On this week’s experimental gameshow,
it’s not about what you know; it’s about what you can do.
This week in the garage, some faces you might recognise,
some games you can try at home
and we have pushed the budget just a little bit.
We’ve got some music and a countdown timer.
Welcome to the Game Garage.
Today, we are playing Above Average, and playing it with me are:
-Hello, I’m Cambria. -My name’s Guy.
I’m Taha.
And I would ask you how you all know each other, but to be honest, I know you.
Let’s be honest. I’ve brought some friends in for this one.
How do you all know each other?
They spent a week, two weeks, five weeks in my basement.
Okay.
Do you want to give context to that, or do you want to leave that as is?
That went up, that started;
week in the basement, then it became five weeks.
Yeah.
I think it’ll be six by the time we’re done.
-Like this, I’m gonna stack them diagonal. -Yeah.
-What are you doing in your basement?
We’re animating a music video.
Okay.
We need no natural light and we need something exactly like this room, so...
I was going to say, this is familiar territory for you then.
Yeah.
-Yeah, yeah. -And actually, if you...
What’s the music video? Is it...
Stop motion.
So like things on a table being moved about?
Yeah, model making.
Which is kind of the games we’re doing here today.
You guys have been inadvertently practicing.
This isn’t fair!
You’ve been training us, the last five weeks have led up to this.
Who’s been actually filming the video, because you...?
Us two have.
You guys have been animating, I’ve occasionally been clicking.
Right. F*** it!
Right. And telling us we’ve been over budget.
Yeah, but mainly just, you know, telling them off for not moving things.
Not going home.
‘You need to leave, it’s like 1am.
'He needs to go home.’
You’re gonna have three games today, plus a final.
Every one of those games that you are above average in,
is going to make the final easier.
And the final is hopefully where you’re gonna win some money.
And Above Average means you are beating the average
of the seven people that you’re playing against today.
Here’s who you’re up against.
We have Saf from SuperSafTV.
He is our tech reviewer.
Lucy Bella Earl, from English with Lucy, English teacher, obviously.
Hannah Witton, sex educator, vlogger, author,
a whole load of other things that I couldn’t fit in that caption.
In his motorised armchair, Colin Furze, inventor in his shed.
Em Ford from My Pale Skin.
She’s our beauty expert and a load of other things besides.
Steven Bridges, magician.
If you’re wondering why he’s not waving at you, it’s because I forgot to ask him to on camera.
And happily waving at you, is Barry Lewis, chef.
Those are the seven. What do you think?
Colin Furze, I think, is just going to like invent something in those sixty seconds
that’s gonna help him.
-And Saf is going to be interesting. -Yeah.
I don’t know; I don’t know how much he knows about the technology he reviews,
but if he knows anything then I think that’s gonna be... gonna be difficult.
Definitely Steven Bridges.
He’s a... he’s a tricky man.
-A crafty guy! -Very sneaky.
Alright, let me show you what your first game is.
Hold as many pencils as you can in one hand.
You have one minute.
I am gonna give it a little think.
I feel quite lucky that I have freakishly long fingers, so this might come in handy.
Ah, okay, yeah. I have tiny hands.
People haven’t thought about it this much, have they? Erm...
You can use anything you like to get the pencils into your hand
but at the end of the minute, they must be held off the table using just one hand.
No other objects, no other parts of your body.
Pencils are counted at the end of the minute.
Good luck!
I just wish that I’d brought a Mickey Mouse glove with me,
or one of them like big Incredible Hulk hands. I’m like, urr...
I’ve never owned so many pencils!
This is new territory!
Look, there’s two up there in the cupboard but they’re the same make.
Do I have an advantage?
Spoiler: Colin did not have an advantage.
-Oh! I’m surprised. -So the first...
the first decision of the show for you folks,
is who is going to be up there playing game one?
Game one is worth one point, game two is going to be worth two
and game three is going to be worth three.
Definitely me, I have huge hands(!)
I don’t know!
Mine aren’t much bigger.
Erm, yeah...
I feel like... Okay, yeah.
He can like almost crush my fingers with your fingers.
You’ve got an engineering background.
