I only started watching Taskmaster around series 10-11, so I'm hardly a new fan, but I haven't been around since the very beginning. I knew about the show around 2016 but never watched it because the format sounded very uninteresting to me at the time, as I was more of a fan of traditional British panel comedy (Would I Lie To You, Was It Something I Said, Big Fat Quiz, etc.) so I dismissed it. In a way I'm glad I did, because it meant I had dozens and dozens of episodes to watch when I finally came around to it, and at this point I can safely say it's one of my top 5 favorite TV shows of all time as I've watched through most of it roughly 6-7 times.
Okay, I'm doing fully my opinion on this one, this is a subjective list based on who I find the most entertaining to watch *on this show*. It has nothing to do with how many points they got, how much I enjoyed them on Mock The Week, or anything else. It's just how much did this one person enjoy watching that person on this show, that's all there is to it, so no need to overthink it. Feel free to disagree and let me know how wrong I am in the comments section, even if we completely disagree, it's a show I love and would love to talk to people about it who are also passionate about it. Also, this is just the main UK series, I will probably try to do a different list of New Years Treat contestants sometime, and Australia and New Zealand lists at some point, too. But this is 100 (!!!) people long, and I've already typed up too much, let's get this thing going.
100. Andy Zaltzman, series 18
Probably an unpopular opinion and I don't want to dwell on the negatives, but I will do some projecting here: Andy's jealousy of how much everyone else was enamored with Jack Dee was his most defining attribute throughout his series, and it's weird to me that I've never heard anyone else bring it up. He so clearly wishes he was getting all the positive attention Jack was getting, and I could see him bubbling with that jealousy all the way through, and I think it honestly damaged my ability to fully enjoy him -- but even without that, I still don't think he's particularly fun to watch. He's a total weirdo with some wacky ideas, but I also never really felt like he was even close to as clever as he seemed to think he was. Also I don't give a single crap about Cricket, so that's like an 0/3 for me. Not a fan overall, even though he did make me laugh a couple times. Moving on.
99. Katy Wix, series 9
Katy is a tough one for me, because over her multiple appearances on the TM podcast, I definitely came to understanding her style of humor a lot more, but I just don't think it ever really translated that well to the screen. She's very snarky but in a really subtle way, and on-screen it just makes her seem like a dick. She has some solid artistic task performances and a few really great quips here and there, but overall I've just never really been able to come around on her, even after all these times watching through her series. Can't win them all, I guess, though I'll keep my mind as open as possible the next time through, I just don't know if anything will change.
98. Alice Levine, series 6
The apprehensive other half of Team Funk, I once saw Alice referred to as "a comedic black hole", and honestly it's a phrase I couldn't possibly hope to improve on. She gets that the show is a comedy, and she tries to do things that might be funny, but it feels like the kind of comedy that has been passed through executive meetings to remove any and all personality and actual humor from it. I don't know, she never comes across poorly as a personality, but I can't really point to a single thing she did across her 10 episodes that I found funny or all that memorable. Six was already the first 10-episode series of the show, so by the time it was over I was fully ready to be done watching Alice not be funny.
97. Lou Sanders, series 8
I could probably put Lou higher on this list because when she's good she's great, but when I think about Lou on TM, the first and most vibrant thing that springs to mind is just how much of a whiner she is. The screaming, throwing fits, all of that is just too much for me and it really drags the show down around her. It's weird to me, because I constantly hear people talk about how annoying Iain was on the show for his attitude, but within a few episodes he's a lot more relaxed whereas Lou only gets more and more irate and petulant. I like when someone is good and competitive (frankly, I think it's something that's been sadly missing from the last handful of series' that I would love to see make a comeback), but the whiny brat routine is just annoying and not fun to watch.
96. Dave Gorman, series 3
I'm gonna keep this one super brief: Dave Gorman is not a funny TM contestant. He doesn't do anything memorable, and in only 5 episodes you can't act like he was worn down too much to bring it. He just doesn't work for the show.
95. Munya Chawawa, series 14
One of the most boring contestants in the show's history, Munya brings everything back to Zimbabwe with his anecdotes. That would be fine, but his anecdotes are always incredibly long and incredibly unfunny. He doesn't do anything super creative in tasks, his studio banter largely falls flat, and I just generally find him very dull. Nothing more to say, really.
94. Kerry Godliman, series 7
Very much just the first version of Lou with the whiny brat thing every time anything doesn't go her way, Kerry is pretty much just as bad as Lou but gets to be higher on the list because at least she did it first. That combined with some of the little running gags with her (and her genuinely great pairing with Jessica Knappett) definitely help to make her less unpleasant to watch. But she still really wasn't fun for me to watch most of the time.
93. Sophie Willan, series 17
I appreciate that she tries to bring a little life to the series, and she has a couple moments that work. But pretty much everything about Sophie came across to me as someone who is absolutely desperate to be a beloved contestant who's just so silly and wacky and messes things up, oopsie daisy! This is probably just me, but honestly I just really find Sophie grating, and even in a series that I think firmly belongs on the bottom, she is my least favorite contestant on it. You can't *force* being a fan favorite, you need to just be genuinely funny, and I don't think she is.
92. Jenny Eclair, series 15
It feels like I'm pretty much alternating between contestants who actively annoy me and who just straight up bore me. Well, Jenny bores me. I'm sure she has plenty of fans, and I even remember being pretty excited for her when she was announced, but I just don't think she ever clicked for me in any way at all. No funny moments, her biggest highlight was just laughing sitting on a chair. When the best thing you do across 10 episodes is sit there and laugh as potatoes fall on your head, I can't really consider you a good contestant. I really want to get past this bottom tier, I'm tired of being so negative!
91. John Robins, series 17
It's not particularly fun to watch someone do a great job at everything on Taskmaster. He's the ultimate teacher's pet where he does well on pretty much every assignment and gets the points, but bores the hell out of me the entire time because at no point does he seem to cut loose and enjoy himself instead of just try to get max points at every moment. Undoubtedly a successful contestant, just not one I care to watch at all.
90. Sian Gibson, series 8
Sian is a ray of sunshine. She's so brimming with positive energy that it almost feels like a crime to put her so low, but much like a lot of contestants who land pretty low on this list, she alternates between being pretty boring and pretty annoying. The annoying just comes from excited squeals, so that's just a purely sonic thing, but the boring part is a majority of what she brings to the show, and is much more of a problem for me. She just exists on the show, and is never really a highlight.
89. Richard Herring, series 10
Quietly ultra competitive and incredibly straightforward throughout his series, Richard doesn't do much at all that I find fun or funny. He makes for a good pervert in the bushes, but that's not what puts him out of the bottom 10. For me, it was his next appearance on TM outside of series 10 that made him a touch better in my estimation. It was a slightly more fun appearance, so that pushes him above a couple others. But not by much.
