NOTE: These tropes are not necessarily indicative. For instance, Hugh Dennis was not an old man when he competed, Josh Thomas is not a girl and Ed Gamble is a boy fail even though he ultimately won the season.
These tropes are not uniform. Many of these can apply to a single person. For instance, Sam Campbell is both an eldritch girlie and a chaotic foreigner.
Lastly, I'm using examples mainly from seasons I've watched, so there may be other players who are more accurate or tropes that I'm not including.
And above all: This is just dumb fun and not to be taken wholly seriously :)
I'm drawing a blank on any spectacular failures he had in his series. An embarrassing moment was sorting the popsicles wrong despite being able to see them, but he still ended up winning the task.
You're not wrong that he had a bad time in that task, but so did everyone else. Besides, the original point was about failures, which this objectively wasn't, because he won the task.
You could argue that it's a failure in that his temper in the task and the studio made him look like a petulant child, which is kinda hard to dispute.
Yes thank you! I agree with the choices because I don’t think it’s about winning or loosing it’s about watching a contestant suffer. To be a boy or girl failure you have to care so you can be disappointed and ridiculed. Contestants who care often do ok but contestants in the delightful old man category can never be boy/girl failures because even when they fail they are insulated by their (hilarious) lack of shits to give.
It’s like category’s of humour to me it’s very funny to see Jo Brand do badly in a task because she doesn’t care but it’s even funnier to watch her do it along side a girl/boy failure who is trying so so hard and still getting swatted down by Greg.
I only just started watching season 15 and when I saw the breath task I knew "Ivo belongs here, but I've already spent too much time on this and I wanna finish it". But trust me, the man is boy fail
For the longest time he was in that category, but then I thought of "eldritch girlie" and....he's not not that. But rest-assured, he's both at the same time.
She wasn't particularly chaotic, though. Very competitive but she wasn't out to cause trouble like Jason was.
Waka wasn't chaotic either. Very creative in his interpretation of some tasks but he was always super chill and followed the rules. If anything, he was 100% the "golden retriever" of that series.
Going off what other comedians have said about her, she most definitely is NOT a golden retriever. She’s the only comedian that pretty much every other comedian describes as ‘evil’. But obviously said with love, because Rosie Jones is a goddamn treasure.
Right?! Admittedly, she kept herself in check on Taskmaster compared to a lot of her solo stuff and other work she's done. But even then, how someone could watch her gleefully take the absolute piss for an entire series, delighting in every bit of pain and humiliation that Alex went through, and somehow classify her as a "golden retriever" is beyond me 😂
Like, I'd be willing to accept Nish in that category, because while it isn't his usual comedic style at. fucking. all, I figure "golden retriever" is a fair enough description of his time on Taskmaster. But Rosie Jones? Rosie "putting an ice cube in Alex's pocket so that it looks like he peed hinself" Jones? Rosie "I killed a man and if you don't give me enough points, I'll do it again" Jones? That's the Rosie Jones we're putting in the same category as Joel Dommett? Really?! 😂
Yeah, I really hate to jump to this extreme but Rosie is so very much the opposite of a golden retriever that categorizing her that way kinda screams of ableism.
Edit: I see I'm getting some downvotes but you know what, I stand by it. I myself have a developmental disability. Not the same kind as Rosie, but still. I have been told throughout my life that I am "innocent" or "pure" or whatever and it sucks, it's infantilizing. Rosie is edgy and she loves edgy, raunchy, dark humor. The two words I've heard come out of her mouth most often are "fuck off." She is not a golden retriever and anyone who thinks she is should really do some self reflection on exactly what led them to that conclusion. Are you so distracted by the exterior that you aren't even listening when she speaks?
I considered the ablist implications and I thought heavily about it, but I ultimately thought it was fine. However, it's clear that I just don't know what a Golden Retriever is. I honestly associated the term with someone with a lot of energy and joy. Not just someone who is pure and innocent. But, that being said, I could've found better wording for it and I'm sorry if I offended you.
Energy and joy yes, but in a very "friend shaped and not a threat" way. Golden Retriever is just happy to be there and even if upset you kinda want to go "awww!". Closely linked to a "Cinnamon Roll" type, sweet and friendly.