I feel like that’s an advantage.
Yeah, I think so.
I mean, I say an engineering background...
-Yeah, but you’ve made... -I did physics.
-That’s good enough for me. -Yeah.
You’ve made a paper bridge before in your time, I guess.
Yeah, I made cardboard conveyor belts for a project.
-Okay, yeah. -Don’t ask.
I think that’s enough.
I think so, I’ve got some ideas.
Alright, Taha, please take to the table.
Any tactics?
Yeah. I think I’m gonna make like a splint and then have two layers of,
of pencils on either side to try and get a lot of them.
What is that?
I think we’ve picked the right person! I would’ve just grabbed them.
I am so glad you’re on our team, is all I can say.
I think... I think, I’m like...
I’m pretty confident I can get out a sizeable chunk of these.
Your time starts when you first touch a pencil.
Okay.
Oh my god, okay.
Oh... err...
Right, okay.
Okay, so if I put these,
and you’re gonna tell me, like, time-wise what’s going on.
Right, so I’m thinking this can be like this
-and then if I put half of them here... -Fifteen seconds gone.
... I can use these to hold these,
and then put... another half up here.
Urgh.
You’ve used half your time.
Aargh! Don’t do this!
And then if I hold them... like this? No.
Right, I’m just gonna have to give up on that.
Fifteen seconds left.
Right...
Ten seconds.
Three, two, one...
That’s it! That’s it!
Alright, I’m gonna come in and sweep these pencils away.
-Alright. -You can put those down.
-There’s still one on the thing. -There we go.
And while we’re counting those, let’s see how the others did.
I could build a little pencil thing that could then hold; that’s the best bet.
Pencil there, pencil there, pencil there, pencil there, creating a little pencil basket.
Oh, this is not as easy as I thought it was gonna be.
Maybe if we like flatten them and just lay them all on top.
That might be the best way to go, I think.
Ooh!
This is quite... Ah...
Okay, okay.
I feel like it’s all going horribly wrong already.
Wow, okay.
Okay, I’m trying to balance as many as I can on here.
Oh, Colin, as a practical man, you should just excel at this.
Half your time gone.
I feel like men might have an advantage here.
I’m trying to create, like, a web.
I’m starting to think that pencil basket was not the wisest choice.
Abandoning pencil basket.
-Ten seconds. -Oh, that feels wobbly.
I’m happy with this.
Five...
Three...
-One... -S***!
Time!
-Awgh! -Okay.
-How was that for you?
That was... like, I’m pretty optimistic now that I’ve seen that.
Erm, no one went for any sort of strategy; it was all kind of just...
I mean, they started out with one.
Steven had a great plan with his pencil basket.
Yeah, I just didn’t understand like, yeah,
I just felt like it wasn’t an efficient use of space.
My whole thing came from we went to Pizza Hut once with my uncle,
and this was in Pakistan and you have to, they charge every salad bowl.
So we got one salad bowl and he was an engineer,
so he used the Dorito chips to make...
-Oh! -... a building of salad bowl.
And so I was like trying to replicate that.
-I’ve got some stats for you. -Okay.
Erm, first of all, you got 106 pencils.
That one at the end.
Yeah, you got more than half there, and that one might make the difference.
-Yeah. -I can tell you that the best score was Em Ford.
She said she had freakishly long fingers: 142 pencils.
Whoa!
But I’ll also tell you that the worst score, and I won’t say who this is: 60.
Okay. Okay.
You got 106.
Yeah.
Their average is one hundred and...
-... three. -Wow!
Yes!
So first of all, 2,000 pence. Congratulations.
That is one point.
Your Dorito bowl story worked, I love it.
You are above average.
Let’s see what the second game is.
Count backwards from a number, in multiples of another number.
You must throw the beanbag in the air while you say each answer,
and you must catch it afterwards.
-Pick a beanbag. -Orange...
-Oh, yellow. -Orange.
I’m gonna go with orange.
-Yeah. -What’s the beanbag for?
You have to count, ten, eight, or something like...
-Yes? -How are you with mental arithmetic?
Oh, dude!
Average, I wouldn’t say I’m an expert.
