The Funniest Show You're Not Watching
"Taskmaster" proves AI can't replace creativity and critical thinking.
Nothing has made me laugh harder this year than the following statement: “We were the monsters, weren’t we?”
It is said not once, but twice, this season on the beloved UK game show Taskmaster. And once you see the episode, you’ll understand my reaction. Because my hope is that if you haven’t seen the show, after you read this, you’ll seek it out immediately.
Not only is it deliriously funny, but in an era where AI is rapidly overtaking society, and so many people are ready to surrender their brains to ChatGPT, Taskmaster is a series that rewards critical thinking — and in the most delightful way possible.
Taskmaster has aired in the UK since 2015, and this fall will air its 20th season1. But Season 19 caught lot of people’s attention stateside because one of the five panelists was Jason Mantzoukas, the How Did This Get Made podcast host and scene-stealing comedian from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place and the John Wick movies. With all the episodes available for free on Taskmaster’s YouTube channel, the show is winning over a lot of American viewers, too.
A quick primer on how Taskmaster works: Over the course of ten episodes, five comedians compete in a variety of tasks overseen by show creator Alex Horne. Based on their performance, the contestants are awarded points by Greg Davies, the titular Taskmaster.2 The person awarded the most points is the episode winner, and the one who accumulates the most points overall is the season’s Taskmaster Champion.
The challenges, such as building the highest tower of cans, creating a toy that entertains a toddler and getting all the water in a vase without spilling a single drop (as seen below), might sound simple. But they are often multifaceted and can only be solved with smarts, creativity and attention to detail.
Like many people in the US, I first started watching Taskmaster during the pandemic. I’d catch random episodes or clips on YouTube whenever I needed a guaranteed laugh (which was often). But once I heard Mantzoukas was joining Season 19, I made it a point to watch every week.
And while every season of Taskmaster is a joy, the most recent one was arguably its all-time best, thanks to the chemistry between Mantzoukas and fellow contestants Fatiha El-Ghorri, Mathew Baynton, Rosie Ramsey, and Stevie Martin.
Because no matter how zany or outlandish the tasks, a season is only as good as the cast, and this one was incredible in terms of their group alchemy and banter with Greg and Alex. That said, the real star of Taskmaster is the Taskmaster House, a real house transformed into a game show set with several quirky set pieces, such as a caravan, lab and glass dome. The setting is a reflection of the off-the-wall spirit of the series, which encourages originality and thinking outside the box.
The first task of the season is a prime example: Four of the panelists figure out how to fill a fish tank in a pretty straightforward manner, which makes Rosie’s self-proclaimed “out-of-the-box” tactic even funnier. Unlike the others, who are able to locate the fish tank (which hilariously is a fish driving a tank), Rosie’s inability to find it leads her to create one out of a jar, including writing on it “FISH TANK (not a jar).”
Later in the season, the group is asked to figure out what is on top of Alex’s head by asking him questions which he will only answer via a special numbers system.
Rosie takes about six minutes, while Jason takes...well, you have to see it for yourself:3
How each person solves the task is not just entertaining, but also reflects how creative thinking can have a myriad of approaches yet yield the same result.
Even Jason, with his purposeful chaotic energy, figures it out eventually.4 Like all of the other tasks, it isn’t something that can be solved by asking ChatGPT. And what a pleasure it is to watch people figure out the answers using their (very funny) brains rather than seeking the answers online.
In fact, while watching an episode of the show, a commercial aired with a guy asking an AI search engine, “What should I barbecue right now, and what will allow me to spend the least time manning the grill?” It was an unpleasant reminder of where our future is heading, where humans can’t work out even the simplest tasks without relying on the help of an AI tool.
As funny as it is, Taskmaster also showcases the importance of teamwork and friendship. This was most winningly demonstrated during a team task, when Jason and Stevie competed against the other trio to pass a ball through a fence using only spoons. Their joint effort is enormously endearing, and once the task ends, you’ll never hear the words “I’m locked in” quite the same way again.
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As for the season’s other memorable quote, “maybe we’re the monsters,” the more I think about the show, the more it impresses upon me that if anyone is the “monster,” it’s those who seek to make us dependent on AI. Which is why I found it heartening that the show announced the creation of a Taskmaster Club for schools, a series of free lessons designed to teach team building and problem solving, hopefully demonstrating to younger generations that no AI tools can replace their own ingenuity. (You can see a charming example of this in action here.)
Taskmaster might have started as an irreverent game show. But as times change, it has become a shining reminder that in the face of rapid, alarming innovations in technology, our humanity is irreplaceable.
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Have you seen Taskmaster yet? What are your thoughts on the show, and who was your favorite from this season? (Everyone was fantastic, but by series’ end, Rosie stole my heart).
In the UK, the word “series” is used to describe what we think of as seasons of a television show. For clarity’s sake (at least American ones), I’ll refer to them as seasons.
Even though he created the show, Alex gave hosting duties to Greg and assigned himself the role of assistant/sidekick and more than occasional punching bag.
To save you time, I’ve set up all the videos in this piece to begin at specific time stamps so you can immediately watch the task being referred to.
The way Jason irritates Alex with rapid-fire questions like “Is it human teeth?” and “Is this good television?” should have earned him an extra point.