Taskmaster Retrospective: UK Series 08

Series 8- some good points, but too low key to be great.

Taskmaster:  UK Series 8

Year:  2019

Channel:  Dave

Contestants:  

Iain Stirling

Joe Thomas

Lou Sanders

Paul Sinha

Sian Gibson

Number of Episodes:  10

Notes:

Series 7 was brilliant.  Series 8 was a step back.

In part, it was due to circumstances out of their control.  Paul Sinha had surgery right before he filmed his tasks, and in retrospect he was not at full strength.  And Joe Thomas seemed very low key during the series, though he seemed to 'get' the energy of the show by the final episode.  Between the two, the energy was brought down compared to the previous series.

The other three contestants are well-suited for Taskmaster.  Sian Thompson is adorable and weird.  Iain Stirling is obsessed with winning and (like James Acaster) full of madcap energy.  And Lou Sanders is absolutely ruthless and just as obsessed with winning as Iain.  

The task themselves weren't bad- but this series (like series 6) is missing the overall chaos that elevates Taskmaster to a great season.  

 

Portrait Decor:  

Series 8 went with a Japanese theme (look for the 'TM' logo on the wax seal), with a portrait of the Taskmaster in an anime style

Best task of the season:

"Completely erase this eraser."  A simple task that had the contestants coming up with a variety of solutions.  The reason this qualifies is that it's the one task that the contestants really showed fire and argued with each other.  

Taskmaster doesn't require the contestants to be feuding or actively disliking each other (that would hurt the series)- but it works best when the contestants show fire and are trying hard to win and willing to argue for points. 

Worst task of the season:

"Put something on your face that looks like a moustache from a long distance away, but when you get up close, you realise it's something completely different to what you thought."  Blech.  It's more disgusting than clever or funny.

Trivia:

* The location tasks were at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre

* Some themes throughout the season:  Sand, Pink

* Iain Sterling showed up on the final episode wearing pajamas; I think this is the first instance of someone wearing a special outfit for the finale.

Contestant Rankings:

1. Mel Giedroyc (Season 4)
2. Rhod Gilbert (Season 7)
3. James Acaster (Season 7)
4. Bob Mortimer (Season 5)
5. Hugh Dennis (Season 4)
6. Noel Fielding (Season 4)
7. Lou Sanders (Season 8)
8. Richard Osman (Season 2)
9. Kerry Godliman (Season 7)
10. Nish Kumar (Season 5)

Season Ranking:

1. Season 7
2. Season 4
3. Season 5
4. Season 8
5. Season 6
6. Season 2
7. Season 1
8. Season 3