Jason Mantzoukas Has Already Accomplished Two Firsts on 'Taskmaster'

Until its 19th season, there had never been an American-based contestant on Taskmaster (Series 12’s Desiree Burch was an American based in the UK, as our commenters have pointed out). There have been a couple of Canadians (Mae Martin, Katherine Ryan), a few Australians and New Zealanders (Sarah Kendall, Sam Campbell, Rose Matafeo), but the best game show in the history of game shows seemed opposed to American comedians, possibly due to the short-lived U.S. edition of the series, which was basically canceled after airing one episode.

I’m not sure why, beyond the fact that he’s a fan himself, but whenever the idea of an American appearing on Taskmaster surfaces, it’s always Jason Mantzoukas who is the first person many suggest. He just seems so well-suited to the series: he’s funny, he’s smart, and he has an erratic personality but also seems like the kind of contestant who will be engaged (and also be a good sport about being admonished for not pronouncing words in the British way). Historically, the chaos agents are typically great cast members but terrible players; Joe Wilkinson and James Acaster immediately spring to mind.

Mantzoukas feels like the kind of player who will create a lot of memorable moments but also finish well in the standings. He’s also the kind of outside-the-box thinker who thrives on Taskmaster. To wit, in his first episode, which aired last week, Mantzoukas did something I don’t think we’ve ever seen any contestant do on Taskmaster.

He brought tools. He has a small toolset that includes not only a pocket knife but also a lock-pick set. Who carries around a lock-pick set? Jason Mantzoukas, that’s who! And not just for the show but in his daily life.

This may seem like a small thing, but on a show where contestants have to complete around 40 tasks each season, those tools can come in very handy. Case in point: in the very first episode, Mantzoukas took advantage of his lock-pick set, scoring second place on a task asking contestants to do something that looks cool both forwards and backwards, and he used his pocket knife. He had to build a tower using carrots, although the knife didn’t do him much good because he basically just stabbed the carrots a lot and ended up with a shit tower.

There’s no rule saying that contestants cannot bring tools along with them, although no one has ever thought to do so. It may be that Mantzoukas has started a trend, one that Alex Horne may have to nip in the bud next season by specifically outlawing outside tools. But for now, it should make for some interesting choices in forthcoming challenges.

Taskmaster, the best thing to happen to my family during the pandemic, can be watched in the United States on YouTube. I must warn you, however, that if you start watching Taskmaster, you’re not going to stop until you’ve seen all 18 previous seasons.