We became very fast friends, doing bar trivia every week, going to the baseball, and he even came to my university graduation!" While Brandon confirms they "hit it off straight away", he admits to feeling a little apprehensive at first, thinking she had replaced him on the Australian version.