Wil literally cools down a chess set

Wil opts to make chess literally cool, in terms of its temperature, because he thinks chess is already a cool game.

He fetches some ice cube trays to use as ice baths for the pawns when they are defeated. He uses a non-contact thermometer to measure the initial temperature of the chess set as 24°C.

He then sources some electric fans and icepacks to cool the chess set down, also placing one of the fans around Tom’s neck. He also adds a giant chess piece to the table (presumably taken from the outdoor chess set near the dock), which is wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses (making it look cool).

He checks the temperature of the chess set again as says it is already cooler. He then fetches three guitars, which he claims is cooler than just one.

By the end of his attempt, the temperature of the chess set is down to just 5.4°C.

In the studio, Tom Gleeson addresses Wil as “Mr Literal”. Wil reiterates that he thinks chess is already cool, so he’d decided to reduce the temperature. He also points out that there were guitars and a representation of the TV character The Fonz, from the American sitcom Happy Days, both of which are also very cool in a different way.

Tom Gleeson points out that Wil is an older contestant, and so has older references, and then Tom Cashman reveals that Wil had spent more than two minutes explaining to him just what Happy Days was.

Tom Gleeson argues that Wil had gone to an awful lot of effort in his attempt, and that that is definitely not cool. In response, Wil argues that the task had not been to make himself cool, but by making himself seem less cool he had nevertheless made chess cooler by comparison.

Tom Gleeson describes the attempt as a bit “try-hard” and awards Wil just 2 points.

(Written by JoGo and proofread by Karl Craven)

(Illustrations collected by JoGo and adjusted by Karl Craven)