Comics who survived the First Round of the 2017 Ultimate Comic Challenge

COMICS OF THE WILD CARD ROUND:

JACKIE FLANNIGAN

JASON ZAREMBA

KEVIN DELGADO

BRIAN BURNS

ANTHONY LOWE

AARON COBB

RYAN BENDER

JOHN EISENHARDT

ROCKY WILSON

ERIC MEGERT

NICK DENITTO

COMICS OF THE 2ND ROUND:

FREDDY VALOY

REID PEGRAM

LEO HODSON

ALEX GARRETTSON

KENYON ADAMCIK

ARTSY

MARK MCPARTLAND

JEREMY ALDER

RENE LUNA

MICAH HANNER

ANGEL PEREZ

MIMI J. BENFIELD

TANK SMITH

MADDIE WIENER

PHILLIP WARREN

JUSTIN SCRANTON

ZO MYERS

KELLY RYAN

DUSTY CAGLE

CHAUNCEY MILLER

SAM MAZANY

MARK BRADY
RAJESH KUMAR
VISHAL KRISHNASAMI
MADDY GROSS
GRANT SHEFFIELD
TORI CHAFFEE
DEJAHZH HEDRICK
PHILLIP DAMERON
NIK CARTWRIGHT
SHARI DIAZ
DAVID GOOLSBY
JD ETHERIDGE
BRENT BLAKENEY
JASON KING
BRANDY BROWN

The Ultimate Comic Challenge, 10th anniversary edition. Show 9

It is Friday once again and tonight is the final show of the first round of the UCC.  There is a lively crowd tonight and the energy is high.  The lineup tonight is stacked.  Another great night is ahead. Let's jump right in, shall we?


The lights and music goes down and Steve Lesser introduces the host for tonight.... Steve Lesser! That is met with a fair amount of laughter, so there is no doubt that the audience is primed for comedy.  There is more laughter as Steve goes through his version of the housekeeping announcements And then, it's showtime!

Starting it off is Eric Megert.  Eric starts off his set and with his skill at making his routine almost conversational kicks in right away.  He draws the audience in and it's like sitting down and catching up with an old friend.  A friend who happens to be very funny.  By keeping, for the most part, to material that is personal, yet very relatable, he is able to deliver a laid back, conversational routine that draws a reaction comparable to higher energy comics (that sounds very weird, but work with me here).  I  have talked a few times about comics who make their comedy look easy., but with Eric it is literally simple as being himself (though that can be more difficult than playing a character or having a stage 'persona').  It makes it that much easier for the audience to root for him to succeed.

Next up, and an almost perfect follow up, JD Etheridge.  JD shares a lot of traits with Eric.  Pretty much what you get on stage is what you get in general.  Though with JD, there seems to be a lot more off of the cuff bits.  There will be bits that seemed to be tangential or a stray thought, even though it is a practiced line (or a slight tweak of a practiced line).  The best part of that is when he cracks up a little when those moments get a good reaction; or when he tries to slip something in  and the audiences reacts.  Like Eric, JD is a good natured person so it is hard to catch just how much energy they put into their comedy.

Following JD is a relative newcomer to comedy, Teresa Prevatte!  Probably the most charming comic of the night (and that is saying a lot), Teresa seemed a bit tentative at the start, but that was all for show.  She quickly kicked us the sass and the personality, though.  She made excellent use of call backs throughout her set. Overall, her set developed extremely well.  Everything transitioned well and her pacing was just right.  Even more impressive is how she was able to play off of the energy from JD's set, here it could have been easy to either kind of get lost in it or to drop it completely, 

Next up is Lydia Whitley!  She takes the stage and her bright and bubbly personality is evident before she says a word.  There were quite a few smiles in the audience as they waiting for he to begin.  Precise and good natured, she pepped just a bit more as she got her first laugh from the audience.   Making excellent use of stage whispers and asides, she took the audience by surprise a little bit but they caught up quickly.  After a bit of guilty laughter, the audience warmed up to her even more.  She definitely sets herself apart with a quirky and strong set. ****  It seems that I need to add a bit of clarification at this point.  When I mentioned guilty laughter, in this case it refers to a response when a comic slips something past the audience and the audience finally catches on and they kind of laugh to try to play off the gotcha.  In this case, the stage whispers kind of threw some of the audience until Lydia actually remarked about about why she was whispering. As I looked around, there were more than a couple of confused looks.  When Lydia let them off the hook, you could almost see the lights pop on above some of the audience members' heads.  I also was remiss in not pointing out that while there were quite a few gotchas throughout the first round, Lydia's was unique in the fact that despite it being the most obvious of the gotcha, it was also the one that took the longest for the audience to catch up. She most definitely earned the laughter she got, the catch up laughter was just an added bonus!***