I got... I was okay to a certain level at school
and then as soon as it got more complicated...
Mental arithmetic.
So, if I ask you to count back from 100 in fives,
the answers would be 100, 95, 90, and so on.
You can only say each answer while the bag’s in the air.
If you say the wrong answer, drop the bag,
or if you say the answer too early or too late, the chain is broken.
Your score is the highest chain you achieve at any point within the one minute.
Good luck.
I can’t multitask to save my life.
This may not be your game then(!)
No, I don’t think it is!
Feels like I’m on the Krypton Factor.
Not just about maths, this one, is it?
-No, it’s not. -What do you think?
I was so bad at maths.
Oh no! It’s the multiples.
-This is what I was worried about. -Maths tests.
Taha’s like our maths guy.
-This is... -Yeah.
This is my thing.
Oh, I’m gonna point out that you cannot shout numbers in.
-Feel free to shout advice. -Okay.
But there’s no shouting numbers in at whoever’s up there.
Can I say things that rhyme with numbers?
If you can think of them that fast, then yes.
I say yeah.
Look, between us, you’re the producer of Penny4,
-but can you throw beanbags? -I knew you were gonna do this.
See, I was gonna say I think I’m better at beanbags than I am at maths, so...
-You’re better at beanbags than maths? -Yeah, and I’m not...
-And you’re better at maths than me, so... -It’s the backwards,
and times tables that upset me here, okay?
It’s, it’s not like... tell me to calculate a budget and I’m there!
I think you should think about it as like taking away numbers, rather than multiples.
-You know what I mean? -Yes.
I’m just really hoping it’s like fives or twos, or tens.
Okay. I think I’ve been volunteered.
Alright, Cambria, for two points, please take to the table.
Sorry.
Not actually part of the game, but pick a beanbag.
-Go for green. -Going for green.
Sweep the others to the side then, please.
Are you ready?
As I’ll ever be.
I’m gonna ask you to count backwards from 500 in sevens.
Your time starts now.
500.
400...
Start again.
493.
You caught too early, try again.
Wow!
500.
Why don’t you just say like the numbers?
-Can we do that? -Yeah, you can do that.
-493. -Start again.
-493. -493, okay.
-That’s not helping. -Okay, sorry.
486.
Yes.
479.
Yes, half your time’s gone.
God, this is so much pressure, I was never good at this.
Erm...
462.
-No. Start again. -472! Aargh!
-I just want to say the numbers. -500.
I know, sshh...
500.
493.
486.
479.
-472. -Yes.
-472. -Five seconds.
465.
Time.
Ooh...
Oooh.
I’m so glad that wasn’t me.
While you’re recovering from that,
and while we’re checking the tape, let’s see how they did.
Time starts now.
I can’t even count from 28 in sevens.
500.
-400... -In the air.
-500. -Wasn’t in the air.
500.
493.
-487. -No, wrong number. Start again.
479.
493. Ooh!
399.
Oh my god! Did I just go to 300?
493...
-You can’t too early, start again. -F*** you!
I hate this game.
487.
No, wrong number. Start again.
479.
458.
-4... -No.
472.
-No, start again. -F***!
I’m gonna throw it at you in a minute.
486.
-S***! Dropped it. -Dropped beanbag, start again.
458.
451.
400 and... no... f***!
457.
-487, no... f***! -No.
-No! Oh no, bastard!
I might just sit here.
423.
Why is this so hard?
486.
444.
451.
416.
493.
That’s time.
Ha, I got one!
Oh my god!
That was abysmal.
So I guess we can swear in this show then?
You’ll get bleeped, you’ll get bleeped.
Everyone hated this game.
-Good. -Yeah, I can’t see why.
-Okay. -I’m very happy.
Apart from Saf, who just seemed able to do it.
He seems like a tech reviewer.
Classic tech reviewer trait.
Knows numbers.
How much did he pull down the average, or up the average?
-Quite a bit. -Oh dear!
So we went back to the tape.
You got five in a row.
The average...
was 5.1.
-Oh no! -Oh wow!
No, you’ve got to round that.
You’ve got to round it.
