Types of Taskmaster Contestants (a break down)
The Try Hard: (examples- Ed Gamble, James Acaster, Kerri Godliman) The Try Hard wants to win Taskmaster so so badly. They are invested, they want points, and they like winning. The TH will argue their natural enemy is the Fuck Up, who can’t be reliably counted on for points when needed. They will insist that they can sometimes work with an Agent of Chaos, because the AOC can be convinced that the funny or devastating thing to do would be to win, but when an AOC wants to blow it all to smithereens, the TH is left in their wake. This is why they are wrong about their natural enemy, who is really Greg himself. They are important because as much as Taskmaster is a comedy show, it’s a game show. If no one cares, it’s not fun.
The Fuck Up: (Examples- Nish Kumar, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Coren Mitchell)- Why are all the smartest, most talented people so bad at this game? The FU wants to do well more than anything, but they overthink things or over-plan, or just fall to pieces. The FU normally has one task where they randomly excel in a major way, think the Song for a Stranger for Nish, the Marble Run for Kath, or the Riddle task for Vic. Their natural enemy is the Cool Kid, who does just as well as the TH, but with little effort, leaving the FU frustrated and in awe. They work very well with Sweethearts but are not a high scoring team. They are important because they are fun to watch and root for. They always have a spot in our hearts.
The Cool Kid- (Bob Mortimer, Sarah Kendall, Lee Mack)- Cool Kids do VERY WELL on Taskmaster, just as well as the often successful TH. They are naturally very gifted at the games because they are often just good at things in general, and their relaxed attitude goes a long way toward success. They don’t stress and can get things done, often just by going with their first idea. They have no natural enemy, because they are enviably likable and laid back and while they like to do well, don’t often get overly stressed when they don’t. They have a soft spot for Agents of Chaos, who they find very fun. They bring style to the Taskmaster house, making all this look easy, and are fun to watch do well at things.
The Agent of Choas- (Rhod Gilbert, Sally Phillips, Morgana Robinson)- This person will be consistently inappropriate at all times. They often don’t care overly much for points, but prefer a good time, or testing limits. Kill Alex? Sure, they’ll give it a shot. Fuck a water cooler? Hells to the yeah. Disrobe? For sure. When they think their buffoonery warrants points, they will fight for them. They are fun to watch because you never know what they’ll do next, including absolutely mop the floor with everyone else. They have no natural enemy. Order is their natural enemy, not any one person.
The Sweetheart (Lolly Adefope, Charlotte Ritchie, Joe Thomas, Mark Watson)- This person, unlike their close sibling the FU, has the potential to be very good at the game. Though many Sweethearts aren’t, it is possible because ineptitude is not the defining characteristic of the Sweetheart. Adorableness and amiability are. They are the Taskmaster equivalent of a woodland animal with a twitchy nose and big eyes being stalked by a 6′8″ Welsh mountain lion. They are the embodiment of “I have only had this contestant in my life for an episode, but if anything happened to them, I’d kill everyone in this room and then myself.” You want them to be happy and get some points and not be stressed. Their natural enemy is the AOC (of which Greg is one), who is a bit too unpredictable for them.
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