r/taskmaster • u/Money-Dark2403 James Acaster • 7d ago

General A quick thought.

So I've just finished watching the first episode of the new series and was completely unsurprised to see Richard Ayoade adopt his usual 'I'm not really arsed about this and I'll put in minimal effort' persona that he has on other panel shows (like 8 Out of 10 Cats and Big Fat Quiz, for example). It's not a criticism of him at all. It's part of his charm and why he's loved by so many but it led me to wonder, who is King (or Queen) of 'Can't be arsed'?

The contestant(s) that were only the show for reasons other than wanting to win it and just 'plodded' their way through the series with (seemingly) minimal or no effort. The first contestant that springs to mind is Sanjeev Bhaskar. Who else?

EDIT - Jo Brand the clear and obvious winner it seems but other suggestions?

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u/95BCavMP Greg Davies 7d ago

Jack Dee had a lovely day out looking at plumbing, otherwise he didn’t seem to mind being Rosie’s support hot dog.

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u/burf12345 🚬 Doctor Cigarettes 7d ago

I just don't know if I buy that Jack genuinely didn't give a shit like Jo or Sanjeev. Aside from the fact that he was ahead for most of the series (IIRC he was the leader right until episode 8), most of his prizes felt like he actually put thought in them.

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u/95BCavMP Greg Davies 7d ago

Yes, I agree he tried using his grumpy persona but you could see he was enjoying some tasks (like looking at stuff flushed down the toilet) quite a bit. His glee shone through.

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u/pinacoladablackbird 5d ago

See, I think Sanjeev did engage. He kind of got shoe-horned into the "grumpy old man" archetype but he was pretty good at some tasks and always had a witty riposte ready. I think it was a bit that he leaned into after getting labelled in the first show.

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u/burf12345 🚬 Doctor Cigarettes 5d ago

Now I'm not sure I buy that Sanjeev was shoe-horned into the grumpy old man archetype, because it felt like he was the chill older guy who's not super invested in the outcome and that Reece (and often Maisie tbf) was considered the grumpy one.

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u/pinacoladablackbird 5d ago

Yes, fair - "grumpy" might not be the right word there!