I can’t do... I did 5.1.
I didn’t completely tank.
I didn’t think we...
Sorry, Cambria, on this one, you were not above average.
-Oh no. -But there is still another game to play.
Guy, this is the last game, it’s gonna be yours and it’s for three points.
Let’s see what you’re playing.
Build the tallest tower from sugar cubes.
You have one minute.
How are you at construction?
Average, I guess. We’ll see.
Technically, the pressure’s on, because you know,
everyone would expect me to be good at this.
The big question is whether you go vertically,
or I’m gonna go for more stability and more cubes, is what I’m gonna go for.
I think that’ll... that’ll be better.
Oh, they’re not all equal dimensions, are they?
That’s, that’s interesting because I’m trying to think if... it’s kind of like sugar Jenga.
You can only use the cubes and your body to assemble the tower;
no props or other structures.
The tower must stand long enough to be measured.
Your score is the tower height at the end of the minute.
Good luck.
I was born for this;
this is all I’ve been leading up to, my whole life.
I’m not very good at these things, but we’ll go.
This is my game again.
These are all your games.
Can we just submit Taha?
We’ll just be your like emotional support animal.
I have... I have a question.
-Yeah. -It’s a bit disgusting.
-Okay. -Can you use saliva?
Oh, what a question!
Well, the rules say you can use your body and the sugar cubes.
So yes. Yes, that’s an entirely valid approach.
Erm, the thing is I don’t know whether that will help.
Wouldn’t that just dissolve them?
-Yeah. -It’s spit.
I’m just thinking, like, I don’t know,
but it’s good to know that’s there if we need it.
Three points. Guy, please take to the table.
Time starts when you touch a sugar cube.
Okay.
Okay, okay.
I’m gonna pick them up like this.
Okay, I’m gonna do them in fours.
Fifteen seconds gone.
Urgh! Okay.
I’m gonna put them there like that.
The nerves don’t help your fingers, do they?
Yeah.
Uh!
Okay.
-This is feeling pretty steady. -Half your time.
-Yeah. Looking good. -I think...
Any advice?
-I think... -Keep going.
... once you get to like ten seconds,
you start just stacking them one by one and go for it.
But it might fall then.
Yeah.
So we don’t want it to fall.
-It’s pretty stable. Okay. -Fifteen seconds.
I would... I would, this is... now I’d just go one by one.
-Okay. -Ten.
Five.
-Come on. -Right, place it closer to you a little bit.
Hands off.
Alright, that is...
I want to get it a bit closer without knocking it over.
That is...
19.2cm.
Come on back, we’ll see how everyone else did.
I’m just gonna try and single... single cube it.
Wow, they’re really difficult to grab, actually, aren’t they?
Two... two...
I’m trying to build a bit of a base so it doesn’t fall over.
-Oh. -♫ Boom, boom, boom... ♫
This is where I suck at life, isn’t it?
I wonder if it would have been sensible just to do one.
Urgh!
Now this is getting a bit; they’re quite light, aren’t they?
I’ve changed my tactic.
Oh my...
Oh no, it doesn’t like that either.
I’m afraid if I do any more, it’s going to drop.
Three.
Time.
No, no you don’t!
Stop, hands down.
No!
Damn it!
I don’t know.
See, I thought that was pretty strong, but now I’m not so sure.
-But we’ve got quite a lot of zeros in there. -There’s a lot of zeros, you’re right.
Yeah, there’s a lot of really, really low ones. Yeah.
I will tell you that technically, Steven scored 1.7cm.
Wow!
I wasn’t really gonna point out who the worst was, but...
-Gives it away. -... it was Steven.
I will also tell you that the best score in there was 22.8.
-Hmm. -What did we get?
-We got like 19 point something.
-You got 19.2. -I’m feeling good.
-That’s massive. -I’m feeling good now, but looking at them,
it looked way higher than that looks like currently.
Guy, you got 19.2cm.
They got...
13.8.
Three points are yours.
Boy! Boy!
Yes!
The sugar cube king!
I am the only failure out of the three of us.
-To be fair, that was very, very close. -By point one.
-Yeah, that was very close. -Point one.