88. Joanne McNally, series 17
Joanne McNally was another contestant who appeared on the show, and that's about all there is to say on her. When I think of her, I think of her prize task of the upside down bats looking like a "goth nightclub" which was completely lifted and just proved to me her lack of creativity. It's not like she's the only person to do this (John Robins basically did the same thing that task, even), but I think it's a strong representation of how uninspired her performance on TM was.
87. Sara Pascoe, series 3
Sara Pascoe is so funny on other shows, it's almost hard to believe how much she fell flat on this one, but here we are. She never outright sucks, but I struggle to pinpoint anything she truly excels at during her appearance on the show. I feel like she could've been great on a different series with a slightly better group for studio banter, but that doesn't change anything. She was just okay.
86. Roisin Conaty, series 1
The original fail contestant, Roisin is one of the most one-note comedians around, so it's no surprise at all that she's very one-note on the show. She is bad at basically everything and just sort of wanders around dumbfounded the entire time. It can be funny, but it really wears thin after not too long: it's probably a good thing she wasn't on a later series with more episodes.
85. Judi Love, series 13
From this point on I feel a little more positive on the contestants. We're out of the 1-star zone and into the 2-star territory, because even though Judi falls flat for me in a lot of ways, she does bring it in the studio, and that really does a lot to help the series as a whole. She's not always super funny, but she's one of those personalities that's hard not to enjoy, even if what she's doing is generally pretty dull from a creative perspective.
84. Daisy May Cooper, series 10
I think I give Daisy a little more of a pass than Lou or Kerry just due to the outcome of her series, and I can forgive her attitude at times on her very obvious pregnancy, which I'm sure had some impact on her mood. That being said, Daisy was pretty crazy to watch during this series, as she could go from almost peeing herself laughing because she was having so much fun, to almost visibly shaking with genuine anger. It was wild, and not always in a good way, so she lands in a weird spot for me.
83. Sarah Millican, series 14
Sarah came into the series with a huge disadvantage over a couple others around her: expectations. When you have a pretty big name show up, it's hard not to be more excited for them, which makes them all the more disappointing when they're just a middle of the road kind of contestant. Now, Sarah I think is actually pretty below average in a lot of ways, but I do think as much as I tried not to let it be the case, it was hard for me not to be at least slightly disappointed by how meh she was on Taskmaster. She's fine, though, so she lands here.
82. Paul Sinha, series 8
Weirdly, last time I did one of these lists a few years back I think I had Paul in last place, through no real fault of his own. Well, over time I've come to appreciate the self-deprecation, and see him as a very subtly sweet contestant on the show. Instead of just feeling bad watching him immediately before his Parkinson's diagnosis, I enjoy him for how willing he is to laugh at himself and not feel the need to prove how he's (obviously) the smartest one in the room. Still not an amazing contestant, but they can't all be.
81. Asim Chaudhry, series 6
Asim is another contestant who has an inherent sweetness to him, and is also one of the first (or maybe the actual first?) person to use the studio in as clever of a way as he did during one of his prize tasks. He's one who doesn't stand out for most of the show, but has a few great moments that really make him pop out from time to time, really bolstering my feeling towards him as a whole. Which is good, because a lot of the time he's pretty flat.
80. Phil Ellis, series 20
It's hard to really look back on contestants when they're so fresh on the mind, but I'll try my best here. Phil is the weakest link on his series, but that's not really his fault, because it's a pretty strong cast. His biggest issue is that he isn't the most clever, crazy, witty, or weird one there. He's just a guy who's having a nice time, and doesn't have those tasks or one-liners that really stand out to me. He's alright, but on a slightly higher average level than some other "just okay" contestants.
79. Steve Pemberton, series 17
Series 17 is so poor that my second favorite contestant from it only barely cracks the top 80 of a list of 100. That's pretty bad, but Steve isn't bad. He's got some genius level prize tasks, and has some really funny and clever moments throughout the show, I just think the series is so weak overall that he's legitimately drug down to a lower level than he probably deserves because of it. All that being said, Steve is perfectly fine, but I can't really come up with a bunch of reasons to push him much higher.
78. Katherine Ryan, series 2
It feels weird to rank her so low on this list, but when I think of the highlights of series 2, not a single one of them involves Katharine. She's my least favorite member of her cast, and that's really just because it's a really fun and varied group. She's pretty fun, pretty clever, but nothing too amazing. So she falls here.
77. Mae Martin, series 15
Another person who is legitimately great at Taskmaster who I just don't really feel all that strongly about, Mae is a very positive presence and has a lot of clever things to do. I'm just never really blown away by them, and I don't particularly care if people nail the tasks and do super well points-wise. Nothing against Mae at all, just falls into the relatively forgettable class of TM contestant for me.
76. Al Murray, series 3
I'm not gonna lie here, I kind of forgot about Al Murray, so I guess he's landing at 76th instead of maybe a couple spots lower just because I think his name looks good next to this number. As you can tell, I'm very scientific in my approach to list making. Al has some great moments in series 3, and he really just feels like a better version of Dave Gorman. Also, his method of throwing money at things makes him into one of the first true Taskmaster villains, which is a role that very few people have ever fallen into. Surely that's gotta be worth something, right?
75. Lolly Adefope, series 4
I honestly feel bad for Lolly, she was a perfectly fine contestant who just happened to be surrounded on all sides by possibly the best cast in the entire history of the show. That being said, Lolly still had some great moments, but she was never able to steal the show from any of the rest of them, and the result is a contestant who really just slips through the cracks in spite of not being bad at all.
74. Russell Howard, series 6
I know a lot of people would probably put Russell much lower on this list, but I do think there's a certain amount of hate that he gets just based on the fact that a lot of people don't enjoy his comedy in general, not just on the show itself. I kind of understand it, and he never really breaks out here, but he still has some shining moments here and there. Sadly, he didn't much enjoy his time on the show, which always paints contestants in a worse light (if you can't laugh at yourself, this is really a bad show for you to be on), but I won't hold that against him too much. Russell Howard is a perfectly fine contestant, and a much better one than the other half of Team Funk.
73. Susan Wokoma, series 16
This is the part of the list where most of the entries are going to feel about the same. I consider everyone from this point on to be more of a 3-star contestant who just happens to land lower than some others just based on how great of a job this show has done at casting. Susan is in an excellent pair with Sue Perkins, and her positive energy is never less than delightful. She's got some truly inspired moments, but I can't act like she's a highlight of that series in spite of being really fun to watch.
