The cleverness conjecture

While watching Taskmaster series 22, I realize how much I have in common with Richard Ayoade. During the show he seems to not care much about winning. But it’s not that he doesn’t want to win. He’s trying to win another game.

Richard is a clever man, and when you’re clever the only way to really win is with a clever trick. Following the rules and doing the work is a form of failure.

Taskmaster, as a game show, isn’t about winning points. That’s the game on paper. The real game is to boost notoriety by making memorable moments. For the clever person, it’s worth losing 99 times just to win once with a clever trick.