Last Comic Standing 2, Episode 6: Every Man For Himself, and Todd Against All

It has been a quiet week on the LCS2 homefront, although we do have some notes to mention pertaining to last week's episode. First off, a CBS three-hour AFI special on music in the movies simply crushed the other networks on June 22, getting 9.0 and over 12 million viewers for the night. Even so, LCS2 came in with a strong second place rating of 5.8 and also tied CBS in the much sought-after 18-49 demographic. Considering CBS doesn't have such a special on every week, NBC probably isn't too worried about the numbers, especially as it still is much higher than the average for LCS last year. Also playing a part in the ratings is the very dismal 3.2 share that Next Action Star, the reality show on before LCS2, got. This means that LCS2 had to build upon those ratings and still got a nearly 100% jump on the earlier show, which probably makes LCS2 look even better in the eyes of the network right now.

We'll see how the program does this week. It could be confusing as new episodes will now be repeated on Wednesday evenings at 8:00 Eastern. I'm sure NBC has a way to look at combined ratings to get an idea of how well a series is doing in such cases, yet no doubt it will probably hit the ratings on the Tuesday night premieres.

There's an interview with last week's departed comic, Bonnie McFarland, on the TV Guide site, which is a change from last season. In the first season, the comics on LCS did not do any interviews until late into the series, so it is curious to read her take on things so soon after leaving the show.

In the interview, Bonnie pointed out that the comics were secluded off-stage during the comedy showdown. That is different from last year when the two comics stood on stage in front of the audience and watched as the other performed (not to mention that the other comics were shown in the back of the "nightclub" setting, watching as well). This change is a great improvement actually, as we always felt that having the comics stand there and watch each other could give a false reading to an audience as to how the comic performing is doing. If someone off to the side is grimacing or laughing, it could sway an audience to vote for or against someone (i.e. "Hey, that comic over there laughed at the guy he's challenging here! That challenger must be great if he can get the other comic to laugh! I'll vote for him.") Bonnie also stated that she could hear the audience laughing at Heffron's set from backstage and knew then and there that she didn't win. This certainly goes in favor of Heffron getting the type of votes that he received that night.

Of course, the subject of Bonnie's disagreement(s) with Tammy came up in the interview, and Bonnie made some final digs at both Tammy and Kathleen there. Bonnie mentioned that the three of them had agreed not to challenge each other, because it would be "catty," but then Tammy and Kathleen turned against her when it came time to vote. It should be pointed out that we're only hearing Bonnie's side of this situation; with Tammy and Kathleen probably contractually unable to discuss it at this time. For this reason, it seemed a bit unprofessional on Bonnie's part to talk about it when the other two cannot tell their sides of the story.

The fixation on Tammy and Kathleen seems to be the oddest thing in the interview, however, as if the two somehow controlled whether Bonnie was voted out of the house or not. Ultimately it should be remembered by fans that two-thirds of the possible votes went against Bonnie, and Tammy and Kathleen were only two voices in a group that included over 50% of the men. It appears, as with Sean Kent before her, people voted against Bonnie because they really did think they were funnier than her and wanted to see her go. Plus, an audience decided that they liked Heffron more as well. Thus, the emphasis on Tammy and Kathleen seems a bit much.

All the above leads us into this week's episode, which begins with a recap of the previous week and shows John heading home after the competition. He is upset, as he ended up defeating someone he considered a friend. As he enters the house, everyone cheers for him and Todd runs up to tell him that he never doubted that John would win, then rushes off to John's room to move his stuff back out of it. Although this is a funny gag, and everyone is happy for him staying, John falls apart. He gets mad at the comics there even though it was Bonnie's idea to pick him out of six choices to go up against. Either way, he tells them that he is sick of the alliances and that he plans to stay a lone wolf. Everyone feels bad for him and the walls of any alliances being built starts to crumble.

They don't feel too bad for losing Bonnie, however, as we see the majority of the comics the next day stretching out on in the yard and have a relaxing day in the sun. Gary, Todd, and John are inside in the kitchen, where Gary jokes with John that he should drink a lot of fluid due to all the crying he just did. John laughs and everyone seems more or less back to normal after the theatrics of the day before. While in the kitchen, Todd starts doing improvisation for the camera, making believe he is doing an advertisement for a set of knives. At first, Gary and John seemed a bit standoffish about Todd's antics, but by the end they appear to be getting into it and laughing.