Potatogate: The rise and fall of Joe Wilkinson
Joe hesitates for a few moments before deciding to just go for it and throw the potato at the hole, surprising everyone, including himself, by scoring a hole in one in just 14.3 seconds.
Back in the studio, he receives a standing ovation and hugs from the rest of the cast for his sporting prowess, as his shot is replayed in slow motion and multiple angles on the screen.
Returning to the video of the moments after his successful attempt, Joe is clearly beside himself with happiness, calling the throw “the best thing I’ve ever done”.
Greg is so impressed that he claims that Joe’s performance had made him like sport, and asks Alex to show the throw on screen again.
As the successful throw plays out repeatedly in slow motion on screen, the frame begins to crop in closer and closer on Joe’s foot, revealing to everyone that his toe appeared to be just on the edge of the red green.
Joe immediately crashes down from joyous elation to utter despair as the reality of his infringement of the rules dawns on everyone. As Joe walks off to the edge of the stage with his head in his hands, Greg stands and says “Guys, sometimes it’s hard to be the Taskmaster. Sometimes you have to crush dreams.”
Joe is genuinely distraught, and begins to beg Greg not to take his one moment of victory away from him, crawling across the stage towards Greg on his hands and knees to appeal for mercy.
Richard attempts to add support to Joe’s case by emphasising what a great achievement it had otherwise been, and sharing his willingness to cede the victory to him (not that Richard was in a position to do so, being in second place), but this appears to make Greg more keen to snatch the victory away from Joe.
In an unprecedented step, Greg then gives Joe’s competitors the opportunity to decide whether or not his attempt should be allowed, sending Joe off stage while a vote is taken. While Katherine and Richard both vote in Joe’s favour, Doc and Jon vote against him, leaving it as a tie. Doc argues that the couple of centimetres Joe gained by having his toe on the mat meant that his shot would otherwise have “been all rim, and bounced out”.
Bringing Joe back onto the stage, Greg shares that his competitors were unable to conclusively save him from disqualification. Both of the contestants who voted against him then make comments suggesting that they had been on his side (Doc: “That is harsh! That’s harsh.” / Jon: “We fought for you mate, but… [gestures towards Katherine and Richard]”), drawing laughter and groans of protest from the audience.
(Written by Karl Craven)
(Illustrations collected and adjusted by: Karl Craven)