72. Sue Perkins, series 16
I think the fact that Sue had more of a hurdle to overcome coming onto this show is what pushes her slightly above Susan for me here. I was really not too enthusiastic about seeing her on TM, but I was very pleased to find my pre-conceived notions about her were simply false, and that Sue Perkins is just not the overly-competitive person who needs to be the smartest one in the room at all times. In fact, she was all too happy to laugh at herself when she did dumb and silly things. It was a lovely surprise, even if she still wasn't the most amazing contestant on that series. Tough competition there, though, so that's no insult.
71. Tim Vine, series 6
Tim isn't really a huge standout contestant, which makes him landing as my second favorite of his series all the more bizarre. He's totally fine, has some decent jokes in there, and of course comes in with one of the greater task outfits in the show -- particularly at the time. But there's something slightly off to me about Tim's sense of humor, as I just don't feel it always translates well to the format of the show. He's punny and seems to be having a great time throughout, but he isn't one who is able to really stand out for me terribly often. He's just solidly enjoyable for most of the show, which is definitely welcome when surrounded by some truly erratic and often unfunny co-stars.
70. Alan Davies, series 12
Series 12 is a contender for my personal favorite series (in spite of being trapped in the COVID-era that made all team tasks and studio bits inherently more awkward), so it almost pains me to put Alan this low, because he really doesn't do anything wrong. But he also doesn't really stand out much. I said it before, I really like all of these contestants to varying degrees, I just have a hard time coming up with more to say about the lower mid-range people than that they just aren't quite as funny, creative, or surprising as some of the others who landed higher.
69. Josh Widdicombe, series 1
When it comes to "important" contestants on TM, you really don't need to go past the first series or two to find the people who really defined the show. And still to this day, I'm not sure if anyone has gone as far for a single task as Josh did with his present for Greg. That alone would put him in this middle tier, but honestly I don't think he has much beyond that to really blow me away. He's a great punching bag while also being a high points scorer and one of the (objectively) most successful contestants on the show. I just don't find him too funny on his own, sadly. It's probably a controversial take, but it's where I land with him, even though I truly admire his commitment.
68. Richard Osman, series 2
I guess I'll get two of my bigger "bad opinions" out of the way now, because as much as I love how Richard found his way around the wording of various tasks and truly chose to see things in a different way, he's also just not someone I find all that funny. He's one of the most influential contestants on the show and has had massive success outside of it in various different ways (I hear his books are quite good, my wife has been talking about reading them), so me putting him this low isn't as much of a slap in the face as it is a counterweight; he's successful enough, he doesn't need my help propping him up even more! But seriously, he's a fun one, just not quite as funny as plenty of others.
67. Doc Brown, series 2
3 for 3 on the hot takes, even though Doc Brown has gone on the record as having not enjoyed being on the show, I found him quite funny and pretty underrated as far as what I've seen others say about him. It's only a 5-episode series, but he leaves his mark in every episode and has highlights every single show, which isn't something most contestants could claim. Even just picturing him punching that fish makes me chuckle, and that's the first thing that comes to mind with him, so he has a huge leg up over a lot of others just for that. Maybe it's crazy putting him higher than the last two, but therein lies the fun in making lists like this. It may not be the popular opinion, but I definitely have some kind of opinion!
66. Rosie Ramsey, series 19
The first person from series 19 to appear on the list, which should tell you a lot about how I feel about that particular cast, Rosie isn't one I expected to put this close to her husband Chris, but here we are! She's a weirdo, has great chemistry with the rest of the cast, but ultimately falls into the bottom of this cast for just not having as identifiable of a role on the show or being quite as funny as some others. You know how it goes, she's here near the middle of the list just because I can't argue her case to be much higher. Still, lots of fun to watch.
65. Chris Ramsey, series 13
I was rooting for Chris at the time the series was going, just because I really enjoyed his northern charm. Now I can't say he would be my favorite on that series by any means (I think I have him as my 4th favorite on here, unless I mixed some things up), but that doesn't mean he isn't still a lot of fun. He's just lower due to being a relatively straightforward contestant. That's not a bad thing by any means, he just isn't one who's likely to really catch you off-guard with something wild and creative, which I think is something I've just come to hope for over time. But it takes all kinds to make the show fun to watch, and Chris definitely filled a crucial role.
64. Frank Skinner, series 1
The guy who basically gave this show the credibility to bring in all the names it did, Frank is quite possibly the most important contestant the show has ever had. But he's not as high as he is on this list because of that, he's up here in this range because I just genuinely find him hilarious in the studio segments. Particularly in episode 2(?) when he spends a majority of the episode making fun of himself for his incredibly inane backwards video effort. He's funny, quippy, and maybe not the most exciting to watch at times, but is great at elevating the moment with his one-liners and reactions.
63. Sarah Kendall, series 11
I think Sarah would be lower on this list if not for her furious second appearance (much like Richard Herring) which helped push her up for me, because I think she fell slightly flat compared to a few of her castmates on series 11. But Sarah isn't just a straightforward, boring contestant, because she has a bubbling rage that can make her quite hilarious when it bursts through. There's one episode later on in series 11 where she's just genuinely angry and unlike some others before her, that anger doesn't come across as whiny or childish, she just gets funnier and funnier. That's what I like to see.
62. Maisie Adam, series 20
Much like Sarah, Maisie is someone with a pretty standard approach to tasks, but unlike Sarah she finds it virtually impossible to hide that rage during a majority of her time on the show. That makes her both very funny to watch as she has angry meltdowns pretty frequently, but also someone who is thoroughly enjoyable to watch and she bulldozes through tasks without overthinking and then flips out when she's done the grave injustice of being scored properly. I guess I'm just saying I much prefer rage over whining, and Maisie brings that in spades.
61. Sophie Duker, series 13
I don't know if it was clear from the beginning, but Sophie is a bit of a weirdo. She's got a pretty dark sense of humor and a morbidity to her that you wouldn't expect from the bright clothes, but that doesn't mean she's some weird goth or anything, she just doesn't necessarily fit into the youthful golden retriever archetype quite how I expected (I admittedly didn't know her at all going into her series), and that weirdness worked well compared to a few others in her cast that didn't go into bizarre directions hardly at all.
60. Phil Wang, series 7
Part of me feels bad for Phil, as he does seem to take the harshest beating of maybe any contestant in the history of the show from Greg (who has even admitted he's felt bad about how he treated him), but the other part of me thinks he's fully aware that he made for a great punching bag, especially once he saw what his task costume looked like on camera. Still, in the grand scheme of "disaster contestants", Phil isn't near the top of that list by any means, but he's a sort of anchor in a cast made up of lunatics, and I don't care what anyone says, his running haggling jokes were always funny to me.
59. Desiree Burch, series 12
I think Desiree is the first American contestant on the show (even though she is UK-based), and that had me initially concerned, as I thought she was just going to be too abrasive for the show. Turns out, she's not super abrasive, meshes with the rest of the cast perfectly, and is incredibly lovable while also bringing some chaos to the show. An unexpectedly fun contestant.
