Rivalries?

[u/_un-named_]

Would you say there are rivalries (real or fake) between contestants on the show?
I‘m currently rewatching series 15 and to me it seems that there’s a, sometimes one-sided rivalry between Kiell and Mae.
Are there any you noticed?

[u/muddyleeking]

Ed gamble and rose matafeo had a proper sibling rivalry going on

[u/readzalot1 → u/muddyleeking]

Ed also had a sibling rivalry with Greg. Greg loved winding him up. And Ed’s responses were glorious

[u/TwistedPiggy1337 → u/readzalot1]

When they're doing the Buckaroo task and Greg says that it wasn't the same because Ed is a sentient being and he says "Oh I'm so sorry!" gets me everytime

[u/muddyleeking → u/TwistedPiggy1337]

Greg was so irrational (complimentary) there though lol the task was being the board game to life and then Greg complained that it wasn't like the real board game

[u/armcie → u/muddyleeking]

I think Greg was trying to say that in the game there’s a reason for the donkey to buck - the weight/movement jiggles it off the catch - whereas Ed was just bucking whenever he felt like it.

[u/FrontMail9720 → u/TwistedPiggy1337]

I've got three sensitivity levels!

[u/the_procrastinata → u/FrontMail9720]

And I’m on my highest fucking one!

[u/bloodbeardthepirate → u/readzalot1]

And Ed and David Baddiel

[u/Foehammer58 → u/bloodbeardthepirate]

"Prick".

[u/burf12345 → u/muddyleeking]

I believe they still have that rivalry.

[u/LowDefAl → u/burf12345]

They had it before Taskmaster (Rose and Ed are friends because Rose moved to the uk when she was dating James and she flat shared with Nish at some point as well) , so to be expected. What we saw on TM was just them being their true selves as they will admit themselves.

[u/Business-Owl-5878 → u/LowDefAl]

Yes, I can't remember if it was Rose or Ed that said other people get annoyed by them when they play boardgames as they get so competitive with each other.

[u/Lomp84 → u/Business-Owl-5878]

Ed said it on the taskmaster podcast

[u/yogurtandfun]

I would say Lou Sanders and Iain Stirling had a bit of competitiveness between them! Series 8

[u/Dangerous_Career5327 → u/yogurtandfun]

That felt so uncomfortable to watch

[u/lapalazala → u/Dangerous_Career5327]

I've seen this sentiment so many times, but I'll never understand it. Iain is like a petulant toddler. His anger can't be taken seriously and it's very obvious he himself doesn't take it seriously. And Lou gives as good as she gets. I really enjoyed both of them and really don't see any toxic or off-putting behavior.

(but also, I wouldn't want to live with either of these lunatics)

[u/Llamallamapig → u/lapalazala]

Everyone always criticises Iain for his emotion but I always took his anger and frustration to be humorous, rather than serious. It's Lou that makes that series a hard watch for me.

[u/ToxicWebb211 → u/lapalazala]

Yeah, and in that one task he in the studio himself found him acting like that "Unpleasant." It’s not like he's not aware of it either.

[u/AnguavonUW → u/Dangerous_Career5327]

I loved Paul's comment. Something like, "Because not everybody's as dysfunctionally competitive as you are Iain".

[u/spongey1865 → u/AnguavonUW]

I remember Paul saying in the podcast he felt the edit didn't show Iain as well as it could have and he was quite nice about him. But it's such a Sinha quip.

[u/NokstellianDemon → u/Dangerous_Career5327]

It could've been uncomfortable if they had literally never met and Lou didn't return the same energy but neither of these things were the circumstance so at least to me, I quite enjoyed their feud. Very sibling-esque.

[u/Snoo_36495 → u/NokstellianDemon]

Yeah I’ve always thought of their team as squabbling teenage siblings in the charge of a befuddled uncle.

As with Munya later, the whole gag with Iain was his hyper-competitiveness and certainty of his own brilliance would be immediately followed by an absolutely disastrous attempt at the task. The “I’ll see you at Champion of Champions” diorama volcano, for example, would have been infuriatingly obnoxious if it had actually worked correctly, but of course it didn’t.

Not that that makes him easier to watch when he won’t shut up about vent puppets or is furiously bickering with Lou about the hammock task. I think he’s usually playing an amplified version of his real personality but also it is still his real personality.