The next comic up is Nick DeNitto!  Nick gets the cheap pop of the night when he starts out his set with a good natured dig at a comic that was a surprise no-show.  After that, Nick picks up the pace and delivers a set that is a nice contrast to the more laid back previous sets of the night.  Even at a quicker pace, there is a precision to his delivery that rivals the earlier comics.  Transitions are not always smooth, but the audience doesn't get a chance to notice because there wasn't much fade time between laughs.  From the grin on his face, it is clear he is as happy to make the audience laugh, as the audience is to be so well entertained.

Every show so far there has been one comic that I haven't seen perform before that just astonishes me.  The comic that fills that role tonight is the next comic up, Brandy Brown!  As a performer, I would say that the old line about "classy, sassy and a little smartassy" is an apt description.  She took the energy and kicked it up a notch.  It is hard to think of a smoother delivery style in the competition.

Okay, tonight there are two new (to me) comics that just wowed me, the second one is up now, Jason King!  Taking the stage, he has a grin on his face like he knew the juiciest secret in the world and he is going to do you a solid by letting you in on it.  Using self-deprecating humor right off the bat, the look on his face says he is daring you not to laugh.  The look on his face when the laughs comes says he knew you would.

We now come to our last contestant, Brent Blakeney!  He has killed it every time I have seen him before and it is no different this time.  His delivery is as sharp as ever. I am not sure there are adequate superlatives to describe someone who can write a hilarious bit connecting Waffle House and the 70's video game, The Oregon Trail.  I mean, come on!


The lights come up and Steve calls the comics back up in order so that that faces can be matched to names on the ballot.  Ballots are collected.  Maybe you are wondering at this point, is Steve going to count the ballots and do fill spot as well?  That would be interesting, but alas, no.  Even better though is that there is another special guest tonight, the one and only Ryan Higgins!

It is a cool show when you get to see audience work, a bit of off the cuff improv AND  set, practiced routines, right.  With Ryan you get all of that in one set!  He moves from one type to the next without missing a beat. Part of his material seems to border on stream of consciousness and it is fun to see how he transitions from one bit to another.  Sometimes it is a smooth change, but sometime he hits you with such an obvious ham-handed change up that you have to laugh at it. He ends his time with a version of one of his (in my opinion) best routines.  I am a little sad that he had to shorten it, but there is business to done!

MOVING ON TO THE WILD CARD ROUND BY COMIC VOTE:

ERIC MEGERT

NICK DENITTO

MOVING ON TO THE 2ND ROUND BY AUDIENCE VOTE:

JD ETHERIDGE

BRENT BLAKENEY

JASON KING

BRANDY BROWN

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND A HUGE, WHOLEHEARTED THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMICS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS SUCH A GREAT SHOW:

TERESA PREVATTE

LYDIA WHITLEY

AND SPECIAL GUEST, RYAN HIGGINS

ANYTIME YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE ANY OF THESE COMICS, OR ANY OF THE COMICS PERFORMING IN THE COMPETITION, PLEASE DO!  SUPPORTING THE LOCAL COMEDY SCENE, LOCAL COMICS AND FINE LOCAL COMEDY VENUES SUCH AS THE IDIOT BOX IS A WIN-WIN SITUATION!

The Ultimate Comic Challenge, 10th anniversary edition. Show 8

It is Friday the 13th and once again, it is time for 10 more comics to try to take the next step towards being named the Ultimate Comic.  There is a lot of buzz going on as the audience waits for the show to start.  There is a good amount of buzz from tonight's comics as well.  All signs would suggest it was going to be a strong show.

As the lights and sound go down, once again, it is Steve Lesser introducing our host for the show, Jennie Stencel.As an added bonus the interplay between Jennie and Steve carries over to this week.  They have the audience cracking up through the instructions and housekeeping announcements.  The energy is high in the room and it is easy to tell that the audience is here to laugh.

