Chad Powers Season 1 episode 6 ending explained: Did Ricky expose Russ Holliday’s secret?

Chad Powers is Hulu’s football comedy that began as Glen Powell’s viral 2022 SNL sketch about a disgraced quarterback reinventing himself. Co-created by Powell and Michael Waldron (Loki, Rick and Morty), the six-episode season premiered on September 30, 2025, with the first two episodes dropping together and the rest following weekly until the finale aired on October 28. 

In Episode 6, “6th Quarter,” Ricky learns Chad is Russ — and chooses not to expose him. The truth emerges during a life-or-death crisis, but mutual destruction keeps the secret intact. The team heads into the championship game against Georgia. The ball is snapped. The screen cuts to black.

The series centres on Russ Holliday, a fallen college QB who sabotaged a Rose Bowl game eight years ago for cash. Broke and desperate, he reinvents himself as Chad Powers, a cocky walk-on for the struggling South Georgia State Catfish. Powell plays both versions with effortless duality.

Perry Mattfeld stars as Ricky Hudson, the team manager and daughter of head coach Jake Hudson (Steve Zahn). Frankie A. Rodriguez is Danny, Russ’s loyal friend and makeup artist. Colton Ryan plays Gerry, the sidelined starter. Wynn Everett is Tricia, the athletic director fighting to save the program. Megan Ketch appears as Wendy, Jake’s estranged wife.

Season 1 tracks Russ’s double life as victories pile up but the mask begins to crack. Episode 5 ends with Jake suffering a heart attack after Wendy reveals she slept with Russ.

Chad Powers season 1 finale ending explained: Ricky keeps Russ's secret and Chad decides to join the team

The series concludes directly after episode 5 ended. Coach Jake Hudson has collapsed in his living room, his hand to his chest, battling for every breath. Chad kneels next to the coach, trying to keep him calm while Ricky hurriedly dials 911. She had a glitch on her phone that pushed the call to a queue, extending the ambulance response by twenty minutes. 

Jake had thrown his truck keys into the lake the night before in a fit of rage. Ricky's Jeep is parked on campus. Wendy, who had just left after confessing her affair with Russ during an ESPN interview at the house, isn’t answering her phone. Ricky’s calls go straight to voicemail.

Jake’s condition worsens. Chad makes a split second decision. He sprints into the woods behind the house and returns in his Cybertruck — the same vehicle Wendy had mentioned during the interview. He loads Jake and Ricky into the truck and speeds to the hospital. As they ride, Ricky stares at the dashboard, then at Chad. At the hospital, she tells him not to come inside. Her tone is final. Chad knows she knows.

He races to Danny’s apartment. Panic sets in. Wendy had said she hooked up with Russ in a Cybertruck. The truck is registered to Russ Holliday. The lie is unraveling. Danny tries to calm him, insisting Ricky was just keeping the hospital visit family-only. But the next morning at practice, with Jake stable in the ICU, Ricky pulls Chad behind the equipment shed.

“You’re Russ Holliday,” she says. 

Chad tries to deflect at first, but Ricky shuts it down. She lists the evidence: the truck, the timing of Chad’s arrival, the way his voice slipped during the interview, the way he knew too much about Russ’s past. He drops the act. He admits everything — the bribe, the disguise, the wins, the fear. Ricky’s rage erupts. She slaps him hard across the face.

“You’re a psychopath” she says.

She tells him that after the Rose Bowl, when he single handedly lost the national championship, she wished he had killed himself. 

Ricky threatens to expose him — to tell the world, to burn him down. But Chad doesn’t back down. He counters with cold logic. If she outs Chad, the Catfish lose everything. All wins are vacated. The season is erased. Jake signed the fake player. He takes the fall. The NCAA launches an investigation. The program dies. Ricky sees the trap. She hates it, but she sees it.

“I hate you,” she says. “I know,” he replies.

The final play of strategy and a cliffhanger in Chad Powers season 1

They walk into the locker room together. Gerry is ready to start. He’s been waiting for this moment. Ricky shuts him down. Chad plays. Gerry screams, curses and demands answers. Ricky stands firm. She tells the team to focus — for Jake, for the Catfish, for the season. Chad’s late arrival is brushed off as traffic. The team boards the bus to Sanford Stadium.

Before they leave, Chad visits his father, Mike, off-campus. It’s a quiet, unguarded moment. No prosthetics. Just Russ. Mike forgives the past. He tells him to finish what he started — as Chad.

“The work you put in matters,” he says.

Danny reapplies the prosthetics. The Cybertruck speeds to the stadium. Chad arrives late. The team waits for the bus. He finds Ricky alone. He tries one last time to reach her. “Chad’s real,” he says. “This team is real. What I feel for you — that’s real.” She touches his face gently, tracing the edge of the prosthetic. Then she slaps him again, harder.

“You’re a liar” she says. “A loser. You almost killed my dad.”

He doesn’t flinch and she chooses the team. They walk to the field together. Gerry fumes on the sideline and the crowd roars. Chad and Ricky lock eyes at midfield. No words. Just weight. The ball is snapped. The screen cuts to black.

Ricky didn’t expose Russ. Not yet. Glen Powell delivers a masterclass, shifting seamlessly between Chad’s bravado and Russ’s desperation. Perry Mattfeld matches him with raw, earned fury. Steve Zahn, even from a hospital bed, anchors the chaos with heart. Michael Waldron and Powell crafted a cliffhanger that feels earned and now fans wait for another possible season.

Stream all six episodes of Chad Powers Season 1 on Hulu and Disney+ now. 

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