Miika’s slow but effective strategy
Here's a description of the contestant's attempt. Someone's probably working on collecting some images to illustrate it.
As Miika enters the lab, he stumbles in a way that prompts Pilvi to comment that she thought for a moment he was Jukka Hildén from The Dudesons (the winner of season 1).
He starts by blowing into the tube, then pours in some of the blue liquid. He then wonders whether he could suck the ball out using some of the drinking straws. Plugging some of the holes with his fingers, he inserts some straws, adds more liquid, and then begins sucking. He then tries plugging more of the holes with cocktail sticks. When the blue liquid runs out, he heads to the kitchen to fetch more water in a large bowl.
Back in the lab, he pours the water into the tube and, when nothing happens, questions whether the ball is even still in there; Pilvi reassures him that it is. He adjusts the straws and continues pouring water in until the ball floats to the top. He then tries to grab it while still plugging the holes. Unable to reach it, he adds yet more water, but lets go of the tube in the process, allowing more fluid back out, and causing the ball to sink.
Miika starts over: plugging holes, while pouring water quickly from the large bowl. Eventually the ball resurfaces, and this time he is able to grab it. He comments that the task was “Surprisingly easy”, and claims that “No-one has ever done it this fast. No-one.”
In the studio, Jaakko says that he’d had high expectations, but claims that Miika’s attempt was even worse than the first three contestants’. Miika insists that his tactic was sound: plug all the holes (without blocking the ball itself), add water, and take the ball. He suggests that it “Shouldn’t take more than 14 seconds.”
Pilvi reveals that it actually took him 8 minutes and 30 seconds to remove the ball. However, because he was the only one who hadn’t moved the tube, Miika wins the task and earns 5 points.
(Written by Suurmestariprofessorn and proofread by Karl Craven)