I think you did pretty well.
The one person who beat you was Lucy, English teacher.
She managed 22.8 with just very stable cubes.
Yeah.
Is that like...
is that like one more sugar cube than me then?
Ah, one or two, yeah.
It was very, very close.
So you’re on four points, which is a pretty good position to be in.
Every one of those points is going to help you in the final game.
Let’s find out what it is.
Build and knock down a domino line between these two pencils.
Every person you beat gets your team a bigger prize.
Are you good at dexterity, things like that?
Erm, I guess we’ll find out.
If I screw up this one, that’s just bad, isn’t it?
That’s just gonna make me look like a terrible magician.
You can use any number of dominoes you like.
The first domino must be placed behind the first pencil
and the last domino must fall past the second pencil.
All the dominos must fall in one continuous run.
If not all of them fall, you have to rebuild, so be quick but be careful.
Good luck.
I’ve never been that good at dominoes, but now it’s all about to change.
-Okay. -You ready?
I’m ready.
The good news is you don’t have to beat all seven this time.
You got four points in the earlier rounds,
so that means you get to eliminate four people from this game.
Big decision: who do you want it to be?
Who’s really fast with their hands?
I think Steven Bridges.
Steven Bridges is definitely the most dexterous, right?
We’ve also got, surely, anyone who works with their hands in any capacity should go.
I feel like Colin Furze will be, just, good at this.
I also think Em Ford should go.
Mainly because I feel like makeup requires really fine motor skills.
Very, yeah, she’s gonna be dexterous.
Who did really well in the stacking challenge?
Who’s very...
-That was Lucy, she was... -Lucy, yeah.
See, I think she would be really good at this; she’s got a steady hand.
Yeah.
Just to be clear, you’re getting rid of Steven, Lucy and Colin.
You need to choose one more.
Hannah, Barry, Em or Saf?
I think we wipe out Hannah.
What do you think?
It’s Hannah or Saf for me.
And you’re saying Hannah?
-I’ll go Hannah. -Yeah, alright. Let’s do Hannah.
Alright. So you’re removing Steven, Lucy, Colin and Hannah.
You’re gonna be going up against Barry, Em and Saf.
If you beat one of the three, you’ve got 1,000 pence.
That’s a lot of money.
Two of the three, 2,000 pence.
If you beat all three, 5,000 pence.
One more decision to make: who’s doing it?
I think I could be quite delicate with it.
I would say I’m okay.
-Could you be quick with it? -I don’t know.
Okay, I think I can be quick with it and be calm under pressure.
How about you?
I think I’d be fine at it but I think I’ve got two people
who have been animating in a room for the last five weeks in front of me.
I’ll probably take a step back from this one,
because I think you guys are possibly more meticulous with your hands than me.
Taha, if you want to do it, you go for it.
Throw me under the bus, if I lose.
Erm, I would... yeah, I guess so.
Yeah, sure.
Okay.
Ah...
Taha, please take to the table.
Oh no.
Everyone on screen is going to start when you touch a domino.
Okay. Ready.
And...
-Urgh! -Right, those can go over there, these go here.
Don’t get in the way of your own path as well.
Oh yeah, good shout.
Uh.
Use the grain of the table as a straight edge as well.
-I... The grain is not helpful enough. -Damn it.
-Uh. -Do you want us to comment?
I’m relying on you guys to tell me if I’m going too far?
Okay. Yeah.
You’ve probably got a tiny...
-Saf’s done. -What?
-Awgh! -Okay.
-How? -Keep going, keep going, don’t think about that.
That’s good.
-You want to be really going across that line. -One more.
-You really want to cross that line. -Oh...
-Yeah, go, go, go. -Go, go.
-Nice! -Yes!
Okay.
So first of all, 2,000 pence. Congratulations.
I can give that to you right now. There it is.
Life changing money, thank you.
I can get home.
I want to hold it like a cheque.
Yeah, we all have to like awkwardly hold it here.
You could not have won more.
At the speed you were going, that was absolutely perfect.
Congratulations, you were above average!
That’s yours, thank you very much and we’ll see you next time at the Game Garage.