Anxious energy radiated from five students as they stepped up on stage to present their unconventional replacements for a ring while asking for the “Master of None” taskmasters’ hands in marriage: a lottery ticket, multivitamin gummies, a cease and desist letter, sparkly handcuffs and a squishmallow.
UT’s rendition of the British game show “Taskmaster,” where competitors complete tasks to win a prize pot consisting of their own possessions, hosted the premier episode of season 2 in a mixed live show with pre-recorded segments. On Sept. 30, five contestants took the stage at the Student Activity Center to receive their scores from previous games and complete two final tasks for the glory of the plastic crown deeming them “Master of None.”
“I absolutely love the uncertainty of it,” said Ben Kompare, a “Master of None” host. “I love seeing the chaos unfold live. I like that unpredictability that can happen.”
Denny Sebold, a radio-television-film and astronomy senior, founded “Master of None” and now acts as assistant taskmaster alongside being executive producer. She said she most looks forward to the new cast each episode because she gets to see a new spread of people and personalities in each show.
“It’s so hectic,” said Sebold. “Every week I’m doing stuff for the show. It never ends. One episode ends, and now we have to start editing for it. Then we’re literally meeting the new cast this Wednesday.”
Contestant Stella Frasier applied to the show as a joke but ended up bringing home the prize. Frasier, an international business sophomore, said she saw the application during her time on Texas Student Television’s “Longhorn LateNight” and wanted to try a game show.
“It’s so fun because everyone is like, a little different, a little quirky,” said Frasier. “Just talking to them was so funny and fun. It never felt stressful or like I had to do this.”
Co-host and co-producer Kompare, a radio-television-film junior, prepares to take over the show next year after Sebold graduates. Despite experiencing a lot of stress due to technical difficulties during the live show, Kompare said the team presented a flawless show.
“Since we’re a mixed live show with a lot of pre-recorded segments, we have quite possibly the strongest ‘show must go on’ mentality of any TSTV show,” said Kompare.
Sebold and Kompare said they’re interested in live shows and use “Master of None” as an opportunity to prepare for their future careers.
“Improvisational comedy is where I thrive,” said Sebold. “You think it’s less work because it’s unscripted, but it’s not. You only get one shot.”