58. Katherine Parkinson, series 10
Series 10 was very awkward, the tasks were really starting to get confusing, the COVID-era restrictions put both the studio and team tasks in a rough spot, and Katherine was way out of her depth for all of it even under normal circumstances. At times I find her to be very funny and charming, especially since she's clearly trying her hardest to be competitive and completely failing over and over again, but there are times (much like with Phil Wang) where I just genuinely felt bad for her. And I don't generally want to feel bad during Taskmaster, even if some contestants use that as a sort of jet fuel to propel them into a higher tier through sheer lovability. Katherine doesn't quite reach that level, but she is still a fun one to watch overall.
57. Rosie Jones, series 18
Rosie has been a question mark hanging over Taskmaster for years now, and one I had assumed would be left unanswered, as she is a contestant they would literally have to build the series around to physically accommodate her. Well, as it turns out, Rosie is the kind of hilarious goofball who doesn't need everything to be changed for, as she seems to go into anything half-expecting to fail but doesn't seem to mind in the slightest. She's funny, creative, weird, gross, and a perfect foil to Jack Dee. Honestly, those two make for one of the all-time greatest Taskmaster teams just for sheer contrast of character. I knew Rosie had the potential to be a fun contestant, and I'm glad that she proved me right.
56. John Kearns, series 14
John Kearns isn't particularly funny to me. I find his TM podcast appearances almost impossibly boring to sit through, and the bits I've seen of his character on stage is painfully unfunny. Luckily, this isn't a list of my favorite contestants who have appeared on Taskmaster, this is a list of my favorite Taskmaster contestants, and because of that John Kearns lands in a pretty favorable spot. He's very different from almost any other person who's been on the show, very slow and deliberate, as if his brain needs to buffer every 20 or 30 seconds. His prizes are truly horrendous almost every time, he's awkward as hell, and he just makes for a really fun punching bag. Some people would have him higher, which I get, but for me he lands here.
55. David Baddiel, series 9
Pretty much the quintessential bottom tier Taskmaster scorer, David Baddiel is slow and plodding, often completely misunderstanding the tasks or simply not fully processing that speed matters at all, I find him more funny just in how he interacts with others and how completely he falls into the role of being the dumbest one -- even while he insists that he's actually quite smart. The live team task with Ed Gamble is one of his best moments, as he infuriates Ed to no end. Classic stuff.
54. Rob Beckett, series 3
Series 3 routinely lands pretty low on my lists of favorites in the show's run, but Rob Beckett is one of the 2 shining lights that keeps it from being the absolute bottom. Even when he's showing genuine frustration during tasks and admittedly struggles to remember anything that happened throughout the filming of the tasks (his wife having just given birth to their child), he's still energetic, funny, weird, and throws himself headfirst into just about everything. He's a pretty standard example of what you should come to expect in the future for what contestants ought to be like.
53. Sanjeev Bhaskar, series 20
It took me a minute to really come to appreciating Sanjeev and what he brings to series 20, but every episode reveals more and more why he's an excellent "elder statesman" for the show. He isn't trying desperately hard to win, and in a lot of ways you can tell he doesn't genuinely care about the points like some of the others do, but he never acts like he's somehow above the competition, and is the first to jump in with great little one-liners and quips. He's really very similar to me to the next guy I have up on the list, just not one who you could ever claim was as influential to the show, for obvious reasons.
52. Mawaan Rizwan, series 10
Often cited by people as one of the most creative contestants we've seen on the show, Mawaan gets to be most known as the guy who tried to fill an egg with helium to get it to float. I guess "creative" is one way to describe something like that, but you have to love a show that pushes people's brains to such a cartoonish level that something like that can even momentarily become a thought one might have. He's not always the most brilliant guy, but has some genius ideas, is solid in the studio, and definitely holds up as one of the best things about series 10 -- even if there is one more person in that series who I have much higher on the list.
51. Ania Magliano, series 20
Not terribly competitive but is clearly trying her best, Ania is another contestant who is pretty straight down the line what you might hope for, but not in a way that at all feels like a carbon copy of anyone else. She's funny, weird, oddly sweet, and has some out of the box ideas and approaches to things that definitely make her one you're excited to see when the next task is announced. With this series being so fresh on my mind, I would find it difficult to put her too much higher than this, but she just might settle 10+ spots above this once the dust settles. I suppose we'll see when we get there.
50. Morgana Robinson, series 12
I was a little concerned with Morgana when she was announced, as I only knew she was a comedian mostly known for doing impersonations, and I honestly don't want to see someone come onto the show playing an array of characters as much as I like to see the comedic personas of the contestants get broken down over the course of the show. Luckily, she only did occasional voices and characters when the tasks called for it, and instead we got someone who was even more deranged and weird than I honestly expected. Sure, she got overscored from time to time, but it's easy to see why. She's so odd and charming that it's hard not to want to reward her for just being a weirdo.
49. Lee Mack, series 11
Lee Mack is probably the single contestant most directly damaged by the COVID era as far as his performance on the show. Anyone who's watched Would I Lie To You would know that he's a performer and his studio banter feeding off the energy of the crowd would have undoubtedly elevated him to a much higher level, but even without his main strength being fully harnessed, Lee was still a ton of fun to watch. He was desperate to just not finish last, and his panic made for very entertaining pre-taped segments, and when he was able to slip in one-liners along the way they pretty much always hit. He's a naturally very sharp and funny guy, so seeing him break down and mess up as chaotically as he often did made for some great TV.
48. Iain Stirling, series 8
Here's another hot take: apart from being way too hardcore during the first couple episodes, Iain was one of the best things during series 8. I think a big factor that makes him so much more fun to me than Lou was the fact that he didn't get his way very often. He'd put up fights for his performance in tasks, and his complaints would often go unrewarded, which led to his failures being a little more frequent, and therefore more funny. Also, he just has some genuinely hilarious moments throughout the series that I think stand as among the best in the entire run of the show. An over-hated contestant by my estimation, though I do understand why he's just too abrasive for a lot of people.
47. Paul Chowdhry, series 3
To this day I still don't know if I'm more grateful or disappointed that we didn't get 10 episodes of Paul. This man has more of an unbroken comedic persona than anyone else on the show, and even in his TM podcast appearances I still have no clue how much of him is the real him and how much of him is just a bizarre character he's put on. Legend tells of his own incapability of being able to identify what's real and what isn't. But I will say that, even without breaking that character, he's one you're always nervous and excited to see, as you really have no idea if what he's about to do will be completely stupid and insane, or genuinely brilliant. He's a totally unique contestant, but he can also be a little bit difficult to line your brain up with at times to fully enjoy.
