“A contest that’s tied is a contest that sucks,” says one of the performers in the latest show from Made in China, a hugely talented young company who make noisy, bubblegum theatre that often has a melancholic edge. To be honest, the title feels pretty irrelevant, as if the show began as one thing and ended up as another, although Chris (Brett Bailey), Jess (Latowicki) and Jenna (Watt) stand in front of us in their vests and pants like nervous primary school kids longing to shine. Chris recalls attending a high school party in a gym, and blowing the chance to kiss the girl he liked.

He’s older and wiser now, and he’s not going to be the sad sap tonight. Essentially, this is a beauty contest that covers some of the same territory as Ontroerend Goed’s Fight Night at the Traverse, but with infinitely more vim, honesty – and pain, both mental and physical. This is a show in which the performers invite the audience to judge them in the endless quest to win and get their name in neon lights. If they fail, they are not just going to beat themselves up, but beat one another up, too.

The obvious point of reference is reality TV contests, in which the contestants have to undertake ridiculous tasks. Here, the three compete to stuff as many marshmallows into their mouths as they can. They do it as if they might never fill the terrible void inside. There are ritual truths and humiliations, and a desire to make us vote for them on the basis of no information at all. And we find ourselves doing it – just as we vote for politicians simply because we like the way they look.

We are all drawn into the game and compromised, because when it comes down to it, we all want to be on the winning team. Nobody likes a loser.