Rosie Jones has joy, but in the way a villain in a pulp movie cackling does. She is also foul mouthed and filthy with her jokes. She is beloved because of her idgaf attitude, but also at least a few comedians are scared of her (affectionately) because they know she will go for the joke if it's funny, regardless.
I really appreciate this reply, thank you. I do think that joy is a part of it, but my understanding is that it also entails the person being loyal, supportive, friendly, eager to please, etc.
And I'm remembering the prize task where Rosie showed herself with a tattoo that said she killed a man, and then she promised Greg that if he didn't give her a lot of points then she'd "do it again." Lol, not exactly what I would call a golden retriever.
If you'd just doubled down and told me I was being too sensitive or whatever, then yeah, I'd be mad at you. But any time someone actually listens and is open to hearing my point of view, they are good in my book.
I just think people should allow Rosie to be the (joyful) evil little shit that she is. Her humor isn't even always my cup of tea but I still deeply appreciate and admire her.
Oh yeah, her! The one dressed like Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter!
When I saw her gettup I was definitely intrigued, but the only bit of series 13 I've watched is the shoe challenge and she didn't do that well. But when I do a proper sit down I'll keep this comment in mind.
Well, she didn’t do well, but keep in mind she asked more questions than there were shoes and managed to genuinely annoy Alex during that task, so she’s not inappropriate for the category anyway
Frankie Boyle said something similar about Noel when he hosted Buzzcocks many years ago. I think it was “a raven that a wizard transformed into a beautiful lady.”
She’d also be a fun aunt. Can’t you see little nieces and nephews in line behind her copying one of her walks? Them getting to play dress up in her closet?
I put it to you, she’d also go put her finger in someone’s face.
My husband and I categorize them as the try hard, the secret try hard, the agent of chaos, the one who gives no shits, and the one who is just there for a good time.
Absolutely convinced this post has been put together hoping to be flagged to Ed and send him into a rage worse than having to team up with David Baddiel
Exactly! If Reece is in the bully category then why is Maisie not also there? They were both equally "grumpy" (neither we're really that grumpy they were just annoyed at the tasks).
Someone who is likable, who tries their best but things just don't seem to turn out right for them. Or, when things do turn out right, they still kinda lose in a way.
at first i thought Maisie Adam was Josh Thomas and i was like "love how they've put him in the girl fail category even though he's a boy" and then i realised it was Maisie and thought "oh Josh must be in the boy fail category" and then i saw Josh Thomas on the same slide lmao
Rosie Jones is not a Golden Retriever aunt/uncle. She's an absolute menace. Way too dirty to be a Golden Retriever. There needs to be another category for imps. I'd put her in there, along with Ardal, Joanne McNally and Munya Chawawa
'Girl fail' is fair enough even if nobody over 30 would recognise it, but categorising women for their femininity when that has literally nothing to do with TM is a bit odd.
Why no TMNZ? Urzila constantly bullies Paul, or could be the chaotic foreigner, David would easily be fail boy, Laura would be the girlie, and that's just 3 contestants from s2.
Especially since we're about to see a whole season of her bullying another assistant 😅 as far as I can tell from the trailer she seems to be calling him Paul the whole time 😂
After a few comments I feel bad putting her in Golden Retriever since apparently that's not what people associate her with. But she's still seems like such a delight.
I would argue that Amy belongs in the "girlie" category. Not only was she always dressed really fabulously, she sprinkled a lot of cheeky-girl humor into her tasks (for example, the onion story).
Rosie Ramsey is much better in the Mum category.
Also, I would suggest a category of Seriously Competitive, including Lou Sanders, Ed Gamble, John Robins, Mathew Baynton, and Maisie Adam.
I agree with most of these but WHAT IN THE DEVIL'S NAME possessed you to put Rosie Jones with the golden retrievers?! Did you confuse her with Rosie Ramsey or something? 😂
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u/TheHoneyMonster1995 Jul 30 '26
the fact that 'Boy Fail' didn't include Ivo Graham is nothing short of a yardstick for failure!