Maria conducts above-table business

During the studio chat after Johan’s attempt was shown, Maria points out that Johan had often broken eye contact with Merja.

David brings out the task brief to read it, “so no-one makes any mistakes” (a set-up hinting at Maria’s own failures, which she does not pick up on).

When entering the room, Maria is reminded of Lady and the Tramp, and so she and Merja both start singing the Swedish version of the song Bella Notte.

Maria asks if ‘Merja’ is the Finnish equivalent of ‘Maria’, and Merja agrees that it is, so the two shake hands on that.

The two women have a nice chat, agreeing that they both dislike red wine, and enjoy carbonated alcoholic beverages, and gardening.

The issue throughout Maria’s attempt, however, is that every time she shakes hands with Merja, she does so above the table, not beneath it.

Merja – seeming to genuinely like Maria – takes pity on her after a while, asking if Maria has read the task brief properly. Maria admits that she’d found Merja distracting, and reads the task brief again. Unfortunately, Maria is once again distracted – this time by the “remarkable” requirement – and once again fails to register that all handshakes must take place underneath the table.

The two women get sidetracked in a long handshake about age bringing strength and wisdom, and David soon arrives to inform them that their time is up. Maria and Merja leave the room together arm-in-arm.

In the studio, Maria vents her frustration to David over his “torment” of her, and not just telling her that she had been disqualified, and also insists that she does not like “under-table dealings”.

Maria earns a single participation point.

(Written by Jenny R and proofread by Karl Craven)

(Illustrations collected by Jenny R and adjusted by Karl Craven)