46. Jamali Maddix, series 11
There's something weirdly charming about Jamali's approach to the show, even if he often (especially early on) didn't appear to be interested in the show at all. But as it goes along you see he's just an odd guy with a very direct approach to things that can translate as aloof and disinterested. He is creative, for sure, but he's also totally willing to just stomp on stuff and take the straight path. His weird antagonistic relationship with Lee Mack is one of my favorites in the series, as he seems to decide early on that instead of sucking up to a comedy icon, he's going to subtly harass him. He's just funny to me here, and I love this series, so he goes higher than a lot of other people would probably have him.
45. Lucy Beaumont, series 16
I still don't know exactly how I feel about Lucy Beaumont's character, as she does come across as a pretty exaggerated caricature of a ditsy woman, but regardless of her putting on a bit of an act, she makes for a great TM contestant. Going into the series I knew deep down that she would have to be a last place finisher, and I was not disappointed by her. She's weird, her stories make almost no sense, she just has the kind of brain that doesn't seem to work the way it should, and I mean that in the best way possible. Sometimes she was brilliant, other times she was just weird and didn't seem to know what was going on. She's pretty much a slam dunk casting decision, as she was on TM exactly what you might expect her to be based on every other appearance she has made on anything else ever.
44. Kiell Smith-Bynoe, series 15
Kiell came to the show at a time when it felt like competitive contestants were few and far between. Series 7-10 were riddled with them, but Kiell was pretty much on his own for being desperate to do well and argue with Greg about every single point along the way. Had he showed up 5 series earlier it's possible I wouldn't have enjoyed Kiell so much, and much like with Iain Stirling, I feel like his frequent failure along with his inherent competitiveness made for a more entertaining contestant. In a lot of ways, Kiell was a breath of fresh air, injecting a lot more life into the competition side of the show, and I still find him super charming and fun to watch even outside of that.
43. Sally Phillips, series 5
It almost feels wrong putting Sally so low on this list, but again, there are so many great contestants on Taskmaster that this is just how it's landed. With some of the best moments of series 5 under her belt, Sally leaned headfirst into the show and its silly nature in ways that a lot of people didn't expect, but only served to amplify her series to one of the best in the entire show's history. She has a couple task performances that are genuinely legendary, but even when she isn't the star of the show, she still brings a lot of joy and energy to it.
42. Fatiha El-Ghorri, series 19
I was actually slightly familiar with Fatiha going into series 19, and I was honestly kind of dreading it. Everything I'd seen or heard her on I didn't find particularly funny, and her whole schtick seemed to be just being crass and/or rude, and it didn't feel like she would be a good fit for the show at all. I'm so happy I was so deeply wrong, she was great on this show, and her persistent flirting with/at Greg made for one of the best comedic throughlines of the series. She's a pretty low energy contestant, but she's always got something funny or snarky to say, and she's such a genuinely positive presence to the show. I wasn't just surprised by her, I was completely won over. Once again, I was reminded that I just need to trust the show.
41. Babatunde Aleshe, series 18
Within an episode or two, I pretty much fell in love with Babatunde, as he is just an incredibly sweet and charming presence, but I'm not gonna lie, he didn't do much to impress me in the latter half of his series. He's just such a relaxed dude that he often slips into the background, but when it comes to contestants I would most like to just be around, Babatunde is right up near the top of the list. He's also one of those great contestants who clearly didn't know what he really signed up for, because he often seemed completely baffled and thrown off by how silly the show was, which is always delightful to see. He's not a flashy one, but I just have a huge soft spot for him on the show.
40. Jack Dee, series 18
Alex Horne's white whale, I didn't think he'd ever get to finally have Jack Dee on the show (Jack himself frequently stated that he didn't want to do it), so even just for Alex I'm glad Jack showed up. But he didn't just show up, he genuinely tried and seemed to have an absolute blast doing it. His pairing with Rosie is an all-timer, and we see the always-grumpy comic break down into laughter about 100x more often than you might have expected. He still leans into the character when he can, but the walls come down fairly often, and it's clear that he is having loads of fun, which just makes him even more entertaining to watch. High expectations going in, and he didn't disappoint.
39. Nish Kumar, series 5
Oh, when I said earlier that David Baddiel was the quintessential disaster contestant, I somehow forgot about Nish. I have been writing a lot today, you'll have to forgive me. But yeah, Nish is that guy. He's always laughing, always messing up, and at no point does he take it too seriously. I don't typically find Nish all that funny (I don't really get into political comedy most of the time), but he leans so far away from it during his run on the show that it never would've crossed my mind that he would even know anything about politics. Honestly, after watching him on this show, I'm not sure if he knows how to flush a toilet or feed himself, which just makes for some incredible TV. And yet, he's still only my 4th favorite of his series! Seriously, series 5 is overpowered.
38. Julian Clary, series 16
Another contestant I went into the show not really sure of, and came away totally charmed. Julian was the perfect balance between competent, silly, snarky, and lackadaisical. At no point did he ever seem to be in a huge rush to do anything, but he also leaned in and tried to do funny and clever things. His snarky comments toward Alex always give me a chuckle, and he was a perfect foil to the madness of Sam and Lucy. I could see some people saying I'm putting him too high, but for me this feels just right.
37. Jo Brand, series 9
I mean, how could I really put Jo and Julian any kind of distance apart? It would be weird, since in a lot of ways they bring the same energy to the show. They're both slow-paced, super snarky, older contestants who don't have anything to prove but still come up with funny and weird ways to go about doing the tasks that are always made funnier by their contrast with the other contestants. Jo is probably lazier, which in ways makes her a little funnier to me, especially as she sits between Ed and Rose, who are having the heated battle of a lifetime, so she was a much-needed presence on her particular series.
36. Jessica Knappett, series 7
I'm not quite sure why, but pretty much every time I make a list of my favorites, Jessica Knappett slowly works her way up. I can't quite put my finger on it but between her lovely pair-up with Kerry Godliman, her tumble off the aptly-titled Knappett, and her weird, goofball energy, I just find her to be a consistently funny contestant on one of the great serieses of the show. No, she isn't super flashy, but in a lot of ways she's a glue contestant helping hold the whole thing together, which is an underrated quality for a contestant to have.
35. Joe Thomas, series 8
Speaking of un-flashy contestants, Joe Thomas is one of those people who you might not initially find too great, but over the course of his series and many rewatches, I've only come to enjoy him more and more. He's such a straightforward, simple sort of guy who can unironically bring in the green bit on a tomato or a grape as his prize tasks, but he's so disarmingly charming and genuine that you can't help but to love him. Also, he gets to have one of the all-time greatest freakout moments in the history of the show, which I won't spoil here if you somehow haven't seen it, but is truly his defining moment. He's super awkward, but totally loveable, and is one of the few contestants who has been unanimously elected by the TM fandom as hands-down the best contestant on his series.
