(S04E07) Here's where it comes down to nothing more than laughs. No bullshit like house behavior or immunity or challenges. From here on out, the comedians will give their sets, the viewers will vote by phone and web, and one by one, the comics will be elimintated. It's just a comedic mano-a-mano for all the marbles.And, for now, it seems like it's going to be the Josh and Chris show.
One thing I will say: this round gives viewers a chance to see the comedians' full five-minute routines, uncut and un-manipulated to show audiences laughing at jokes that aren't funny. The show wasn't quite live; I could hear some words being bleeped (though NBC's S&P is a bit weird: they bleeped Roz saying the word "ass" in the phrase "wipe my ass", but not the word "ass" in the phrase "I couldn't reach my ass."). It also gives the comics time to write new material, since the house round ended months ago. You could see the effort put in with just about all the final five, as they came up with fresh material for this round.
All of them except Roz. I'm sorry, I admire her efforts to clean herself up and help others, but her routine just isn't funny. It's jokes about being fat screamed at the audience in an irritating manner. Her only good line was about how she likes to date skinny stoners "because they'll get the munchies and finally we'll be on the same page."
(Oh, did it look like Roz had a little eye work done? You tell me.)
Ty Barnett was OK. His set was stronger than what we've seen in the past, but that's not saying much. Notice that every time I write the words "Ty Barnett", all I can write was that "he's OK." That's not a good sign for a stand-up comedian; if I were in his place, I'd rather be awful than just OK. His funniest line was about how some people see Jesus: up on the cross, he's the savior, but if you spotted him on the street, you'd say, "hey man, I don't have any money for you today."
Chris Porter didn't hit it out of the park, but he did give a strong set. He also admitted in his mini-profile that the show has done a lot for him already, just in the period between the first epiosdes airing and tonight. He's moved to L.A. from Kansas City and seems to be getting better bookings. Good for him; he's one of the few comics in the entire competition who has the potential to put together a strong headliner-length set (Imagine seeing Rebecca Corry for 45 minutes? I shiver at the thought). I like how he compared drinking and not smoking to "trying to poop and not pee."
Then came Josh Blue. First, can I ask why the wardrobe people felt the need to dress both Josh and Chris as if they were ready to go clubbing after the show? The collars sticking out, the untucked shirts... these guys don't usually dress like this, so why bother starting now? Anyway, Josh's set started slowly -- his joke about catching a pigeon while hailing a cab didn't quite hit right -- but he had the joke of the night. He pretended to embarrassingly field a cell phone call, and just said into the phone, "Gabriel, stop calling me!" That line alone should get him a bonus.
Finally, there was Michele Balan. I haven't been one of Michele's biggest fans, but I think she put in a good set tonight, as she stayed away from "feminine jokes" and talked more about city life and being a New Yorker away from home. Her best line? "Hurricane Katrina... they should have called it Hurricane John Gotti."
As for the rest of the show... typical reality show filler. Lots of pauses and reintroducting the finalists one by one. Anthony Clark had some funny lines written for him to introduce each comic, but his timing and delivery in saying each line was horrible. And, to be honest, he should be warmer with the finalists at this point, as if he's been along the ride with them and become buddies with these people. That's something that Jay Mohr did very well, and it made the show look more like an adventure where relationships grew as time went on. That feeling is pretty much absent this season. Is it all Anthony Clark's fault? Of course not. But he's not helping.
So, go ahead to the NBC website and vote for your favorite. Polls are only open until 6:00 AM EDT Wednesday. (Oh, and according to this site, the winner of the other online vote, which returns a first round eliminee to the show, will end up being on the finals episode to do a set, but not compete.) Like I said, it's looking like Josh and Chris are going to be in the finals, but who knows? I've been surprised before. Every comic better get another good five minutes ready, though, because things are just going to get tougher from here on out.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-19-2006 @ 2:42AM
Keith L. Dick said...
So make me "Laugh"...
Reply
7-19-2006 @ 2:52AM
az1324 said...
What the f@#k was that?!? So Ty does an amazingly tight set out of nowhere and Chris does some kind of Anthony Clark impression which is not anywhere near as funny as the stuff he has been doing all season? Josh was good, but also seemed like he took it down a notch. It almost seems like either the show was rigged or Chris was trying to throw it. Is he a betting man? What a terrible end to a weak season. Bring Jay back and make the right cuts or don't bother with another season.
Theres no way this show was live... I saw the same audience reaction used for two jokes from different comics. Either that or the chick is a robot.
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7-19-2006 @ 6:45AM
Gavin said...
Didn't get to see it because my g/f forced me to sit through ABC's The One which is one of the most god-awful pieces of crap that I've seen on TV in some time. Not quite as bad as the Alan Thicke hosted Celebrity Cooking Challenge, but pretty close.
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7-19-2006 @ 7:04AM
Julie said...
