Last Comic Standing: Mediocre Comedy And Heavy-Handed Editing Episode 11 Recap by CC McCandless
August 30, 2007
Five performers remain on this increasingly dull season of Last Comic Standing, and none of them appear to have what it takes to convincingly grab the lead in the race for the title. Instead, it looks like we, the viewers, are simply in for a few more weeks of mediocre comedy and major doses of heavy-handed editing in a vain effort to generate tension or any emotional response. Tonight's episode featured plenty of both.
Bill Bellamy began the time-killing with some fresh Michael Vick jokes for the enjoyment of the crowd at the Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills. Then, in a head-scratcher of a decision, he was followed by none other than Doug Benson, who was voted off this very show seemingly minutes ago. What kind of a call is this? Don't get me wrong, I like Doug, and he should still be on the show. But what exactly is the point of bringing him back at this point? Once again, the Last Comic producers demonstrate a staggering lack of judgment. At least Doug made me laugh a couple of times.
Next, we learned that the remaining comics would be revealed one at a time, performing immediately after the announcement that they had survived. The first to advance was Gerry Dee, and we got a glimpse into his life at home with his wife and new baby. He then told some decent jokes about the difficulty in being a teacher while hung over. Then, he made a bizarre tangent into some weird bit about he and his friend taping their penises together when they were six years old. "True story," he further explained to Bellamy as he walked off stage. Okay then…
Then came Lavell Crawford, who paid a visit to his mom in St. Louis. Lavell's set included material about his ill-fated time in the Cub Scouts, and once again I found his performance completely underwhelming. Amy Schumer was the next survivor, and her home footage featured her mother and sister back on Long Island. Once again, Amy was probably the best comedian of the night, with her set including some funny stuff about dating a mime.
This meant that the two comics on the hot seat were Jon Reep and Ralph Harris, and I'd be fine with either one going home. They each have a distinctive style and I'm certain they appeal to very different people, but neither one does much for me. After Bellamy did the requisite amount of Seacrest-like procrastinating, we learned that Jon survived. He visited his parents back in Hickory-complete with yet another annoying head shake by the Hickory town sign. He then did some jokes about-wait for it-being from a small town. Shocking!
NBC fired up the twinkly piano music to tug at our heartstrings while showing us a montage of Ralph Harris's "journey" on the show. It didn't quite get me choked up. It also didn't help that they aired an obviously pre-taped interview with Ralph talking about his own departure. I'm sure it's easier to do it this way, but it made their ham-fisted attempts at manufacturing drama come off even cheesier.
And that's it for the week. We're down to the final four, and at this point there is literally no combination of eliminations, finalists, or winners left that would surprise me, so at least we've got something going for us. Anything can happen…maybe even something funny. Tune in next week for what we can only hope will be four comedy sets with a lot more urgency, as well as a couple of guest appearances, including reigning champion Josh Blue.
C.C. McCandless is an independent filmmaker and freelance writer. He has a Bachelor’s degree in broadcasting from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
You can contact C.C. here: cc.mccandless@gmail.com
Are You Buzz Worthy? We Want To Know What You Think
Have you got something interesting to say. We'd like to hear it. This is your chance to sound off about your favorite Reality TV show. Or the show you hate. Did somebody do something really stupid? Really smart? Is there a strategy being over looked? Is a performer for real? Or not getting the buzz they should? Here's your chance - take it.
All articles are the intellectual property of and copyrighted by the individual authors. By submitting an article to Reality TV Calendar you are granting Reality TV Calendar permission to display the article in perpetuity.
Hit Counter
