zif ofoz
1. It's faster with more interesting contestants.2. I find the UK version needlessly long at 45 minutes while the US version is just 22 minutes (I'm discounting commercials).3. The 'task' are fun to watch while contestants strive to beat the clock. The US version gets straight to the point while the UK version seems to obsess on the contestants efforts and their reaction to the task ... ex. the watermelon eating ... boring!Give it a look!
quicksmartmcoy
Prefer it to the UK version, except the ones with Mortimer and Phillips.
alanandnee
My first ever review and I came prepared to give my full and honest opinion of the show only to find that jazfro had said it first and probably better than I could. Given that it is Alex Horne's idea the format is still good but severely curtailed. It is possible more of a comment on the differences between US and English/Aussie cultures than a standalone great show. If you want to see how good it could be then find and watch the Greg Davies UK version.
jazfro
It's almost the same format as the UK original, but shorter. Same kind of creative problem solving challenges. And Alex Horne is on hand to provide continuity.
So far, so good.
What's missing are the small details that make the UK show really funny and enjoyable: Reggie Watts is a big comedian, but he does not allow himself to be as outrageous as Greg Davies (the Taskmaster of the UK original series). No small part of the fun of the UK show is the banter between Davies and Horne (part bullying, part master-and-servant, part homoerotic) and the deprecating tone of the Taskmaster's judgement of the comedians' efforts - the fun in the original is the mock humiliation, willingly accepted by the contestants. I expected they'd cut that out of the US version of the show: it's not part of the culture. I guess that's exemplary of the cultural differences that make it hard to transpose UK (or Aussie) shows to the US.
What's missing, is that the producers have not found anything to replace the bits that made the UK show enjoyable -but would not work for a US audience- with something else. So all we're left to contemplate are B-list comedians' goofy videos. It's watchable, but rarely will it make you burst out with laughter.