34. Dara O'Briain, series 14
I already enjoyed Dara from his previous appearances on shows I'd seen, so he along with Sarah Millican were ones who entered their series with higher expectations for me, but unlike Sarah, I think Dara really fully lived up to them. Not only is he very good at tasks, he also has very unique ideas, and is able to be funny and clever in out-of-the-box ways. I don't care for successful contestants who don't take big, weird swings, but Dara (as desperate to win as he was) definitely took some weird swings. Also, his team tasks where he's forced to babysit John Kearns alongside Fern Brady make for some great entertainment. Watching his head almost explode during a particular live task involving helicopters was absolutely amazing.
33. Charlotte Ritchie, series 11
Much like Jessica Knappett, Charlotte is one who keeps climbing up and up my rankings, and I can't particularly explain why. I'm not one of those people who always picks the low scoring people as my favorite, so I think it's just that she's so sweet and endearing, it's impossible for me not to enjoy her as she turns into a children's TV host during the course of the show. Overall I think 11 had one of the strongest casts, and Charlotte lands as my second-favorite of the five at this point. For context, when her series first came out I think she was at the bottom. It's funny how much changes over time!
32. Bridget Christie, series 13
From the first episodes of the series, I was deeply unsure about Bridget. As much as I enjoyed her task outfit, she didn't do too much to really show me who she was. But after not too long I got to see who she was, and it turns out she's a total weirdo. Just like some of the greats, I have no idea why she thinks things the way she does, but that just makes her perfect for the show. Sometimes she would do the most insane crap, and other times she'd do something totally genius, completely subverting the entire task. And sometimes, she would do both at the same time. I honestly have no idea how, but that's a true statement, and you know it too. She's a lot of fun, and is one of the big highlights of her series on every rewatch.
31. Reece Shearsmith, series 20
Part of me wants to put Reece higher up on this list, but due to the freshness of the series I just know I can't do that. I was talking earlier about how much fun I have watching contestants with a bubbling rage, but Reece is one who can't hide it at all. And it comes out, pretty frequently even. A lot of the time I don't even fully understand what he's mad at, but it makes him a pretty great victim to some awful luck, because he picks the silliest things to direct his rage at, and the results turn otherwise unwatchable tasks into pretty hilarious content. The tasks themselves are pretty weak in series 20 (the first few episodes in particular I think had some of the worst in the whole show) but Reece was always able to elevate them just by being him.
30. Tim Key, series 1
I spoke way earlier about how Al Murray got to fill a rare "villain" role on the show, but I deliberately avoided naming the real first ever Taskmaster villain: Tim Key. Not only was he one of the first outside the box thinkers on the show, he also was unafraid to lie and cheat to get the outcome he wanted. He's also the first contestant to wear a silly outfit during the show, making him in a lot of ways one of the most important contestants on the entire show. All of that aside, he's still just really funny to watch, as he alternates between being really clever and trying his hardest, to just being a goofball who doesn't seem to care if he wins or loses.
29. Aisling Bea, series 5
When it comes to contestants you just don't hear people ever talk about, good or bad, Aisling is confusingly among that list. I don't quite get why, because she's pretty consistently hilarious the entire show. Maybe it's because she doesn't have a lot you might include on a highlight reel, but she fills the "glue" role incredibly well, and has loads of great lines and moments throughout the series. Just a naturally funny person who was entertaining in all facets of the show, and I think definitely falls into the underrated category.
28. Frankie Boyle, series 15
Frankie Boyle is another guy who had openly said he didn't want to do the show, so I had just written off as a possibility. So I was surprised, delighted, and also quite concerned when he was cast. I know he wasn't going to be the same edgy comic he was 10-20 years ago, but I also didn't really know how he might play on the show. Turns out, he's incredibly sweet and charming as well as being a snarky bastard. I was thrilled that he was as genuinely entertaining and fit the format of the show as well as he did. I also really loved his pairing with Ivo, the dysfunctional father and son task duo. Also also, every time Frankie laughs, it gives me a big chuckle and a huge grin knowing that he was having as much fun on the show as I had watching him on it.
27. Ed Gamble, series 9
I feel like a lot of diehard TM fans would put Ed at least 10 spaces higher than this, but when I really think about Ed as a contestant, he isn't even my favorite on his series overall, even though he really does have tons of funny moments and his studio flip-outs are some of the best in the game. Maybe I'm just punishing him for being so straightforward in so many of the tasks, and I enjoy people who are just a little bit weirder than him, but don't be mistaken: Ed is still weird as hell. If you don't agree, I've got a jar of chickpeas that would like to have a word with you.
26. Joe Wilkinson, series 2
After watching the first 3 series or so, I remember making a list to myself of the contestants on it who I think were the most perfect for this show, and at that time Joe was easily my #1. This is a show made for people like him as well as David O'Doherty, Paul Foot, and Sam Simmons (none of which somehow haven't appeared on the show yet??) types, who just have a wonky, wacky way of seeing things. Sure, at times he fell flat on his face, but in a lot of ways what Joe brought to the show was the platonic ideal of what this show has to offer -- and I'm not just talking about the potato throw incident. It's a show about funny people doing funny things in their own funny ways, and the fact we only got to see 5 episodes of Joe doing just that is a small-scale tragedy.
25. Emma Sidi, series 18
I didn't know Emma Sidi at all going in, but I loved the costume, so that was at least in her favor. I expected her to be a ruthlessly efficient tryhard, and she very much wasn't. I expected her to not be all that funny and be pretty straightforward, and she proved me wrong there, too. Over the course of series 18, I came to appreciate her more and more and more, until by the end I just had to admit that she was my favorite on the show, which is such a great arc to have for someone who I was wholly unfamiliar with going in. She's kind of a perfect contestant in a lot of ways, and is only not higher up on this list because of how many amazing contestants there really are. We are well into 4-star territory here.
24. Stevie Martin, series 19
Just like with the previous series, I went into this one fully expecting a down-the-line contestant who cared more about points and winning than with anything else, and YET AGAIN I was proven wrong. I'm starting to think I'm just a deeply cynical person and I need to stop randomly guessing things, but hey, at least I'm 100% open to admitting and being proven wrong, right? Anyway, Stevie was an absolute blast, and she's another one who made up one half of an incredible two-some. I'm pretty sure 19 is my favorite series in the whole run of the show, and Stevie is a pretty big part of that.
23. Rose Matafeo, series 9
The other half of the ever-intensifying battle for the series 9 crown with Ed Gamble, Rose brings the same level of desperation and fury as Ed, but does it while also just being slightly more fun and interesting to watch. They're really quite similar in a lot of ways, in fact I should have put them back to back on this list just for how close they are in my book, but I think I'm just less burnt out on Rose than I am with Ed -- so in a lot of ways, the gap between these two is the fault of the TM podcast, which is admittedly, slightly unfair. But it's Taskmaster, baby, it doesn't need to be fair.
