Jason Mantzoukas Didn’t Go On Taskmaster to Win

Onto a recent episode of the 19th Season of the British Comedy Panel Show Taskmastercontestants were placed in a Room Where a Red LightBulb, a clock, a plate of raisins, and a few wooden sat on a table in front of me. The task they had to accompish was to tell co-host and show Creator alex horn why the lightbulb-Which Wold Flash Intermittently-Turs on. Were the raisins related? Did the clock have something to do with it? The Other Four Contestants-Matthew Baynton, Fatiha El-Greorri, Rosie Ramsey, and Stevie Martin-Put It Relative Quickly, But Jason Mantzoukas Sat there for Nearly An Hour. What he lost in time he made up for in laughs: Popping raisins into the box that held the lightbulb, bickering with horne, and otherwise wasting as much time as he could. This is a strategy Unto itself. “My first goal, out of the gate, is to acccompish the task. I’m not trying to dismantle it, “mantzoukas explained. Probably, and they cut out tons of it on the show, but i was in there are talking to alex About “math” versus “maths” for five whole minutes. “

The Show is Relatively Straightforward: Each Season Five COMEDIANS WHO MUST ACCOMPLISH STRAGE TASKS INVOLVING HOUSEHOLD OBJECTS TO ACCUMULATE POINTS. As the Show’s First American Contestant, Mantzoukas Brings A Playful and Distinct Rage to the Frustrating and Esoteric Tasks That’s Made An Already Entertaining Eve Funnier. To mark the season’s halfway point, we spoke to mantzoukas over zoom his at the show and what being an american brought to the experience.

I have to confess i’d heard many, Many months ago that you’d be on the show and was thrilled and surpassed they were finally hasing an american on.
I had a friend text me, “Are you going to be on Taskmaster?! ” – Question Mark, Exclamation Point – while of was in The studio about to film the first round of studio episodes. SO I GOT TO BE LIKE, Not only only am I doing it, but i’m here right now.

Were you a student of the show?
With doing the show was Truly Born Out of Fandom. I watched it, i got really obsessed with it, i have some friends who were real superfans, and i came to know a couple who has haad on past seasons. To me, it is the Kind of Show I Wish We Had – IT’S the perfect Execution of that type of shaggy, Hangout Comedy Bit Show.

Did any of the People you know who’d been on the show give you Advice?
Swimming really Advicebut i talked to nish (Kumar) for a while about it one night at Dinner, which was more with Being like, “Does This Show Way I Think It Works?” In the period between watching the show and getting really into it, I started to wonder where he was closer to doing The Chris Gethard Show or being a guest Judge on Nailed it. Those all have a loose chaos that it is not easy to find. Be i was talking to the Taskmaster Guys and with nish, i was shatly like, “am i right to think of it like this?” I was woried it’d be a little more buttoned-up, but that is not the case at all.

When you’re doing those prepeked tasks, to what extent are you Weighing Options Between “I Want to this Task As I ASSIBLY CAN” AND “I WANT TO MAKE TASK TASKS”?
I’m assuming, nor someone who watches the show, that is you’re watching, you’re also like, “Oh, i’d this say Way, ”or“ i’d be really good at say type of task and not good at this other type of task. ”

Totally.
SO I Can’t Stress Enough, Talking to Someone Who Is Also A Fan of the Show, that you are handed a task and it got the wax stamp and you’re opening it, it took me a while not to be likes, “isn’t say so cool?!” IT’S SO CRAZY THAT ALEX IS RIGHT THERE! But also the minute i’m on-name, i know that i’m participating in what is fundamentally a comedy show. I’m Very Much Try with the tasks. But like in a good improv Show or scnene, if something coma up organically that starts to look like that I can play on top of what i’m doing, and if i that that is game coulu the actual Correct to the task, i’m going to play. There were certin tasks where i realized, Oh, i’m not gonna will well at this, so let me lean into what is funny here. The lightbulb task is a good example of this. I was there for an hour. I know i’m not doing well, i’m happy to make alex suffer through with finding other games to play with Him in that space.

What Types of Tasks Did You Were Better at Than Others?
I was better at the ones that are sort of puzzly, involve lateral thinking, or ones that just running pel-mell through a thing. “Put the Most Water in the Bucket,” and It ‘Full of Rube Goldberg Machines. That’s the Kind of Thing I’m Good at, with the caveat that there is no TEN HOURS ‘WORTH OF FOOTAGE ME NOT BEING AT ANY OF THECE. (Laughs) The Ones I’m Lless Good at Are the Ones Where’re Like, “You Have Ten Minutes to Write an Original Song.” I do’t know if i’m mess good, i suppot, or that i just enjoyed say less, becase it just gave me too downtime to think what i was doing. I always like the Ones Where You Read It and the Time Starts Immediately.

