We’re two episodes into another season of Last Comic Standing, and something has become readily apparent: the producers aren’t even trying to hide that the auditions are rigged.
For example, the Los Angeles auditions featured Jon Reep (the “is that thing a Hemi?” commercial guy), Sean Rouse (featured in the Insomniac tour movie) and Thea Vidale (who had her own SITCOM!)
Last week, the New York auditions had Arj Barker (co-host on Battlebots with his own CC Presents special), Montreal had Gerry Dee (a contestant last year), and San Antonio had Sabrina Matthews (long-time touring comic) and Ralph Harris (who already has an HBO half-hour and a CC Presents). Apparently the Aussie comics chosen in Sydney are all established comics down there as well.
The promos for next week have shown Doug Benson (VH1’s Best Week Ever) and Bob Zany (a regular on the Bob & Tom Show).
Why even go through the pretense of having auditions when the majority of the contestants are touring comics, some of whom already have steady television gigs?
Auditions make good television. They get the viewer involved, making us feel like we ought to be rating the comedians, and actually somehow magically make terrible performers entertaining to watch.
Clever trick, that.
it’s a well established fact that the Last Comic Standing auditions are rigged. During Season 2, Drew Carey was one of the talent scouts, and he outed the entire process out of anger - that the producers choose people who they think would fit the reality genre the best, rather than the ones who are really the funniest, and that the talent scouts votes don’t actually count, and they are only in place as name recognition. That SHOULD be enough to stop me for watching, but i hate the reality show crap anyway, and only watch for some good jokes.
Previous seasons have had established comedians auditioning. Strangly, they never seem to get very far.
My husband and I have noticed that, too. Last season, I think, or maybe the season before, Bill Dwyer was a contestant, and he was previously a host on Battle Bots, plus I think he was in some of the “I Love the [insert decade]” shows, if briefly. It seem life if you’ve already been on national TV, you shouldn’t be allowed to audition. Amateurs only, like American Idol. (I assume American Idol is on the up and up.)
Being an “established” comic isn’t the same as being an established athlete, musician, or actor. I’ve seen Sabrina Matthews on her Comedy Central special and pretty much nowhere else. Likewise Bob Zany, who I wouldn’t be aware of at all if I didn’t listen to Bob and Tom.
Where do you draw the line on how much experience is acceptable? Most comedians tour constantly. It’s how they make their money. Do you stop it when you get your own headlining tour? Some comedians have been on television, and I think that if you have your own recurring series you shouldn’t be allowed, but what is the difference between that and a hosting gig or a special on Comedy Central?
It could just be pragmatism on the part of the producers. Most starting comics aren’t really that funny. Watching a comedian work out a new routine is one thing. Watching them work out a routine and their timing is something else entirely. I honestly don’t think that a show featuring all starting or green stand ups would go very far.
All that being said, what the hell is up with Mel Silverback? They really think some schmuck in a monkey suit is a good comedian?
Isn’t the point of the show, though, that you get your own comedy special on Bravo? If you’ve already had one on Comedy Central, then what kind of awesome prize is another one on a lesser watched channel?
American Idol’s basic rule is that the contestant can not have ever had a recording deal with an established production company, which eliminates most professional musicians.
However, Taylor Hicks WAS, in fact, a “professional” musician by any reasonable definition of the term, just as a live/touring performer.
Harborwolf, however, has a good point. Stand up comedy, even more than any other entertainment form, is one where 99.9999% of all people who try it are excruciatingly bad, and even among those who aren’t really bad, most are boring and recycle the same shit you’ve heard before, or only have two or three minutes of good material. I’ve been to a number of standup shows and even the folks with some experience were, for the most part, pretty bad. Nobody is naturally good at it; I don’t believe anyone can just get up and be a good standup, unlike singing, where some folks just have a gift. Singing lessons can really make you better but some folks can naturally sing. NOBODY is a natural standup; it’s amazingly, unbelieveably hard.
If you restricted auditions only to people who no paid comedy experience, there’s a very good chance you would not find ANY good comics at all during the entire audition process. Not a single one.
Some of the final contestants in previous seasons had also been previously fairly successful – for example, I first saw Kathleen Madigan perform in Chicago about 15 years ago and have seen her on TV a number of times since then.
But I agree with some of the comments here – that’s doesn’t mean that LCS is not a ‘real’ competition. (Although I do wonder why sometimes comedians who seem terribly unfunny to me are allowed to advance instead of seemingly funnier candidates).
When you start to wonder how this unfunny person got to advance, start thinking about how this person would act when in a competition, or if this person fits the token fat person/black woman/old person/gay person/crazy person role, since there has to be one of each. It really is a shame that some of the best comedians I see in the opening rounds get left out, simply because they already have too many young white guys or cute girls to fit their quota (or their off stage presence is too boring to create interesting reality stuff). I have a feeling the nerdish looking guy who told the DVD Piracy joke would have been my favorite guy this season.
The only reason I’m interested in watching this show is to see if he always wears the monkey suit. Like, around the house and everything. This gimmick is only worth it if he is never seen in person…ever.
If I was one of the “newer” comics sitting backstage with Sabrina Matthews, Walli Collins, Doug Benson, Thea Vidale and the like, I would seriously consider getting out of the business. If these established, funny, talented comedians (some of whom I grew up watching) are still seeking the big time, maybe this isn’t the best place for me…