Starting the show off tonight is Shari Diaz.  I am not sure how long she has been doing comedy, but there is a level of polish to her delivery that is remarkable.  With a killer smile and a sultry voice, she grabs the audiences attention in an instant.  She starts out kind of laid back, but that doesn't last long.  Without really increasing her pacing or any change in her delivery, she is able to ramp up the energy in her performance.  Add the quality of her writing on top of all that, and you have one hell of an experience.  It is almost a disappointment as she closes her set.  What a set to the night!

Coming up next is Kory Kling.  He starts out with a lot of energy and an instant likability.  With the material being so personal, it is like hanging out with a friend you haven't seen in a long time. His writing is outstanding.  The way he was able to increase the effect of his material with facial expressions was impressive, whether it was  an 'aw, shucks' grin or a 'cat who ate the canary' smile.  The way that he seems to effortlessly maintain the intensity and energy from throughout his set is also impressive.

At this point, I am wondering how the next comic will be able to handle the level that has been set.  The lucky contestant going next is... Rocky Wilson!   As has been the pattern so far, Rocky starts out a little laid back.  There is an undeniable charisma about him that only increases as he gets fully into his material. If anything, his energy was higher than the previous two comics.  He definitely comes across as one of the most self confident comics I have ever seen performs.  He knows what effect he is after with each bit and he knows he will get it.  He also had two of the highest points of the show by doing a bit about Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell while doing spot on impressions of the two and when he literally took the audience to church (sing-song delivery and waving handkerchief included).  The energy in the room is almost dizzying as he finishes his set.

The comic who has the unenviable challenge of following Rocky is David Goolsby. His delivery was not as seemingly high energy as the comics so far, but that is a bit misleading.  It is almost like a boxer that picks his shots, throwing jabs and when the time is right, unloads a haymaker.  The ebb and flow of his delivery is a nice counterpoint to the constant energy of the previous comics.  It is an incredibly smart way to not only stand out to the audience, but to also ensure the maximum impact of his material.

Coming up next is Matthew Carpenter!  It was amazing to see his create such energy with his material while seeming like his he was not exerting much physical energy.  That may sound weird, but I am not sure I can explain it any better.  The way he played off of the audience's expectations and reactions was amazing.  His material was very sharp and his timing and pacing was dead on.  Even with pace slowing down, there was no chance that he would lose the audience or his momentum.  And the level of energy as his set finished was still high, but not as intense so he set the stage nicely for the comic following him.

As Jennie takes the mic to announce the next comic, she made a comment about how after each set the mic stand was in different places and by the end of the night she won't know where it is.

And the comic coming up next?  Billy Coley.  Not being one to pass up a cheap pop, I take the microphone stand and move it behind one of the poles slightly behind the front row (and yes, I did get the pop).  The nerves kick in as I start my set, so my delivery is a bit shaky and there seems to be a bit of pulling away, but as I get to the my first punchline, the response was what I was hoping for and I was off and running.  Even at the point where I stumbled over saying 'structural damage', I got some laughter out if it.  Rushing to finish before time was up, I had to shorten one bit to jump to a more concise joke.  While the fumble was very obvious, both the audience and I bounced back with the final bit. I get a nice save by not killing the energy of the room and I left some good energy for the next comic.

(As I handed the mic back to Jennie and start walking to the back, she announces that she knows where the mic stand is and I get a smaller pop from the audience.  I'm happy)

Next up is one of the two comics I know and someone I always enjoy seeing perform, Virginia Wallace!  Her material is full of snark and attitude and she delivers it so well that you can't help but laugh.  Her use of facial expressions and body language bumps up the impact her material has on the audience.  She comes comes across so harried and exasperated in her setups and then she hits with a punchline that is either so outrageous  or so twisted from what you expect that you can't help but laugh (even if sometimes the laughter is tinged with a bit of guilt for laughing).

The next comic up is Dispatch Dave!  Low energy is not something you would say to describe Dave or his set.  He seems pretty cool at the start of his set, kind of laid back.  Before long though the energy is turned up to 11 and he becomes a force of nature.  At one point in his set, I kind of had a minor Chris Farley flashback.  Watching the faces of the audience members he focused his attention on at points in his routine causes as much laughter from the rest of the audience as his material does.

Next up is the other comic I know and another of the few comics I know that makes it look so easy, Nik Cartwright!  One of the best things about him is that he always seems kind of shocked and happy when the audience laughs.  He kind of has that All American guy next door vibe going on; the guy who everyone thinks is upright and reserved, but is actually the class clown (a real-life Ferris Bueller type).  The combination of charm, writing skill and performance skill is is pretty darn close to an unbeatable combination in Nik's case.

