Who's who in season six of Taskmaster NZ?
Hold onto your teabags and check the walls for David Correos, because Taskmaster NZ is returning in August with a whole new cast of brave contestants completing absurd tasks in order to win a resplendent Jeremy Wells-shaped trophy. And what great timing it is! In an era where unscripted television is becoming increasingly rare, there's not many chances outside of Scotty Morrison cranking out a Te Karere cartwheel for New Zealanders to be spontaneous, joyful and weird on television anymore. Here are the comedians looking to make us chuckle in season six.
Jackie van Beek
Barely a day goes by where I don't think about Jackie van Beek in this scene with Jacinda Ardern, from her delivery of 'you do and you don't' to her gnarled airquotes around 'vote on this matter'. A true comedy tour de force, Van Beek has starred in everything from Educators to The Breaker Upperers to Nude Tuesday, and wrote The Office AU, directed Wellington Paranormal, and basically has her face and/or fingerprints on all the funniest stuff Aotearoa has ever made. I cannot wait to see what she does on Taskmaster NZ – if it involves any air quotes, we're toast.
Bree Tomasel
Here's a huge Spinoff exclusive: ZM drive DJ and Celebrity Treasure Island host Bree Tomasel told us way, way back in 2024 that it is her dream to be on Taskmaster. 'I'm obsessed with that show. I love that you can be as weird as your brain will let you be,' she told My Life in TV. 'I feel like I have the weirdest brain, and I'd love to put it to the test. It would be fun to just see what happens.' Given her predilection for telling dirty jokes and making those closest to her uncomfortable, we also can't wait to see what happens here.
Alice Snedden
Some really good news from the comedic powerhouse behind our own Bad News. Alice Snedden is a seasoned stand-up and TV writer, formerly commanding the writer's room for Jono and Ben and more recently collaborating with Taskmaster UK savant Rose Matafeo on the BBC series Starstruck. Having taken on gargantuan tasks for The Spinoff such as solving climate change, exploring the morals of meat-eating, and unmasking the toxic side of rugby culture, we anticipate a deeply competitive and hugely ambitious Taskmaster contestant in Snedden.
Pax Assadi
He's scaled mountains and swam to the depths of the ocean as the co-host of Endangered Species Aotearoa, but can Pax Assadi flip a coin to get five consecutive heads on Taskmaster NZ? The stand-up comedian and creator and star of Raised by Refugees has also been a mainstay on comedy panel shows like Have You Been Paying Attention and 7 Days, while also assessing chocolate eclairs with aplomb in the Great Kiwi Bake Off tent. A multi-hyphenate, a miulti-threat, and likely to be the only comedian to identify a rare frog in the Taskmaster pond.
Jack Ansett
Given the way he completely derailed Guy Mont Spelling Bee by trying out several new voices, shouting out his geography teacher and then getting a chronic case of the giggles, Jack Ansett is a truly thrilling addition to the Taskmaster NZ line-up. The stand-up comedian once entered and completed the Weetbix Kiwi Kids triathlon as a grown man, so honestly who knows what he will be capable of once he is within the four walls of the Taskmaster NZ manor. Hide your wholegrain breakfast bricks, hide your geography teachers, bring the popcorn.
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What does host Jeremy Wells really think of the new Taskmaster NZ cast?
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First up: Pax Assadi. What did he make of the seasoned standup comedian? Pax Assadi (Source: TVNZ) 'I was expecting Pax to dominate the physical tasks,' admits Wells. 'He's a former age-group representative in basketball. He backs himself as a golfer. And, whilst not being the smartest tool in the shed, he certainly carried an expectation that he was going to bring a lot to the physical tasks. But could he live up to his own expectation?' Wells refrains from answering his own question. 'You'll have to watch.' Assadi isn't the only contestant bringing huge physical prowess to Taskmaster NZ. Wells reveals that Bree Tomasel, best known for hosting Celebrity Treasure Island, also represented her age group – in softball. That was in Queensland Australia, where the popular presenter was born into a nimble, coordinated family. "Her parents 'Mama Di' and 'Big Steve' were the South Queensland Disco Dancing Champions," says Wells. 'In 1981, right at the tail-end of the disco era. 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The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including tsunami threat remains for NZ and quake sparks Russian volcanic eruption, plus the pop star and the politician spotted having dinner. (Source: 1News) 'I enjoy watching people do tasks," divulges Wells. "I love watching people humiliate themselves as much as the next man. I love watching people under duress, and it always surprises me how different brains apply themselves to the same task. 'But the difficult thing about this role is you have to judge people. And I'm not a particularly judgemental person.' Taskmaster NZ premieres on Monday 18 August, 7.30pm on TVNZ 2 and TVNZ+ and screens on Mondays and Tuesdays.
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