Edmontask

As a Taskmaster fan I would recommend watching this one. I think they captured the essence of the show and made a great show. The tasks and the participants were hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed, and so did the friends I went with. I will not only recommend it but would watch again!!

I've seen Edmontask a few times now and unfortunately the Tuesday August 18 show was one of the weaker ones.

I thought hard about why that may have been and I think the first few tasks were unfortunately quite weak - i.e. Sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider Backwards", "Keep up a balloon while an egg is under your chin" and "Cut a Donut perfectly in half".

As a big fan of the UK series, these tasks were weak as they were a bit simplistic and didn't generate the ability for contestants to have varying approaches. By comparison, the final task of "Throw a Surprise Party" worked great as it was open-ended - sparking numerous "off the wall" attempts as contestants were able to show off their creative juices. I also note that all tasks took place "on set" at the Orange hub. I would have liked a touch more variety in location as previous shows have had.

Some other minor critiques are while I think Ethan is an OK Taskmaster, I think someone with a better ability to improv would work much better. (Is Julian Faid available?) He doesn't really offer much to the show in his reactions to task performance and isn't a good enough foil for Victoria so they don't generate much humour as a pair. It would also benefit from more diverse contestants (Age, ethnicity etc..) - as they tended to all behave quite similarly as "theatre kid archetypes".

Lastly positives: The production value is excellent and that has massively improved. The venues was also a superb choice. Camera work also outstanding.

I mean, what can i say? As a huge taskmaster fan, I think these folks nail it. It's funny, silly. I love watching people work through tasks. Great job!

“Your task starts now!”

Returning for its third season at the Edmonton Fringe Festival and inspired by the UK show “Taskmaster”, “Edmontask” is a panel style comedy show featuring local performers. The contestants compete in a series of pre-recorded video challenges, as well as a final live challenge in order to impress the “Edmaster” (the judge).

This show was wildly entertaining all throughout. The challenges assigned to the contestants were all ridiculous and goofy – as they should be! The format stayed true to the style of the original Taskmaster, while making it unique to Edmonton with its humor. Since none of it is scripted, the guests change depending on the show, and the tasks are once and never again, the show remains fresh, yet still familiar.

From making art out of a pile of flour to reciting The Itsy Bitsy Spider backwards, the challenges themselves were so fun to watch – especially when combined with the quick-witted humor of both the guests and the hosts. The audience laughed so often it would probably average to once every fifteen seconds if anyone had actually tracked.

Once again, they've upped the ante! The show continues to get better and more polished every year. The tasks are more interesting, and the production quality of those segments just keeps getting better. The new Edmaster seemed a bit nervous, but I'm sure he'll get the hang of his role with a bit more practice!

Edmontask is back, and better than ever.

With this year's run already nearly sold-out, you don't really have many chances to see it this Fringe

The show, based on the worldwide British panel show hit Taskmaster (though the producers assure me, it is legally distinct), is incredibly ambitious for a Fringe show.

They record "tasks" over the full year with a total of 15 contestants, and then premiere the edited footage of that task, live in front of the panel that performed them and judged by the Edmaster.

This year, the production has been upgraded once again with a scoreboard on the projector (with contestant pictures, so you know who's winning!) and mics that work more reliably. But the core of the show remains intact, because it works.

There's a new Edmaster this year in Ethan Lang who plays it with a bit of a jovial, puppydog excitement. It works for the "banter" section off the top, which is cute and fun and got some earned laughs. He is definitely too lenient in his scoring, however, and I encourage future audiences to boo when he awards 2 points to a contestant that should have been disqualified.

Still present in the show is the 60-second "contestants do various random things at the start with the theme music playing underneath" which we can all agree is the worst part. I have not deducted marks for it.

It remains absolutely worth seeing, and I've bought one ticket for each panel. With this show likely to sell out the entire run (there's still a few tickets for Monday, and they're half-price!), it might be worth considering: does Edmontontask move somewhere like the Metro next year, and double its seat count?

(Disclosure: I auditioned to be the Edmaster, and they passed on me because they hated everything about me specifically as a person. And yet, I five-star their show. Truly, I'm a saint)

Maybe I just didn't know who these "famous Edmontonians" are.. The concept is unique however. It does feel that they were playing inside baseball, and that's the audience's problem.

Ten Points: Edmonton’s Very Own Game Show

If the actors’ secret task was to make everyone laugh during the entire show, then I would give them 10 points each because they had me gasping for air the entire time!

