Taskmaster Retrospective: UK Series 12

"What a magnificient and futile use of our mortal lifespan.", Victoria Coren Mitchell, episode 5.

Taskmaster:  UK Series 12

Year:  2021

Channel:  Channel 4

Contestants:  

Alan Davies

Desiree Burch

Guz Khan

Morgana Robinson

Victoria Coren Mitchell

Number of Episodes:  10

Notes:

Series 12 was the last under COVID guidelines, and is an excellent and underrated season

This was a fun cast- all of the contestants went full throttle at the tasks, sometimes brilliant, often weird.   They had fun interacting with each other and trading quips with Greg and Alex.  It's a good group- none of the vocal fighting of series 7 or 9, but great interactions and performances.  

One thing I noticed- the studio tasks were difficult this series.  There were some that either none of the contestants could do, or just a couple.  And this cast is not incompetent- some of the studio tasks were just that impossible to complete.

Portrait Decor:  

Series 12 went with an Steampunk theme, and the portrait has Greg Davies in full cogs and gears...

Best task of the season:

"Prize task:  Most desirable thing for the person below you in the alphabet, or the highest alphabetically if you're the lowest alphabetically."  Any task that has Greg screaming, "Stop being NICE!" is a good task.  And Greg can always count on Victoria to bring things back on track, with the "Most Passive-Aggressive, calculated personal attack, I've ever experienced..."

tied with....

"Live: One at a time, make a noise without the Taskmaster identifying you. The person who makes the most unidentifiable noises wins.".  Just.... WOW...

Worst task of the season:

"Team: Scale the mountain. Your attempt must last exactly five minutes and will be sped up by five times afterwards. Most thrilling ascent wins."  There wasn't a bad task in this season- this one was just a little boring

Trivia:

* The location tasks were at All Saints Pastoral Centre

* Desiree Burch is the first American to appear as a contestant 

* Episode 5 was the 100th episode of the show.

* This was the third (and final) series where the fans were separated due to COVID restrictions.

* This series is close.  Halfway through the last episode, four players are within five points of winning.

Contestant Rankings:

1. Mel Giedroyc (Season 4)
2. Rhod Gilbert (Season 7)
3. Ed Gamble (Season 9)
4. James Acaster (Season 7)
5. Mike Wozniak (Season 11)
6. Rose Matefeo (Season 9)
7. Bob Mortimer (Season 5)
8. Hugh Dennis (Season 4)
9. Morgana Robinson (Season 12)
10. Desiree Burch (Season 12)

Season Ranking:

1. Season 9
2. Season 7
3. Season 12
4. Season 4
5. Season 11
6. Season 5
7. Season 10
8. Season 8
9. Season 6
10. Season 2
11. Season 1
12. Season 3

Taskmaster Retrospective: UK Series 11

Taskmaster:  UK Series 11

Year:  2021

Channel:  Channel 4

Contestants:  

Charlotte Ritchie

Jamali Maddix

Lee Mack

Mike Wozniak

Sarah Kendall

Number of Episodes:  10

Notes:

Much like series 10, series 11 was under COVID guidelines.  This time, the producers had time to prepare (in series 10, social distance guidelines were created halfway through the team tasks). 

Series 11 is better than 10, and sometimes it's as simple as having the right comedians.  Both Lee Mack and (especially) Mike Wozniak are hysterical, and fit right in with the mentality of the show.  There's a reason Mike Wozniak was chosen as the Taskmaster's Assistant for the Junior Taskmaster show. Sarah Kendall also shines in her tasks.  Jamali Maddox alternates- he has a lot of lateral thinking, but there are times he just doesn't seem to care.  Charlotte Ritchie is charming, which is not the same thing as being good at the game.

 

Portrait Decor:  

Series 11 went with an Russian theme, and the portrait has Greg Davies looking like Lenin...

CCCP Davies....

Best task of the season:

"Prize task:  The thing that makes you look the toughest"  Four of the five are excellent, ranging from fuuny and good to hysterically bad.  But then Mike Wozniak steps up to the plate...

Worst task of the season:

"Fart."  I normally really enjoy the tasks assigned to just one person- but I can't stand scatological humor.

Trivia:

* The location tasks were at White Waltham Airport

Contestant Rankings:

1. Mel Giedroyc (Season 4)
2. Rhod Gilbert (Season 7)
3. Ed Gamble (Season 9)
4. James Acaster (Season 7)
5. Mike Wozniak (Season 11)
6. Rose Matefeo (Season 9)
7. Bob Mortimer (Season 5)
8. Hugh Dennis (Season 4)
9. Noel Fielding (Season 4)
10. Lee Mack (Season 11)

Season Ranking:

1. Season 9
2. Season 7
3. Season 4
4. Season 11
5. Season 5
6. Season 10
7. Season 8
8. Season 6
9. Season 2
10. Season 1
11. Season 3

Eating the seed oil

Below is a chart that, in retrospect, I really wish I had included in my posts about yearly economic markers.  It's a chart showing the US Strategic Oil Reserves:

Today, since October of 2022 we have been below 400,000 thousand barrels (occasionally buying up enough oil to get to 415,000.  Before 2022, you have to go back to 1984 to get below 400,000 barrels.

The purpose of the Strategic Oil Reserves if to prevent another Oil Embargo like the OPEC Oil Crisis of 1973-4.  It's the nation's emergency energy fund if a crisis cuts off our supply of oil.

And we've been tapping into it- we're currently about 357,000 thousand barrels of oil.

Now, we're tapping into it before the gas prices are high, because of the War with Iran.  Iran has cut off the Strait of Hormuz, which is preventing oil (and other supplies) from the Middle East to the rest of the world.  The prices are rising, and gas prices going higher is always a politics problem.  So the solution is to tap into the reserves to give the country a greater supply of oil, which lowers the price of gas and reduces the political pressure.

The problem is threefold.

1)  This does nothing to solve the source of the problem

2)  We should replace the barrels to bring back the Reservers.  In theory, this will take place in the future when oil is cheaper.  But what if the price of oil doesn't drop anytime soon?  

3)  The key problem.  Once we use these reserves, until they are replaced, we cannot use them again.  So it's causing a temporary fix- but at some point, we'll stop tapping into reserves (or run out).  At that point, the prices will jump, and if there is another crisis, we won't have the reserves to use.

This isn't a party problem- Biden tapped the reserves for millions of barrels of oil because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and he didn't come close to replenshing the reserves when he left office.  It's the equivalent of throwing an expensive party and sticking the next guy with the bill.  And Trump not only hasn't restored the oil, he's tapping it even further.

Much like us National Debt, we're making a mess and demanding our children clean it up.