5 out of 5 stars Edmontask
Reviewed
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)
My review from Fringe 2025
Bias warning: I'm in 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.
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.
If you want to come see me, the shows I'm in are:
- Sun, Aug 17, NOON
- Mon, Aug 18, 10:30pm
- Thu, Aug 21, NOON