Now we come to our last comic of the night, and the night ends with a bang...  Now on the mic, Phillip Dameron! He starts off kind of low key, very personable. It seems the audience isn't quite sure how to take him at first though they are responding well to his material.  After a few seconds though, something kind of amazing happens.  Phillip's energy and attention ramps up in a second.  The audience  is now reacting as much to the transformation as to his material.  And as he goes through the rest of his set, there are subtle adjustments to his delivery, his body language, his intensity and energy.  They are all subtle, but effective.  At times, it seems the audience is laughing out of self defense.  Where it could be easy to push it over edge or alienate the audience, Phillip shows off a masterful control and focus, keeping the audience well in hand right up to the end of his set.

The comics are all called back up so that faces can be put to names on the ballots.  As the ballot counting goes on, Jennie takes the mic for her set.  There is a lot of introspection, explaining and embarrassing  various members of the audience involved.

The lights come back up and it is time to announce the winners.

MOVING ON TO THE WILD CARD ROUND BY COMIC VOTE:

ROCKY WILSON

MOVING ON TO THE 2ND ROUND BY AUDIENCE VOTE:

PHILLIP DAMERON

NIK CARTWRIGHT

SHARI DIAZ

DAVID GOOLSBY

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND A HUGE, WHOLEHEARTED THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMICS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS SUCH A GREAT SHOW:

KORI KLING

MATTHEW CARPENTER

BILLY COLEY

VIRGINIA WALLACE

DISPATCH DAVE

ANYTIME YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE ANY OF THESE COMICS, OR ANY OF THE COMICS PERFORMING IN THE COMPETITION, PLEASE DO!  SUPPORTING THE LOCAL COMEDY SCENE, LOCAL COMICS AND FINE LOCAL COMEDY VENUES SUCH AS THE IDIOT BOX IS A WIN-WIN SITUATION!

AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT THUS FAR!

The Ultimate Comic Challenge, 10th anniversary edition. Show 7

It is Friday night and there is another stacked line up of comics vying for the title of Ultimate Comic.  The room is close to full and there is a lot of chatter and the energy is promising.  It looks like another good night for comedy.

The lights and music go down and Steve Lesser introduces the host for tonight, Jennie Stencel. There is a bit more of an interplay between Steve and Jennie tonight and it is hilarious.  I will give you fair warning, stay away from the orange Starbursts or face the wrath of Jennie!

As a suitable mood has been set in the room, let's get on with the show!

First up is Maddy Gross!  As seems to be the case throughout the show, there is an abundance of charm and very good writing.  Maddy definitely set the bar in many ways for the show. She has an aura of mischief that shines through.  Her writing is crisp and her delivery perfectly draws in, and plays off of, the audience.  A great start to the night.

Next up is Frank Henry.  Frank brings a low key affability in both his personality and his writing.  The crowd seemed to be pulling away as he began his set and he seemed a bit nonplussed by this, but he rallied.  His set got better and better and he had one of the most solid finishes of the night.

Next up is the self-proclaimed 'Bad Boy of Christian Comedy', John Eisenhardt!  I admire john a good deal for being good at a version of comedy that is really hit or miss; the basic setup and punch/one liners.  John's personality also makes it easy to root for him on the stage; the "aww, shucks, ma'am, tweren't nothing" to John and his amazement shines through.  Tonight, there was no question of whether he wins over the crowd.  The audience wasn't quite sure what to make of John at first, but that didn't last long.  His timing was as good as I have ever seen and his interplay with the audience was impeccable.

Our next comic to take the stage is Tab May! There is an aura of roguishness about Tab as the set goes along, that the audience seems to buy into. The usual charm is there, of course, but there is more a sense of controlled energy as I have noticed in the past.  It plays well and, added to Tab's natural charm, serves well in winning the crowd over.  The writing is as sharp and smart as always.

Next up, David Lerner!  David jumped right into his set and the crowd quickly warmed up to him.  There is a slight bit of goofiness, for lack of a better word, that I think adds a lot to his performance and how much the crowd brought into it.