Actually, I thought Ty was pretty funny. Laughed when he said his grandmother had a tattoo of the Last Supper on her stomach; as she's gained weight they've inserted people and it's now the Last Buffet. And what people leave behind when a relationship ends - women it's bracelets or undies, men it's sons or daughters! I thought those two KILLED!
Chris was blah - no spark like at the roast. Josh funny, Michele just OK. Roz - awful! She should have been challenged way back when and then we wouldn't have had to suffer...
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7-19-2006 @ 8:06AM
Brent said...
I thought Ty was great. Josh put on the best set in my opinion. My wife and I were wondering why the sets seemed toned down by some as we thought it was the final night. It wasn't until the end of the show when we found out 1 person gets voted out and we realized what was going on. Some of the people felt comfortable and didn't bring their A game (Chris), while others brought it (Ty). Should be interesting to see who gets the boot.
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7-19-2006 @ 9:07AM
Brian Thompson said...
Josh Blue makes me fall off the couch laughing every time he does a set. Chris Porter is genuinely funny too. The others though, especially Balan, get little more than an occasional chuckle from me. And the host sucks but Jay Mohr was awful too so I'll call it a wash.
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7-19-2006 @ 9:14AM
MrsEldubya said...
I thought Roz was funny as Roz is funny but I can't see a whole set of her yelling at me. I thought Ty gave the best performance yet for him and it was tight, solid and funny. That just set us up for Chris. Those three were the perfect build up for us. Josh was funny and yes his Gabriel joke was the funniest thing of the night. He's been funnier though and maybe it was the editing before that made him seem like he had more flow. Michele was just awful so this should be easy to figure out who's gone.
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7-19-2006 @ 10:37AM
niccomm said...
Roz: needs to learn NOT TO SHOUT THROUGH HER ENTIRE SET. There was nowhere for her to build to.
Ty: pretty good. Haven't seen a lot of him, but I liked his material very much.
Chris: where'd the heavy southern accent come from? It was never like that before was it? I have him pegged as the eventual winner, but last night wasn't his best by far.
Josh: very funny stuff, but what happens when he runs out of (or we get tired of) disabled jokes? Can he go beyond that?
Michelle: commanded the stage like a true pro. She's obviously been at this for a while. She's my number two pick.
Who's going? Roz
Reply
7-19-2006 @ 10:41AM
Claire! said...
I've always kind of like Roz. I think she has some good zingers. But man, more than one joke and the yelling gets OLD. I couldn't handle it last night. It hurt my throat just to hear her. Ty was the best he's been, but still just ok. Chris has been a ton better. This set was no good and he knew it. Josh rocks my world. His set made me laugh out loud a few times, but it still wasn't his best either. Everyone seems to hate Michele. I kind of like her. She won't win and she shouldn't. She doesn't have a future being a big name comic, but I find her entertaining. But, if you lay out the five comics - it is definitely Josh and Chris in the final two.
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7-19-2006 @ 11:07AM
Lacey said...
I thought EVERYONE was off last night.
Chris and Josh both did NOT live up to their past performances. While they both had SOME funny stuff, I thought they were way funnier in past episodes. My bet is on Chris to win though.
Ros is terrible, it's not even her jokes, so much as the way she screams them. She needs to bring it down a notch....or 10.
And I agree, when I think of Ty, all I can think is He's okay. not really much else to say.
Michelle I think was great last night, while usually I would also group her in the "just okay" catagory, I was really suprised about how funny she was last night.
This show continues to dissapoint me, and yet I can't stop watching it. stupid tv.
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7-19-2006 @ 2:41PM
Me said...
I agree with most of the commenters on this page more than I agree with the writer of this article. Ty was definitely the funniest one and seemed like he was the most comfortable on the stage. I liked the part when he said "why is the preacher talking like that today". Also, I agree w/ whoever said they liked josh but what will he do when we get tired of disabled jokes. Chris was NOT as good as he usually is and I did notice that he was talking differently with some sort of accent. Also, I think the show has mad him a little bit cocky...anyone agree? I think Roz should go. ENOUGH SCREAMING.
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7-19-2006 @ 4:50PM
Ben said...
Why does everyone like Balan and why is she thought to be such a strong contender? Her jokes are stale and her delivery is weak. The only time she could be considered to be funny or edgy would be if she were on the Ed Sullivan show.
It seemed like Roz was a little nervous last night and that seemed to put her timing off a little bit. I think that plays into a lot of the performances (some people have a hard time performing in front of a whole theatre).
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7-20-2006 @ 10:25PM
Mr. B said...
OK, just watched this on Tivo. This season is IMPOSSIBLE to withstand without Tivo - did Anthony Clark used to be funny? My picks are below, but first...!
Here is the question I was surprised no one else asked: Who were the two at the bottom in the "preliminary results"? Did no one else notice that when Clark said here are the bottom two, there was no indication on the screen of the two lowest comics? This show is so lame!
Roz - out.
Michele - In trouble.
Josh - starting to get old.
Chris and Ty are my picks for the final showdown.
Reply