Win the horse race

Task types:

Solo

Filmed

Mental

Physical

Objective

Single brief

Original

Locations:

Sandown Park Racecourse

Task brief

The task brief is balanced on top of a pair of binoculars in the viewing deck of the grandstand at Sandown Park racecourse. The brief for the task is as follows:

Win the horse race.

You must do one of the following things: eat something without looking at the food; spin the wheel at least 720 degrees; throw a dart at the dartboard.

If you eat an olive, your horse will advance two steps.

If you eat a grape, your horse will retreat three steps.

If you throw a dart in an olive, your horse will advance five steps.

If you throw a dart in a grape, your horse will retreat eight steps.

If the wheel lands on an olive, your horse will advance 10 steps.

If the wheel lands on a grape, your horse will retreat 15 steps.

You must stay on the spot and you must not move the spot.

First horse past the post wins.

You have a maximum of 30 minutes.

Your time starts on the whistle.

Task notes

The contestants take up their position on a circular red Taskmaster-branded market spot on the viewing deck.
In front of them, there is a transparent box balanced across two plinths, containing a tray on which there is a plate full of green olives and black grapes. The side of the box facing them is covered with a black sheet which has two hand holes cut into it, allowing the contestants to grab olives or grapes without being able to see them.
To the contestants’ left, on top of another plinth, there is a wheel of fortune with 14 coloured segments, which alternately have images of olives or grapes stuck to them.
A few metres to the left of the contestants, and slightly closer to the window of the viewing deck, there is a dart board featuring concentric rings of alternating pictures of olives and grapes, which become smaller towards the centre of the board. There is, for some reason, a rubbish bin positioned in front of the dartboard.
On top of the box in front of the contestants, there are two hedgehogs made of coconut fibre or similar material, into which dozens of darts have been inserted.
A short, straight racecourse has been set up in the space between the spectator fence and the boundary of the racecourse in front of the grandstand, and has been divided into five lanes of equal width using thin red rope. A member of the production team is stood at the starting line of this course, wearing an inflatable horse and jockey costume, and a paper mask of the contestant’s face.
Alex relays instructions to the rider via radio, whenever the contestant eats an olive or grape, spins an olive or grape, or hits an olive or grape with a dart.