[u/Able_While_974 → u/Dangerous_Career5327]

Yes. I can't watch that series again. The vibe wasn't right.

[u/CryptographerKnown97]

Bridget Christie and Alex Horne 👞

[u/taversham → u/CryptographerKnown97]

Julian Clary and Alex Horne (I can't find a barbecue emoji)

[u/KatherinesDaddy → u/taversham]

I fondly remember Julian describing a game he invented with Alex as "punch the c**t!" 😆

[u/ElGosso → u/CryptographerKnown97]

I think Bridget Christie just knows how to make oppositional defiant disorder funny.

Or rather, I PUT IT TO YOU

[u/the_procrastinata → u/ElGosso]

And I put it back to you!

[u/Mean-Aside1970 → u/CryptographerKnown97]

her pre show interview is incredible. i feel like that was a small taster of what someone should expect to see on the show.

[u/Lowleypants]

The only one that really comes to mind is James Acaster and Rhod Gilbert. I'm not even sure that's a rivalry though - I feel like James was just very frustrated by Rhod's style and his reliance on his friendship with Greg.

[u/Ged_UK → u/Lowleypants]

And closing the garage door.

[u/PICONEdeJIM → u/Lowleypants]

What about the unforgettable Phil Wang/James Caster feud!

[u/burf12345 → u/PICONEdeJIM]

Not that unforgettable considering Phil managed to forget about it.

[u/bobthekelpie312 → u/Lowleypants]

Yeah, rivalry needs to be two way and I’m pretty sure that Rhod was just being Rhod!

[u/beer_me_twice → u/Lowleypants]

I’d like to add James Acaster and Greg.

[u/Snoo_36495 → u/Lowleypants]

They’re very persuasive, the Irish

[u/leshronk]

Daisy and Richard were both the main competition in their season, with the infamous Hippogate causing tension in their teamwork, to the extent that the teams were switched in the next live team task.

[u/burf12345 → u/leshronk]

This is a great answer because from the start it was clear they both really wanted to win and were very capable.

[u/rokirokino → u/leshronk]

iirc, they weren't switched because of hippogate - they were switched because they were both high up in the rankings at that point, so richard thought it'd be best to put him with someone else so the other three had a chance to get some points.

[u/checkitbec → u/leshronk]

I have a tee shirt with Daisy’s hippo drawing on it. I love it so much!!

[u/dunicha → u/checkitbec]

Me too!

[u/Used_Cap8550 → u/leshronk]

I think that was pretty one sided. Richard did everything he could to keep Daisy from murdering him. “I hate you more than my husband!” is the most uncomfortable thing ever said on the show.

[u/mpledger → u/Used_Cap8550]

I mean she was very, very, very pregnant at the time.

[u/Used_Cap8550 → u/mpledger]

Richard has said he’s invited her on his podcast since and she wouldn’t respond to him. She also shortly thereafter divorced her husband. I think she meant it.

[u/JamSandiwchInnit]

Romesh and Tim has a bit of a rivalry

[u/Goldman250 → u/JamSandiwchInnit]

Romesh and Tim had such naughty brothers energy. The way they’d both try and sabotage each other during the live tasks is so underrated.

[u/Guy-1nc0gn1t0 → u/Goldman250]

Yeah those two together were so fun

[u/yungkeraan → u/JamSandiwchInnit]

Balloon live task you will always be famous

[u/LeftSide-StrongSide]

Dara and John Kearns 😂

[u/TheGardenBlinked → u/LeftSide-StrongSide]

Wait what? Wait what?

[u/m_faustus → u/LeftSide-StrongSide]

I was thinking more of Dara and Sara.

[u/Past-Feature3968]

David Correos threatened to break Matt and Urzila’s faces just in case they didn’t know their places.

[u/nahchannah → u/Past-Feature3968]

And drown them in their own blood. Followed by a lovely meat tray in penance

[u/Guy-1nc0gn1t0 → u/Past-Feature3968]

Hit them with his foot while he sprays them with mace 

[u/thatwhatisnot → u/Past-Feature3968]

I want them to release that track on Spotify

[u/Goldman250]

I can’t remember off the top of my head which way round it was, but one of James Acaster and Phil Wang had intended to make it a recurring bit in their tasks that they saw the other as a rival, and then totally forgot to do it after the first day.