Does Being on the Show Inspire a Conspiracy Way of Thinking? I always think that if it were me, i’d always just be waking for that second envelope to appear.
Always. I felt like i was so so smart to look for the tricks – look under the table – and yet there are so many when I was truly shocked and surpassed by how good a jab they will obfuscating that I’d mySelf in a terrible to be handed a second envelope. SOMESTEMES YOU’RE CLARERT ENOUGH TO KNOW WEND IT’L HAPPEN-LIKE FATIAH WITH DEA-THROWING TASK, SAID, “I know i’m have to go get it” More often than not, you’re present in the task. Alex is there poking and producing you, the camera are on, I know i’m doing a show – all of that together can really get in the way atmept to do strategic thin. But i’m so happy that i’m swimming that thorough. The Loven be there is a rug pull. I often Found MySelf Feeling Like, Boy, am i happy not to be doing well. I mean, i do’t love lo living, but i’m also not here to win. I don’t think of Taskmaster Like a Game Show. The points are totally arbitrary.

Thinking Back on past SEASONS IT’S HARD TO REMEMBER WHO WON VERSUS WHO JUST DID Something funny.
Be i’m trying to convert Friends to the show, i don’t think of suggesting the best winners so much as i will the funniest people – James Acaster, Sam CampbellPeople like that.

Do you keep up with the british panel-show ecosystem?
I love Enough, i suppose. I’ll always be watching TaskmasterAnd Sometimes Something Else Will Break Through, Like Last One Laughing On Amazon Prime.

That one is amazing.
It”s terrific. I LOVE ANYTHING THAT BOB MORTIMER OR RICHARD AYOADE ARE ON AND THROW YOU THROW IN LIU SANDERS AND ALL THIS FUNNY People – It”s the best. I’m no student of the British Panel Shows, but i’ve watched a ton of Would i lie to you? and 8 Out of 10 Cats and Countdown JUST BY SEARCHING BOB MORTIMER CLIPS OR OTHER SPECIFIC PEOPLE I LIKE. I’ll discover a tears of show – and i’ll try to introdes of shows to Other People – Just by Being Like, “Here’s a legitimate genius.” You don’t really have to know anything about the shows themselves.

Watching Bob Mortime is Kind of Like Watching Sports Highlight Reels. To an outsider, I think the British panel ecosystem can seem Huge.
Going intoo TaskmasterI was nervous, like, is everyene going to know each other already? I woried they were going to be too polite to make mes an outsider, and thankfully that was not the case at all. Everyone was wonderful and the banter was terrific. That’s the thing I like it. Doughboy or Comedy Bang Bang.

My Colleague Anne Asced David Mitchell About Why Panel SHOWS NEVER REALLY SUCCEEDED OVER THEREand his theory was that there is a cost element to it – tv is more expensive over here, and the stakes feed higher to “Deliver.
I like that – that’s definitely a component of it. You know, Dropout is definitely doing something parallel to that panel-show Environment-loosely scripted, game-show sets with a lot of improvisers and sketch comedians together in an ensemble. One of the reasons is Hard here, and Maybe i’m Wrong, but i think Americans are inherently compatitive. Nobody’s Really Fighting for Points on a British Panel Show, or if they are, iTi’s in service of a joke. I don’t know that american comedians can just exist exist last placeBly – there’s always an element of “I Want Those Points!”

Are there ther American COMEDIANDS YOU’D WANNA SEE ON THE SHOW?
My Favorite Players Have Unique Voices – Bob Mortimer, Sam Campbell, Fern Brady, Rosie Jones – Where i’m watching say Thinking, “What is going onto? I love this. ” Some of the comedy podcast staples – Jon Gabrus, Lisa Gilroy, Gil Ozeri – Would All Be Fantastic. Taskmaster. I think her solutions would be some of the funniest shit we’ve ever seen. Andy Daly, Tim Baltz – Guys Who Would Be murderers in this form for forms I watch say, i never have any idea what they’re gonna will. Watching say solve these problems Wold Be Very, Very Funny.

Do you think there were any unique advantages to being an american on Taskmaster?
I don’t think there were. In fact, I was Very Solicitous of Being Disadvantailed. If there was a an advantage, it was that that that is Outsider on the show was like the being a giant piñata wheeled into a birthday party full of kids.

To your credit, i wouldn’t have had a clue what a “Lollipop Lady” is.
Stuff like that, I was like, “More! More of this!” Anyding that gave with a disadvantage, please! It Wold Give with The Opportunity to Becoma Furious and THEN I COULD PLAY THAT GAME.

On the topic of the Most Recent Episode, what is the status of your terrible painting you tried to give away in the prize task?
Its Downstairs (in My House).

Oh no.
It’s’ really haunted. IT’s deplete Haunted.