For its fourth season, Taskmaster Australia has recruited Dave Hughes, Emma Holland, Lisa McCune, Takashi Wakasugi, and Tommy Little to compete for the glory of the Taskmaster trophy.
But before one of our funny five can hold the glorious golden visage of the Taskmaster above their head, they'll need to take on the hilarious and baffling tasks set by Gleeson and his lesser assistant, Tom Cashman.
Ahead of the premiere of Season 4 on Thursday, March 27, Emma Holland spoke to 10 Play about her experience and being a massive fan of the franchise, even before the Aussie version had launched.
"In 2018 I had an awful desk job, and I used to sneakily watch Taskmaster in the corner of my screen just to pass the time," Emma said. "Looking back, that probably contributed to me getting fired."
The premise of the show is simple enough, tasks are set for the five comedians to complete in whatever fashion they see fit. Then, they gather to watch how they did and are scored -- ruthlessly -- by the Taskmaster himself. But the tasks are anything but ordinary and are often misleadingly simple.
In the past, tasks have ranged from "Do the most epic wink" to "Find the minivan in the sock". Some tasks are completely baffling, designed specifically to psychologically break as many of the comedians as possible. And the results are hilarious to watch.
With a handful of comedians passing through the Aussie and New Zealand versions, Emma said she reached out to former contestant and the inaugural winner of the Aussie version, Danielle Walker.
"Her and I have brains that are creative in a similar way, so I thought that would be helpful," Emma explained. "She mostly told me to always look for clues under the table, advice I never took on and later regretted."
With that handy advice tucked and never to be used, Emma also said that aside from never checking under the furniture, the biggest shock of being thrown into tasks was that the time limits are no joke.
"I don't know what I expected, maybe a bit of movie magic, but the timer is there and it's ticking and it's stressful," she said. "You truly just have to go with the first idea that pops into your head because there isn't really time to brainstorm."
Acting on first instinct may not always be the best plan, but for a lot of the comedians who sit in front of the Taskmaster's mighty gaze, they're doing everything they can to score those points.
"I am deeply competitive, and it was really hard trying to hide that," Emma admitted. "I think once you know that about me it's pretty easy to spot.
"I grew up playing soccer (still do) and it's always been a great outlet for my competitiveness so that it doesn't leak out into other areas of my life, but Taskmaster really brought it out of me," she continued.
"I think the big secret is everyone genuinely wants to win, but that's what makes the show so good!"
Emma has performed stand-up around the world, and is a familiar face to anyone who has watched Have You Been Paying Attention?, Thank God You're Here, The Cheap Seats, as well as being a writer, artist, and photographer.
But Taskmaster is no ordinary gig and, aside from the occasional team task, comedians are often performing for an audience of one: Tom Cashman.
"Tom and I were friends prior to this but it was nice to see our sheer lack of chemistry highlighted on the big screen.
"I truly think the awkwardness of us both makes for very strange and oddly paced conversation, and yet, we get on very well. One of life’s great mysteries I suppose,"' she said.
"I loved the whole experience, it’s such an intense and fast-paced environment you have no choice but to be yourself in it. I loved only having Tom as my audience, I’d try to make him laugh a lot of the time, but he doesn’t give much away.
"People ask me how I like my eggs in the morning, and I always say 'tough to crack'."
As for future seasons, Emma said she'd "absolutely" recommend other comedians take on the challenge, adding, "It's an insane experience but wildly fun".
"My advice is always look under the table."
Season 4 of Taskmaster Australia premieres Thursday, March 27 on 10 and 10 Play.
