Last Comic Standing 6, Episode 6: Semi-Finals, Part 1

George Carlin died.

I have no words to say. George used them all.

As expected, the ratings were better for LCS last week, now that the NBA games are out of the way. Episode 5 had 4.52 million viewers, but supposedly dropped to a 1.3 in the 18-49 demos. I say supposedly because there appears to be some conflict about that number for this week. Either way, they did gain a half-million viewers last week, and hopefully with the show now going into the semi-finals and then to the house, they may pick up a few more.

As regular viewers will remember, LCS typically breaks up the semi-finals into two episodes, with half of the comics who made it from the tryouts performing in each part. Half of the comics that will go to the house will be picked in the first episode of the semi-finals and then the remaining comics going to the house picked from the second episode.

In other words, we have 32 comics looking to fill twelve spots open for moving on to the house. So tonight’s episode has 16 of the comics performing for six spots. For some reason I still feel like I’m making it sound more complicated than it is. I dunno.

Bill Bellamy comes out at the top of the show with a group of Jubilee dancers, which ties in with one of the prizes that the winner of this season will get – a chance to perform in the Jubilee show at Bally’s. Which also begs the question, what will a comic do in such a show? Will the comic appear in the Titanic sequence trying to calm the dancers while the ship sinks? (“Hey, I’ve heard you girls use ice-cubes before you dance, but this is ridiculous!”) Will they appear as an opening act for the dancers? (No, I’m not going to do a joke about “openings” and the dancers. Thank you.) I’m just very curious how that’s going to work. As a comic, I would almost prefer not to win in such a case, as it looks like getting a job on the level of burlesque. Nothing against Jubilee, but as a comic, I don’t think I would want to be there.

Back to the show. Bill starts off with a few jokes about plastic surgery. The one about the botoxed lion is mildly funny, but the rest is very much a miss, unfortunately. My wife, watching with me, begins to critique his act and I remind her that he’s the emcee – he doesn’t have to worry about being funny.

Bill introduces the judges, who are the same two who judged the New York competition in Episode 1: Richard Belzer and Steve Schirripa. We then head right into the competition, which I’ll be setting up here by listing everyone by name first, which tryout they came from second, and then a little bit of what we see of them in the semi-finals.

Adam Hunter (Tempe): In a short interview beforehand, Adam tells the camera that he has been working as a comic for ten years and is set to prove himself the winner in the semi-finals. He fills his three-minute set with a huge volume of gags, some good, and some not-so-good. The shotgun blast of jokes wins over the judges, who tell him that they liked him and liked his style of just “bang, bang, bang, bang” with the material, even when some of it fell flat. I thought he was okay at best and not quite as good as in his tryout, but – like the judges – I admired his ability to just pepper the audience with his gags.

Phil Palasol (Tempe): He mentions that he is anxious in an interview before his set. He is good in a set where he talks about getting old and the change in our behavior when we get behind the wheel of a car.

Jeff Dye (San Francisco): I thought he was only “eh” in his tryout set, with an overly long bit about being a “bad ass.” He is much better in the semi-finals, however, with a full three minutes on one topic: working out in the fitness center. One bit alone about working out while on Ecstasy is a gimme to make it to the house, I believe.

Erin Foley (Los Angeles): One of the winners of the rather sad tryout in L.A. She was only so-so in L.A., and after a good start with a baby shower routine, she loses the audience a bit and doesn’t recover. Shame there.

Dan Naturman (New York): Performs the same Internet gag that he did in the New York tryout to start. That’s not to say it’s a bad joke, but just pointing it out. He has some good stuff about learning Italian in college and ads for prescription drugs. Could possibly move on.

This weeks Last Comic Driving ad appears during the next commercial break, with Jacob Sirof performing for the people in the car. His full act can be seen on the NBC website.

Lioz Shem Tov (Miami/International): He does prop comedy and Belzer admits that the judges were “laughing in spite of it.” Schirripa states that he really enjoyed it as well. Lioz goes back to the green room and tells Fearne that he just wanted to do his best and doesn’t care if he wins.

Dale Jones (Nashville): Was the really goofy guy in the Nashville tryout and he sticks to his guns by doing more of the same in the semi-finals while talking about nooky and being married. The audience seems to really enjoy him and I thought he was a tad better than in Nashville.

Erin Jackson (Nashville): Really enjoyed her material in the tryout and enjoyed her even more on the semi-finals. She does material about marrying a man while being a comic, things famous black people do, stereotypes, and the tooth-fairy. She seems to me a lock to move on.

God’s Pottery (New York): They do the same song from their New York tryout, but we see a little more here of the song this time. Belzer replies in the after-set interview that he is converting because of them and Schirripa is now uncertain if it is just an act anymore. It’s a good set, although I would have preferred to have seen something else from the pair.