Next up is Dejahzh Hedrick.  His smooth, more laid back style is a nice counterpoint to the more frenetic and high energy sets before.  His writing is sharp and his delivery is precise.  It always amazes me how a comic like Dejahzh, with a more deliberate style can pull energy at a level that equals, and sometimes betters, higher energy comics.   level

Next up is a comic that had energy to spare (and I think she had it turned up to 11 on top of that).  Her name is Renora Malloy and she hits the stage like F-5 tornado.  She is off and running as soon as he grabs the mic and keeps the energy high throughout her set.  There is hardly a pause to catch your breath as she slides into and out of different bits.  She is very good at tying her related bits together, which is good with her energy level as it can be easy to lose the thread in such a rapid fire delivery.

The next comic is the perfect follow up to such a high energy set.  Tori Chaffee is another comic who can win over an audience before she gets into her material.  Well, at least she did so tonight.  As is usually the case, her writing is sharp and she accentuates how sharp it is with her delivery and pacing.  She is also very effective in using facial expression and body language to enhance the effect of her material.

Now we come to our last comic of the night, Grant Sheffield!  In Grant we have a comic who is very adept at changing pacing and tempo and can handle both very efficiently.  He is also good at changing up between storytelling and joke telling within the same set.  On top off all that, the way he builds up the energy in the crowd and then uses it to fire up his own energy level is amazing.  He ends the show perfectly.

As usual, the lights come up and the comics are called back up.  As happened last week, it seems to take a slight bit longer for ballots to be filled out and turned in.

As the lights are dimmed once again, it turns out that we are in for a pretty cool surprise.  We have a nationally touring comic in the club and she is going to perform in the usual host spot as votes are tallied.

The comic is Reena Calm and she is on her first tour through North Carolina.  Hailing from Chicago, most of her material concerns the Midwest, but it was very relatable. The audience is very appreciative of her efforts, and she seems to enjoy the crowd and the performers as well.  It was also very cool to talk to her after the show ended.

Reena wraps up her set as Jennie returns with the results.

MOVING ON TO THE WILD CARD ROUND BY COMIC VOTE:

JOHN EISENHARDT

MOVING ON TO THE 2ND ROUND BY AUDIENCE VOTE:

MADDY GROSS

GRANT SHEFFIELD

TORI CHAFFEE

DEJAHZH HEDRICK



CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND A HUGE, WHOLEHEARTED THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMICS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS SUCH A GREAT SHOW:

FRANK HENRY

TAB MAY

DAVID LERNER

RENORA MALLOY

KATIE HALE

ANYTIME YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE ANY OF THESE COMICS, OR ANY OF THE COMICS PERFORMING IN THE COMPETITION, PLEASE DO!  SUPPORTING THE LOCAL COMEDY SCENE, LOCAL COMICS AND FINE LOCAL COMEDY VENUES SUCH AS THE IDIOT BOX IS A WIN-WIN SITUATION!

AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT THUS FAR!

The Ultimate Comic Challenge, 10th anniversary edition. Show 6

It's another Friday night and it is time to get our laugh on.  It is a pretty decent sized crowd and there is and the energy in the room is tinged with anticipation.  It is a super strong lineup, as has been the case throughout each first round matchup.

It is almost go time and the lights and music are lowered and the unmistakable voice comes over the sound system, welcoming everyone and introducing the host for this show, Jennie Stencel!

Jennie seems to have a little more manic energy than usual and has people laughing loudly through the housekeeping stuff.  She has done her job very well, as the energy in the room is very high.

Jennie ended her opening at a perfect time for the first comic.  The energy  is still rising as Ryan Bender takes the stage. Ryan jumps right into his material and the crowd bites on his first punchline.  Both comic and crowd ease into a nice rhythm, laid back but not sedate by any means.  The thing I like most is that he combines a heavy dose of self-deprecating humor with some really sharp pop culture references; and by the crowd's reactions, they seem to enjoy it as well.  As he wraps up, to a good amount of applause, it is clear he has set the bar pretty high for the following performers.

Next up, we have Brian Herberger!  At the very beginning, it seemed that Brian had a touch of the nerves, but shrugged it off quickly and settled into a nice pace.  He combines simple likability with excellent writing into a very good set.  He keeps the energy up and sets the table nicely for our next comic, Peter Coccaro!

Peter jumps right into his material pretty much baiting the audience to follow him in the story he is about to tell.  More a purveyor of funny stories rather than a simple set up comic, His charm and pacing keeps the audience with him right up until the end when he had to rush a little before time ran out.  Even with that, he kept the energy up nicely.