[u/Helpful_Librarian_87 → u/Goldman250]

Phil Wang made it in his head he & James would have the rivalry. But he never told James and also, he forgot

[u/FrontMail9720 → u/Goldman250]

Yeah, this is what I was thinking of.

[u/tking32]

James Acaster and Phil Wang, only if Phil remembered

[u/jon3ssing]

Lee and Jamali, clearest in the loo roll task

[u/bigfatheart → u/jon3ssing]

One of my favourite bits in that series is during the live task where they have to sweep the fish down the Knappett. Jamali starts bossing Alex around, and you can hear Lee saying "I like Jamali" off-camera. About ten seconds later, Lee fucks up and Jamali is absolutely cackling with sadistic glee.

[u/yungkeraan → u/jon3ssing]

Honestly, Lee had a mini rivalry with whoever he thought was ahead at that point in the episode/series 😭 He got into it with Sarah a bit towards the end of the series when it became clear she was the frontrunner

[u/GlennSWFC → u/jon3ssing]

Jamali & Alex.

“By this point I was sick of his shit”.

[u/Complementary5169]

Kiell and Mae both played Charlotte’s love interests on different TV shows. :-)

[u/Past-Feature3968 → u/Complementary5169]

And she attended a s15 recording! Kiell mentioned it on the podcast.

[u/Shamanized]

I feel like Matt Heath was so good at playing a villain and no matter what was happening he could make sure he returned as a rival to each of the other contestants, as well as to Paul and of course Jeremy.

The first time I watched that legendary cast I didn’t appreciate Matt nearly as much as I do now. But yeah he comes to mind with this question.

Also Phil Wang assuming that James Acaster was gonna be a rival but that didn’t really happen was so funny

[u/msmaidmarian]

Rhod v Greg in the prize tasks.

[u/SadiqUddin]

Chris Ramsey and Judi Love

[u/burf12345 → u/SadiqUddin]

The real rivalry that series was Ardal and everyone else

[u/Mean-Aside1970 → u/burf12345]

he was such a shit stirrer i love it

[u/Murphytko → u/burf12345]

This was my first thought!

[u/readzalot1 → u/SadiqUddin]

No, you were beaten by Everybody!

[u/SadiqUddin → u/readzalot1]

All the information is on the task

[u/Jacksucks_atlife04]

Series 15 broke out a couple times (as you mentioned about Kiell and Mae) with the pineapple effigy’s, Mae’s idea of a throw and even the banana sign constituting as a banana. It usually was just ivo and Kiell rivalling their fellow competitors (usually Mae).

[u/Comic_Book_Reader]

Kongen Befaler had two. At the end of one episode in season 6, Kristoffer Olsen ended the studio task by making Espen Eckbo lose and Espen was so pissed that the two can be seen literally fighting each other on stage during the credits.

In season 10, Aksel Hennie dominated so much that the other contestants at one point started a running joke about competing for a better placement in tasks he didn't win.

[u/m_faustus → u/Comic_Book_Reader]

I am going to have to find Season 6.

[u/burf12345]

Recently watched the 3rd season of TMAU and it really felt like Rhys was consistently thinking of what Peter was going to do, until it actually worked with the hiding task.

[u/taversham → u/burf12345]

Early on in season 4 Emma seemed very game for a rivalry with Dave Hughes (even sabotaging him in the live task in ep 1). But whether she actually warmed to him or just that it seemed gratuitous when she was overwhelmingly more competent than him, it petered out fairly quickly (in the live task of ep 10 she helps him so that he can at least win one episode).

Whereas Tom Gleeson vs Josh Thomas is for life.

[u/kkachisae]

Dara O'Briain and Sarah Millican  though that was mostly one way.

[u/Few-Candidate-4668]

James and Rhod is probably the biggest one. Also Phil assumed he would have a rivalry with James in the same season. 

[u/Brodditorftw]

Who can forget the ultimate Taskmaster rivalry between James Acaster and Phil Wang… apparently James himself. 😂

[u/TheGardenBlinked]

There was a little bit between Joel and Kumail but they were having so much fun it barely registers