Upon entering the venue, I did not know what to expect, which is why I was surprised when I figured out that it was a game show-like setup. The actors who played the contestants were really hilarious as they exhibited a great execution of physical comedy and a variety of facial expressions throughout the entire show that you would commonly see in TV game shows. It is also very notable how both the hosts and contestants were convicted and consistent with the game show theme—I almost believed that I was an audience member in a game show! Bravo!

Edmontask is indeed hilarious and, in a way, participative as it lets the audience feel as though they are an audience in a game show. If you would like to feel nervous and be a part of a hilarious game show, Edmontask is definitely a great match for you as it runs until August 23rd at venue 15: Auditorium at Campus Saint-Jean.

They've come so far from last year! The production quality has gone up, and I'm delighted that they've continued to improve on how the recorded tasks are filmed and edited. You don't always know how "on fire" a given show will be, but I can guarantee that it's worth coming back a few times to see the different contestant panels that are featured during the festival!

Top show. Many laughs and a new show every night. Nothing to do at this show but just laugh and have a good time. Anyone can enjoy this one. Seems to be selling out so act fast for tickets.

I'm a MASSIVE fan of the UK Taskmaster which also started as an Ediburgh Fringe show, so when I saw Edmonton was following suit I was STOKED! I saw it last year and I just saw it again for the first time this year, and I will be trying to see it at least once more this year! It takes an amazing amount of work to put this kind of show together, and I can see how much the crew and hosts have levelled up from last year, I am super impressed by this show! The contestants have to do silly tasks which are both pre-recorded and in front of the live audience, no two shows are ever the same and the TaskMaster does a great job at judging them in real time. Super fun!

I have a confession to make. I am an addict. An addict for Taskmaster UK. So of course my love for Edmontask is biased towards the shows overall format and the general premise of local...celebrities?...making fools of themselves for our entertainment.

The August 17th show I saw this year I thought was stronger than the show I saw last year...but that's the nature of unscripted shows with every changing cast lineups.

While I want to give the show 5 stars, I think improvement could be made in the tasks themselves. While I appreciate budget constraints (Edmontask does not have Channel 4 money) and perhaps, editing constraints (20+ minute tasks would take a lot more effort to edit down to fit in the Fringe time allotment), I'd love to see more task options that provide contestants with opportunities for lateral thinking with longer time allowances or involve a little more complexity than writing a fortune.

I also think it would also be fun to have a Champion of Champions edition each festival where the winners face off.

But overall it was an absolute hoot of an hour and loved that it started my day.

Hilarious and so fun, I laughed so hard I cried AND I would absolutely see it again since every show has different contestants. I am recommending this to friends.

I did wish I could see the score boards a bit better but it was so so entertaining.

This show was hilarious and full of chaos. Modeled after the British Taskmaster game show, they had a panel of actors complete insane tasks on film. Then we watched how they did. There were varying results and success rates. One guy named Malik was clearly unhinged… in a good way? Another guy Ethan was pretty adorable. I think I loved this but was also perplexed at what I saw.

We laughed SO hard. Solid production value and outrageous performances. 6 of us attended together and we're going to try and catch later shows for new tasks.

This show is so well paced, hilarious, and full of variety. The editing of the video parts is masterful! The live challenges, hosting, and banter are energetic, well timed, and filled with unexpected laughs. If you want a fun, panel style show, you will leave entertained and not be disappointed!

Bias warning: I'm in one of the panels for this show!

However, the show, a riff on the British panel show Taskmaster, cast 15 Edmonton comedians and personalities to show up for three different panels of five.

The contestants are given ridiculous, inane and often embarrassing tasks that they must complete on a time limit, on camera.

A year was spent filming tasks that are edited together and the cast and the Edmaster, who is judging their performance, are all seeing the results for the very first time –– live!

If you saw the show last year, as great as it was, everything about the production has leveled up this year. The venue is better, the screen is gorgeous and large. Mics work much better, and filming and editing has all improved as the producers get better and better at what they do.

I saw one of the other panels on opening night and they were an absolute riot.

Go to this one, honestly more than once. No two shows are the same, there are new tasks, new casts and new antics every single show.

Edmontask is a great time! — a light hearted funny, game show style production with unique contestants, funny tasks and videos. It’s a culmination of events and silly antics to see who can be the most entertaining and funny. It was fun as an audience member to feel that we contributed to the points and the crowing of the winner. I would recommend as a nice, fun event at the Fringe!

Has potential, I found myself looking at my watch. The funniest part was the actors laughing at themselves. The minors and cream pies were over the top