Following Peter is Vishal Krishnasami!  Here we get a good example of one type of smooth.  Vishal's set flows so well, one bit into the next and into the next and so on.  He hits a rhythm that is almost hypnotic.  The laughter never suffers though.  The energy is almost through the roof halfway through his set, but he never lets up for a second.  Add to this his natural charisma and you get a set that leaves everyone out of breath and slightly hurting from laughing so much.

Following that up and tasked to keep the energy high and flowing in the room is Daniel Richardson! Daniel steps up to the challenge nicely, jumping right into his set.  The pace is quick, but it seemed that the audience is quieting down.   Daniel is having none of that and using a series of smart setups and punches that kind of dares the audience to catch what he hitting them with and he is able to finish his set on a very note.

Next up is one of the hottest comics on the local scene, Mark Brady!  Mark makes winning over a crowd look easy.  Flashing a slightly impish looking smile and setting a pace that gives the impression of personal conversation.  And just when you think he has the audience well in hand, Mark breaks out some new material based upon the fact he is soon going to be a father and the energy ramped up even further.  Through all of this it is easy to overlook just how good a writer he is and how stages himself during his set. It was an incredible set, simply put.

Next up is Sarah Oleson!  Sarah has a cool, precise delivery style that should serve her well as she grows and evolves as a comic. For the most part, her writing was spot on. There were a couple of spots where her charisma and attitude made a couple of rough spots go over with the crowd.  I was impressed.

Coming up next is Rajesh Kumar!  Here we will talk about the other version of smooth.  It is more of  an 'everything in its place' type of smooth.  Pacing and asides are used to help carry the audience through the comic's set, making it seem both long and over too soon at the same time,  Rajesh has charisma and charm at a level that is astounding.  He makes a self-deprecating joke and the audience roots for him,  He makes a risque joke and the audience just about goes bonkers.  There is a slyness to Rajesh that comes through in the smile he flashes and the way his eyes light up each time he delivers a solid punchline.  Of course, that means the smile and twinkle are present a lot because there is not a single misstep.

It is time for things to take a turn for the absurd and weird, brought to us by Aaron Cobb!  Aaron is a high energy, aggressive comic that is excellent at taking a simple obvious set up and turn it on its head.  Quite a few times, the audience thought they were a bit ahead of the routine, and Aaron sweeps back in with a pay off that is about 90 degrees off of their expectations.

Following Aaron, our next to the last comic, Katie Hale, takes the stage.  Katie is a bright, brassy comic and has a delivery that brings that out even more.  The crowd was into her set and kind of rooting for her in it.  I believe she will have a bright future on the local scene.

Our last comic is one who is well known on the comedy scene, Sam Mazany.  Sam's routine is built upon a combination of self-deprecation and a touch of the absurd.  His demeanor and body language sells his material as much as his words do.  You really can see the schlep he is making fun off, but don't sell his personality short though.  Here is a comic that has a good deal of charm even if he tries to make the audience believe otherwise.

The lights come up as the comics are brought up once more and ballots are filled out.  Seems that the voting is taking a bit longer than usual, so I looked forward even more to the results. Jennie once again takes the stage for her set while votes are being counted and has the audience rolling.  Steve comes in to deliver the results for Jennie to announce.

GOING ON TO THE WILD CARD ROUND BY COMIC VOTE:

THERE IS A TIE

AARON COBB

RYAN BENDER

GOING STRAIGHT THROUGH TO THE 2ND ROUND BY AUDIENCE VOTE:

SAM MAZANY

RAJESH KUMAR

VISHAL KRISHNASAMI

MARK BRADY



CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND A HUGE, WHOLEHEARTED THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMICS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS SUCH A GREAT SHOW:

BRYAN HERBERGER

PETER COCCARO

DANIEL RICHARDSON

SARAH OLESON

KATIE HALE

ANYTIME YOU GET A CHANCE TO SEE ANY OF THESE COMICS, OR ANY OF THE COMICS PERFORMING IN THE COMPETITION, PLEASE DO!  SUPPORTING THE LOCAL COMEDY SCENE, LOCAL COMICS AND FINE LOCAL COMEDY VENUES SUCH AS THE IDIOT BOX IS A WIN-WIN SITUATION!

AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT THUS FAR!