22. Jon Richardson, series 2
It's been a long time since I've seen any kind of popularity poll on Taskmaster contestants, so maybe opinions have changed over the past few years, but I seem to recall one of the last ones I saw had Jon Richardson remarkably low, and that's something I just don't understand. He is the most consistently funny, creative, competitive, and all-round entertaining contestant on series 2 in my eyes, and that's only been solidified for me after multiple rewatches. He's also among the most robbed contestants on the show, even though I'd be lying if I said I cared too much about the points awarded on this silly comedy show. Still, he brings about some of the best moments on his series, I love him in the studio, and I think he tends to get overlooked as being one of the greats from the early run of the show.
21. Victoria Coren Mitchell, series 12
I wasn't expecting much from Victoria, as she lands more in the comedy-adjacent territory that Richard Osman and the like come from. But she proved to be an excellent last place finisher, with some hilarious studio stuff, and some truly heartwarming moments during her time on the show. She isn't the most inventive person, but the peeks into her mind reveal exactly what you might expect from the type of person to be married to David Mitchell, and it was super endearing watching her. I don't have much else to say, she was just a really wonderful contestant.
20. Liza Tarbuck, series 6
I've had a pretty rocky relationship with Liza and my past viewings of series 6. I didn't like this series, and the first time through it I didn't clock her as someone I enjoyed at all. Later viewings I would find things here and there that I found alright about her, but still didn't really enjoy her all that much. But something like the 4-5th time I watched it (way too many, I know) something just unlocked and I came away completely won over. Liza is so relatable to me in how she has flashes of inspiration that lead her to some absolutely wonderful results, but other times she has absolutely no ideas and that frustration is palpable. So she's very much an all-or-nothing type contestant, which I understand is probably infuriating for a lot of people, but I still loved her. Then, her next appearance on the show outside of series 6 totally pushed her over the edge. She's great, silly, and just perfect for the show.
19. Nick Mohammed, series 17
Maybe it's the overly detailed vampire costume, maybe it's the fact that the series 17 cast was uniformly dull, maybe it's that he's one of the most adorably incompetent contestants of the last 5-10 series, but man oh man I found it hard not to be completely won over by Nick. He was the shining beacon of light on that series, and by the second half one of the only reasons to even keep watching it. I was invested in his journey, even though it became abundantly clear fairly early on that he was going to do terrible and likely finish in last place. But it didn't matter, he was so sweet and charming, I couldn't help but to be completely enamored every time it was his turn on the stage. Never before (and hopefully never again) has a single contestant carried an entire series like Nick did, and even though he only barely limped across the finish line, he came out like a real champ and the clear MVP. Thank you, Nick, for saving the show.
18. Mark Watson, series 5
I don't think I fully realized just how funny Mark Watson was the first time I watched through this series. I don't even know if I realized it the second or third times, if I'm being completely honest. But at this point, it's hard for me not to see him as one of the best things to come out of it, even if just for his intensely awkward presence and nervous energy. He's one of those rare contestants who seems like he's doing terribly, but actually scores remarkably well, and winds up being as much of a punching bag as Nish at times, which almost seems impossible. So he's really the best of both worlds, a contestant who fills a role that we rarely see on the show. But there's one contestant who I think fills that role just a tiny bit better.
17. Mathew Baynton, series 19
Mathew really does get it both ways. He's a huge scorer who takes a huge lead right out the gate and becomes an obvious winner super early in the series, but still (largely due to his questionable outfit choice) winds up taking hit after hit after hit, and really gets clowned on again and again. He has some genuinely humiliating moments, moments of total genius, and comes out of all of it still seeming like an absolute gentleman. It's bizarre, but there was something magical about series 19 that allowed for things like this to happen. Mathew is one of those contestants I went into the show expecting nothing from, and walked away completely won over and totally charmed.
16. Ivo Graham, series 15
Ivo was on my list of "why hasn't he been on this show yet??"s for a couple years before he finally showed up (alongside a few others who are yet to appear, like Rhys James and Harriet Kemsley), so when he finally did pop up, the expectations were super high. And clearly, he didn't disappoint me. He's every bit as much of a panicky disaster as I had hoped he might be, and even though I think the tasks in series 15 are pretty disposable, he still made the most of his time, and was a total highlight in pretty much every episode of the show. Even though I really enjoy Ivo Graham, I was rooting for him to do poorly the entire time just because he's so funny when he's being picked on (his Off Menu bit with the phone calls is a perfect encapsulation), so this was very much a dream come true situation for me.
15. Bob Mortimer, series 5
I can almost feel the pitchforks and the torches approaching, but as much as I absolutely love Bob Mortimer both on TM and outside of it, I think I'm going to return to the Joanne McNally segment briefly to succinctly explain why he isn't higher: recycled material. If I hadn't seen anything he did outside of the show, this likely wouldn't be a problem at all, and he'd probably be 5 or 10 spaces higher, maybe even top 10. But the fact of the matter is he has some moments on the show that I've seen from him elsewhere. That, paired with the fact that he, despite clearly having fun, didn't seem to really let the show sink in in a lot of ways. It's hard to explain, but this whole segment makes it sound like I don't like Bob, but I really love him on this show. I think he has the perfect mind for TM, doesn't take the competition of it too seriously, and has some task moments (as well as studio segments) that are some of the best of all-time. Actually, as I type this, I'm realizing he needs to go higher...well, I'm about to make this whole bit really confusing, but I was about to have him land at #21. This has been corrected, I can't do that to Bob. I would rewrite this segment, but I kind of prefer it this way. Gotta keep you on your toes.
14. Ardal O'Hanlon, series 13
I didn't grow up watching Father Ted, in fact I don't believe I've ever seen a full episode of it. So I didn't come into this series with any particular pre-existing fondness for Ardal, but I definitely walked away a fan. He's so damn funny in the studio, to the point that I almost don't even care what he does during the tasks during a lot of the show. I think he's genuinely in the highest tier of Taskmaster contestants just based on how unexpectedly antagonistic he is towards everyone else's task attempts while also being completely awful during most of his own. And he does it all with a sly grin, to the point where you never once see him as any sort of bad guy. He's just so charming and fun, and holds up really well after multiple rewatches as being easily my favorite of his series.
13. Sam Campbell, series 16
Sam is an odd duck. He's got a very specific sense of humor, and is definitely one of the more impish contestants we've seen on the show. I didn't know much about him going into his series, but he seemed to be very much one of those "comedians' comedian" types, which doesn't always translate well. But man oh man, he was delightfully loony. He has tons of memorable and weird task performances, he's super artistic (as could be seen in a particular portrait of James Acaster from series 7), and is very much one of those people who you eagerly anticipate seeing what they're gonna do every single time a new task pops up. I love when you have wild, unpredictable people on the show, and Sam is very much naturally that person. In case you were wondering, we are fully in 5-star territory at this point.
