#chris ramsay

When this line up was announced, I felt a little underwhelmed by it, because I wasn't really much fan of any of them - not that I didn't like any of them, I just hadn't watched much of their stuff (or at least for a long while). I should have known not to judge like that, as there has been other series I've had the same view of, and really enjoyed them. I ended up loving this cast for so many reasons.

I had known Ardal and Chris for a while, thanks to My Hero and general stand up stuff (having seen Chris live in like 2012 ish). I've heard of Bridget and Judi but never watched any of their stuff, and Sophie was fully new to me. I just didn't expect Ardal to be such an adorable bitch.

It was nice to see the contestants sat together, and that Greg and Alex were in reach of each other again.

Top 3 tasks

Sculpt the most beautiful sculpture. Your sculpture must weigh exactly 150g and be entirely edible. Completely consume your beautiful sculpture.

I really love 2 part tasks. This one had the feel of the task in S4, where Mel had to eat the massive chocolate bar sandwich. I’m totally with Chris, Dairylea triangles are disgusting. I feel like Judi accidentally had the perfect idea for those task. Hers was the most tasty to eat, and she did so with such gusto. Sophie, Bridget and Ardal had so much regret for theirs, but I feel like after 13 series now you’d kind of expect there to be a twist after a task like this. I’m honestly surprised Sophie managed to finish all of hers.

Enable Alex to bite his duck. You may not encroach upon the decking. Fastest wins.

I love how the three women had the same idea, and executed it pretty well. The net definitely added to the vibe of the task, with Alex being tied up. I’m really not surprised that Bridget did it so quickly, or that Judi took nearly 4 times as long with the same equipment. Ardal just lobbing a pan of water was such a mood. I’m glad that Chris took so long to complete this task, it was nice to see that he’s not great at everything relating to this show. I’m glad that one of them went for Alex with the hose, and that the pipe into the wellies was discovered by one of them.

Record the best multi-track song about your team. You must record all six tracks with your voice or body and each person must record the same number of tracks. Most powerful multi-track song wins.

Honestly, the girls absolutely SMASHED this task. Sorry, I should have called them the House Queens. I did love Bridgets dancing so much. Sophie and Judi vocals are on point. All I can comment on the boys is - "you put an aubergine in my mouth"?? Plus, I feel like a trick was missed not to mention My Locely Horse in reference to Father Ted. It did intrigue me though with what Chris said - what kind of tasks did we miss this series??

Contestants

Ardal

Judi

Sophie

Chris

Bridget

Honestly, it was such a hard toss up on who I preferred between Sophie and Judi

Series 12

Check out Chris Ramsay on YouTube

Lovely gem! Chris Ramsay is a magician and (from the looks of the video) a really cool and nice guy. Happy to see nice people like him and his friends being appreciated and getting these lucky breaks. 

And of course, Mr Pine is adorable in this.