“Taskmaster Australia” has revealed which five comedians will compete on the show’s second season.
Peter Helliar, Mel Buttle, Aaron Chen, Concetta Caristo And Rhys Nicholson will make up the Season 2 cast. Taskmaster and host Tom Gleeson is returning, as is the Taskmaster’s Assistant, Tom Cashman.
Alex Horne, creator of “Taskmaster” and the Taskmaster’s Assistant in the long-running U.K. version recently told Variety Australia: “The Australian Taskmaster’s assistant [Cashman] is efficient and kind and I want him to be my friend, so I’m really glad they’re doing another season. Greg and I watched the first one together with some snacks and drinks and really enjoyed it and I’m pretty sure we’ll do the same next time around.”
Network 10 said the competing comedians are putting their reputations on the line for “Australian TV’s most outrageous, laugh-out-loud comedy show”.
“Who’ll master the tasks you might ask? The brightest comedians will score the most points from the Taskmaster, while bewilderment and confusion will be rewarded with the fewest points. At series’ end, the comedian with the most points will be crowned Taskmaster champion,” publicity for the show said.
Season 1 of the local iteration of show premiered in February to 520,000 national overnight viewers. A week later, its Total TV audience, including those who had viewed a recording within seven days and those who had caught up online via 10 Play, was up to 621,000.
Its final episode 10 weeks later had an overnight national audience of 367,000, which lifted to a total of 518,000 seven days later.
This year’s season had five comedians – Julia Morris, Luke McGregor, Jimmy Rees, Nina Oyama and Danielle Walker – competing in tasks, each of which were said to be “more mind-bending and head-scratching than the last”.
“‘Taskmaster’ rewards innovation, berates incompetence and doles out a laugh a minute,” Network 10 added ahead of its premiere.
Internationally, the format has been sold to 12 countries, with over 300 episodes produced outside the U.K. It was also given life to a YouTube channel, an app, a podcast hosted by Season 9 winner Ed Gamble, and a board game.
Each new season traditionally has a new batch of comedians competing to be the champion.
“Taskmaster Australia” Season 2 will hit screens on Channel 10 and 10 Play next year.