Joanne sniffs Alex’s beard

Joanne’s response to Alex’s attempt to create a tense atmosphere at the beginning of the task is not included in the edit. After reading the task brief, she suggests “So, like, just make it really awkward?”. When Alex asks what she’d thought of the tension he’d created, she states that it hadn’t felt tense to her, and she awards it just two out of ten.

Beginning her attempt, Joanne sits at the table, and asks Alex to come and sit with her. Although it initially seems like she just wants Alex to sit next to her, she then changes her mind and instructs him to sit on her lap. He ends up sitting on her lap facing her, and she tells him to look directly at her. When he asks if he should relax, she insists (while staring straight into his eyes) that he not do that, as “I want you on edge”.

While making deep eye contact, Joanne then asks Alex what his salary is, before insisting “don’t lie to your mother”.

Joanne and Alex then switch positions on the chair, with Joanne mounting Alex’s lap while holding both his hands, and announcing “Our genitals are not touching, just to be clear”, before adding “Sadly”.

Staring directly into Alex’s eyes, she plays with his hands. When Alex asks if he can say something, Joanne tells him that she does not feel the need to say anything (implying that it's weird that he does).

Joanne then switches her position, sitting across Alex’s lap and pressing her cheek against his brow, while Alex holds her around the waist, and she holds his shoulder.

After a while, Joanne mutters that it “feels so good”, adding “It’s like my father’s alive again”. She then claims that her father had died 21 years ago to the day, and that Alex smells just like him, before suddenly sniffing deeply in his beard (note: Joanne's father reportedly died when she was just 15, which would have been about 25 years ago, at the time of filming, based on the date of birth given for her on Wikipedia).

Joanne ends her attempt with her face buried in the side of Alex’s neck. With 10 seconds remaining, Alex attempts to warn her that he needs to retrieve his whistle, but she insists “ignore the whistle – it’s just me and you now”, and claims “I’ve asked the cameramen to leave”. Before Alex can fully retrieve and blow his whistle, Joanne then takes one last, deep inhale of Alex’s beard. Immediately after the whistle has been blown, she says “Oh, thank god!” and leaves the room, insisting that Alex never look her in the eye ever again.

In the studio, Greg touches Alex’s leg while telling him “I told you someone would crack the code” (referring back to a comment he’d made earlier, about knowing exactly the best way to make Alex tense). Joanne makes sure to point out that there had been “consent at every point” during her attempt.

Greg ultimately awards Joanne the win, based on the amount of discomfort she had caused Alex, so she earns 5 points.

(Written by Karl Craven)

(Illustrations collected by Jenny R and adjusted by David Fuller)