Taskmaster Australia returns to our screens next Thursday at 7.30pm on 10 and 10 Play.
Stepping up to the Taskmaster challenge this season is comedy royalty Anne Edmonds, Jenny Tian, Josh Thomas, Lloyd Langford and Wil Anderson. Each week viewers will witness these best and brightest comics go head-to-head in a string of ridiculous, rambunctious and bewildering tasks to bag the highest points, all for our amusement.
Returning to their hosting thrones is tough-love Taskmaster Tom Gleeson, and his loyal sidekick “lesser Tom” a.k.a. Tom Cashman.
And, YES, The Water Cooler did score themselves an exclusive sit-down chat with Tom Cashman, thanks for asking!
How did the comedians stack up in Season 2?
I loved the cast this season. ‘Variety’ is this show’s secret sauce, and Season 2 had some of the most extreme levels of ineptitude and excellence. One contestant was historically incompetent in the first half of the season (like mathematically, compared to all other English speaking seasons). Another contestant was probably the biggest Taskmaster fan we’ve ever had on the show.
Is it possible to prepare for this show?
With things like puzzles, it can help if you’ve watched previous seasons. That said, feeling prepared can cause confidence. And confidence has led to some of the biggest, stupidest mistakes we’ve seen. So not really!
Have you watched any international versions of Taskmaster? Who does it best?
I’ve watched most seasons of the UK and NZ versions. There is no ‘best’ though, only ‘different’. Each version is gorgeous and beautiful and special in its own way. (Insert same answer if asked who my favourite contestant is).
Are you a stickler for the rules in real life?
Yes. If people want to play a game in a social setting, then it’s most fun if you play by the rules. People think game rules are oppressive and boring. But games are designed for fun!. The rules have been meticulously workshopped to maximise fun! Just listen to the rules for 2 minutes for god’s sake!
How do you think you’d go if you were a contestant?
After working on the show, I think I’d be good at problem-solving tasks. With the creative tasks I have a sneaking suspicion I’d crumble under the pressure. Thankfully I won’t ever have to prove it, so my official answer is I’d do really, really, really, really, really well.
Looking back to the first season, what was your favourite task?
Looking back, and at the time, it was definitely the roses/passwords task. I got to watch 5 different full-blown meltdowns. That task had the unique quality of making contestants feel smart at the beginning. Then slowly they felt stupider and stupider as they realised the ‘just say any random word’ strategy wouldn’t work forever.
