Last Comic Standing

I've been watching this show for a few weeks now and I'm surprised at how much it manages to keep my interest. Basically semi-famous comics from all over the US compete(d) for a chance to live in a house where one by one they're voted off by one another (standard gist of a reality show). There's all the usual backstabbing and teaming up and wolves-in-sheep-clothing type characters involved, however the genuinely funny contestants really give you a reason to watch. Worth watching at least for the comedy.

While the first few seasons still exuded a certain old-fashioned charm, the series stands and falls today with the judges and their sense of humor. So much more standard McDonald's. Can entertain and Last Comic Standing is definitely the best reality show based on the selection and sacking process. But the competition is really ridiculous too.

Usually I'm not a fan of reality television, but I got into this show after the first episode. I'm a fan of stand-up comedy and this show had many quality comedians.

Dat Phan was energetic and great at physical comedy. I liked how he would sometimes open his act in "pigeon" English, then he would say, "I'm kidding, I speak English". What a great "ice breaker!"

Dave Mordal and "Don" Vos were a laugh riot. I especially loved Dave's idea for a pilot of a bunch of goofy, incompetent terrorists. I was laughing so hard when he described it, even if the "focus group" hated it. It cracked me up when they focused on Rich Vos, always ironing and when he would say "I stink".

I liked Raphie May's "angry" style of comedy and my sides were hurting from laughter when he was taking pot shots at Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown as he went head to head with Rob Cantrell.

Rob Cantrell was just plain goofy and I liked it. When he chose Ralphie, that took a lot of guts going up against the best in the house and you saw the respect he gained from it. I also liked it when he showed us his lava lamp and said this was the brain that told him he was going to be a "super funny comedian."

Cory Kahanie, Tess and Geoff Brown were funny as well. I liked Cory and her stories about her teenage daughter.

The last 2, Sean Kent; I don't really remember much of his stand-up routine, but Tere Joyce, I didn't find funny at all. She wasn't funny in the beginning and her "cha cha cha" I thought was very annoying.

When I look back at this show and the reason why I loved this and couldn't care for the other reality television shows, like any "Survivor" shows or "The Bachelorette" in comparison, because 5 years from now, will you actually remember any of the winners or care if Trista and whoever she chose will still be together? I doubt it.

Five years from now, I can see most of the 10 finalists moving on to bigger and better things in their comedic careers.

No pun intended, but Ralphie in my opinion has the potential of being the next big thing out of the whole group. Dat and Dave as well stood out.

These comics are just not very funny. Even Jay Mohr's material is pretty lame, and he is supposedly an established comic. I think he's a better actor than stand-up. I usually like him in films. And you know they edit everything down to just the best stuff, so it must be pretty painful to watch an entire taping. It just goes to show stand-up is a very tough thing to master. I know they have to fill up an hour, but the stupid Survivor type stuff is dumb. If the comics they chose were funnier, they could have an entire hour of routines and just vote like American Idol. But then they would have to have a helluva lot more material that was actually funny. It seems to me a stand up should have a solid half hour at least if they want to make a living at it. None of these qualify, except maybe the bald guy with the glasses. He's the only decent one on the show. As for the rest, they are real snoozers.

Like its sister show AGT, LCS took a long time to get the formula right. The first season ended with Dat Phan winning .... whatever the judges were on that year, they should have shared some with the viewers at home. For season 8, the judges (as is the case with AGT) are finally functioning as a team (although one suspects Russell Peters is not quite as well known as he thinks he is, and seems occasionally lost, actually making this reviewer nostalgic for highly photogenic Natasha Legerro).

Unlike the case with Season 1, one suspects that, whoever actually wins, there will be multiple career breaks to go around. Joe Machi, for example, is the kind of creative spirit that most TV comedy show writing teams would kill for; Rod Man has a delivery so unique they could teach it in Comedy School and even then no one would be able to imitate it; and that self-conscious Canadian comic "who looks like a mannequin" comes across as a genuine diamond in the rough. Good TV!