Episode 2: The velocity is null

Episode synopsis

In this episode, the contestants must bring in the best thing to bring into a room full of strangers, roll a contact ball for as long as possible, keep Markl dry under a shower, do something surprising with a rubber duck, knock down exactly 100 cans, complete a series of tasks with increasing rapidity, and win a game of slap and tong. The guest contestant in this episode is Fernando Daniel.

Title context

During studio discussion of Pipoca’s attempt at the ‘Roll a contact ball for as long as possible’ task, the show consults the well-known Portuguese physicist Carlos Fiolhais, who explains that at the point when Markl pushed the already-rolling ball to change its direction, “The velocity is null.” Consulting him subsequently becomes a running joke throughout the episode, whenever there is a disagreement in the studio.

Taskmaster Intro

Ladies and gentlemen, here’s a flock of celebrities who brawl for my golden head, the most wanted award in the history of Portuguese television since the apartments in Albufeira you’d win in ‘Um, Dois, Três’. Help me out here, Gilmário. Welcome to... [Gilmário: Taskmaster!]

Note: Um, Dois, Três was one of the most successful gameshows in Portuguese TV history, based on the Spanish show Un, dos, tres... responda otra vez, which was also adapted in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK (as 3-2-1). Hosted in Portugal by Carlos Cruz, the show aired from 1984 to 1998, and was well known for its tempting prizes, which included large sums of money, cars, and even apartments, but could also end up being worthless items such as the show’s mascot, scrap cars, or trucks full of sand. The show was revived in 2004 and hosted by Teresa Guilherme, who appeared as a guest contestant in season 2 of Taskmaster PT.

Assistant Intro

By my side, a man who, in this episode, as you’ll verify, did in fact lose his dignity but, to make up for it, he got a cold! Nuno Markl, ladies and gentlemen!

Note: Vasco and Markl start the episode by singing a parody of Olá, então, como vais?, by Tozé Brito and Paulo de Carvalho. While the original song is about a friend helping the other through a break-up, in their version, Markl sings about his lost dignity, rather than his lost love.

Taskmaster's Sign-off

You may think yourself a genius, but you’re just another someone.
Once you realise that 1 hour 33, was actually 1 minute 21.
Time goes by fast. After Christ, it’s the third millennium, man.
‘This ball’s screwed up, you must’ve filled it with hydrogen.’
To help a friend, you only need a bucket and a rod.
To help a duck with a duckite, you need to call Sandra Donald.
Here, a music star might look like an obese canary, and hum.
And Markl, as Pink Panther, dove into the oceanarium.