12. Joe Lycett, series 4
This whole section is going to be a little weird, but let me just start by saying Joe Lycett is another one of those people who should have been the funniest person in his entire cast. Creative, fully willing to laugh at himself, competitive enough, but is just having an absolute blast the entire way through. Absolutely a top tier contestant.
11. Hugh Dennis, series 4
Oh look, someone else from series 4! Hugh also has an argument for being my favorite of his series, as he's one of the great outside the box thinkers on the show, but sadly for him he never seems to get rewarded for it. His arguments are a little weird, but he's also so fun for Greg to pick on, I don't think he could resist the urge to put Hugh in his place. He's great in the studio, throws himself into the tasks, and just gets better every time I go through his series.
10. Noel Fielding, series 4
Oh look, someone else else from series 4! Noel could just as easily be my #1 from series 4, as he's such a creative force on the show, and he's such a silly man, that it's really hard for me not to be totally sucked in every time he pops up on screen. I know some people complain that his camouflage task shouldn't count, or whatever, but those people are inherently boring and don't want to use their imagination. I'd take a Noel-type every series if enough of them existed, but sadly he is truly one of a kind. Easy top 10 material.
9. Mel Giedroyc, series 4
It was impossible for me to fully separate the cast of series 4, as you can clearly see, so I had to pretty much shove them all in the same spot, because on any given day my order of these four could totally change. Mel, however, feels a little different and is usually the one I put at the top. She's so genuinely sweet and delightful the entire way through, and would pretty much top anyone's list of the most loveable contestants who have ever appeared on the show. She's definitely right up there on mine, so I feel good having her here at number 9.
8. Romesh Ranganathan, series 1
Once again, genuine anger earns massive points for me! Romesh was the original rage contestant, and even when he's doing ho-hum tasks, I find him hilariously watchable. He gets so angry by so much, but is never incapable of laughing at the absurdity of everything going on around him. And while we don't really need to go into individual tasks, "Tree Wizard" is still an all-timer that is both hilarious and incredibly stupid. It's nice seeing someone as serious as him be so silly. Anyway, Romesh was the guy I immediately loved, and he's stayed right near the top of my list after countless rewatches.
7. Guz Khan, series 12
There are contestants from time to time who I just like on a difficult to quantify level. Guz is one of those guys, he just has that "it" factor that makes him insanely likable every time he pops up. He's a funny guy who makes every task work, even when he isn't doing anything all that impressive. I also enjoy myself a mischievous contestant, and he's so great at BSing his way through the prizes and studio segments that it's impossible not to be won over by his charm. I didn't even really know him before the show, but every time I got back through 12 (which, as I've said before, is among my favorites) he is the number 1 highlight for me. Easy top 10.
6. Jason Mantzoukas, series 19
When the announcement of a famous American contestant was made months in advance of the cast reveal, a lot of people expected that to be Paul F. Tompkins (who I still think is a genuinely perfect fit for the show), but when it was revealed to be Jason Mantzoukas, I not only wasn't disappointed, I was absolutely thrilled. He's the kind of chaotic guy the show needs to break out from time to time, and he has shown to play well with UK comics in the past, so he really was bound to be a great contestant. I hesitate to put him higher only because the series is still so fresh, but I don't see him dropping out of my top 10 anytime soon, and could very well wind up on the Mount Rushmore of TM contestants by the time the show finally runs its course. Absolute madness, and is incredible with his teammate Stevie.
5. Rhod Gilbert, series 7
Torturing Alex is something that has became a bit of a standard throughout the series, and while there have been plenty of other examples of it, it's really Rhod who is the gold standard for that approach. Between bringing in the same prize again and again to make fun of Greg and the way he torments Alex during the pre-taped segments, Rhod provided some of the most hilarious, aggressive, and wild antagonism the show has ever seen. He's still got a handful of the funniest moments in the history of the series, and may still be the single most chaotic contestant there's been. That's crazy to say, even after the wildness of Jason Mantzoukas, but I think it's the truth. Anyway, he instantly became a favorite of mine, and I just don't see that ever changing.
4. Johnny Vegas, series 10
I feel like I might be the only person in the world who has Johnny Vegas as a top 5 contestant, but I genuinely don't understand why that is. Series 10 was pretty disastrous in my opinion, largely due to the aforementioned COVID restrictions, but what Johnny brought to the show was never once anything less that captivating. Not only was he wildly inventive and silly, but I have not ever felt so emotionally attached to a contestant, wanting to see them do well. There is something deeply vulnerable about him that makes him both an excellent punching bag (who is 100% willing to laugh at himself) and someone who you can't help but to root for. He's hilariously oafish at times, and never gives less than everything he's got. He's an intensely committed comedian, and I don't see him falling out of my top 5 anytime soon. Easily the #1 most underrated Taskmaster contestant in my book.
3. Fern Brady, series 14
I was not prepared to love Fern Brady as much as I did, but here we are in the top 3, and I can't even pretend like I'm overrating her. Fern is so naturally hilarious and fun to watch, and I have a hard time fully explaining why outside of her bizarre sense of humor. She isn't someone who feels like she's fully prepared anything for the show, constantly complaining that she's tired (which she reveals was because she couldn't sleep being so excited to be on the show) but is always dropping hilarious lines and giving her all the entire way through. She's just really lovable, consistently hilarious, and one I was not expecting to find even close to as funny as she was. Definitely top 5 material.
2. James Acaster, series 7
Oh wow, so imaginative, James Acaster is one of my favorite Taskmaster contestants, so original. Well I'm not here to break any moulds, I'm just here to say what I think, and I just happen to think what everyone else thinks when it comes to James Acaster: the guy is absolutely hilarious. Super clever, chaotic, and oftentimes a total disaster, James is on the verge of a breakdown at all times, and it's absolutely glorious. There's really not much else to be said about him or my #1 (equally as predictable, if I'm being totally honest), I just really loved James Acaster here, and he deserves to be right up here at the top of the list. He could have even been #1, but in my heart I know that would be wrong.
1. Mike Wozniak, series 11
Another one of those incredibly obvious picks, I even went into this series knowing that people were massively high on him (I think we didn't start watching it until it was maybe halfway through) and still was blown away by how much I just loved this guy. He's one of those people who makes everything fun to watch, I honestly don't think there's a single task in this entire series where Mike doesn't do something funny, memorable, or just plain charming. He's such a unique personality, packed full of bizarre quotes and fully willing to make a fool of himself at every possible moment. I can't imagine anyone walking away from this series and not being completely won over by Mike Wozniak. He's my #1, he's been my #1 for years now, and I doubt that will ever change.
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