Looky looky! It’s Bill Bellamy and Brit Lady (Cotton Fearne!), back together for the audience finale vote on Last Comic Standing! This doesn’t look taped at all, except I know it’s taped because finalist Jeff Dye is in Chattanooga, Tenn., right now performing at a comedy club…all I know for sure at this moment is that Marcus will be around for the finale next week, and that all of the top 12 will be there for one reason or another…
What’s this? The Dan Band? These audience cutaways seem as if they do not fit. Or the audience has gotten more than plenty of a serving of happy juice! All of the finalists are coming up with one-liners for why they’ll be the last comic standing…ooh! "I’m Ron G and I’ll be the last comic standing because I make this microphone look sexy!" "I’m Adam Hunter, and I’m going to be the last comic standing because I want to prove that blondes have more fun!" "I’m Jeff Dye, I’m going to be the last comic standing because I can do 17 push-ups in an hour…believe it!" "I am Jim Tavare, and I am going to be the last comic standing because I am the new Miley Cyrus of comedy!" "I’m Marcus, and I’ll be the last comic standing, because just like Jack Black, I keep things rocking! Let’s go!" "I’m Iliza Shlesinger, and I’ll be the last comic standing, because out of all of these guys, I’m the most experienced…winning!" "I’m Louis Ramey, and I’ll be the last comic standing, because I’m huggable. Come to daddy, America!" "I’m Sean Cullen, and I’ll be the last comic standing, because I’ve dreamed about it…since I was a little girl!" OK. This was taped. But Brit Lady is here, so I have no need to fear. Right?
No. Fear. Fear! Strange but true, this year’s competition is coming down to a five-way vote. Which means this year’s Last Comic Standing will win based on at least 21 percent of America’s phone and online voting tendencies…congratulations, comedy!
Marcus, guaranteed a spot in the final five, goes first. He reveals that he worked at a radio station for two years for no pay (!) and that the local club in Utah, Wiseguys, eventually asked him to come down and perform after hearing all of his impersonations and whatnots. His "live" set focuses on the things you can and cannot bring on a plane (you can bring a wrench!), the lyrical stylings of Eddie Vedder, Aaron Neville’s multiple syllables, Motown nostalgia, and versus new songs, such as "lady humps." It’s very engaging for the crowd in Las Vegas, with broad appeal to whomever may be watching at home. Do you like music? Any kind of music? This set is for you. He gets a standing ovation. Will everyone this night?
Next up, Ron G, who goes home again. Onstage, he has a vest and a tie, so you know he’s serious about this night. How are you supposed to be a thug with a retainer in your mouth? Um, I don’t know. Church isn’t the same with a Bluetooth in Hollywood. Love the graphics reminding me not to change the channel and stick around to vote. He has a series of jokes about the various commercials you may see on late-night television. But Ron G has been eliminated from the competition. Dunzo! He tells Brit Lady he appreciates the chance and the fans.
Last Comic Driving? Remember that? You don’t? Oh, here was a very very very quick reminder. Hope you didn’t fast forward through it.
Brit Lady gets more hosting duties, yay! Here comes Jim Tavare, with double references for you audience members (The Hills Are Alive, or Uncle Fester, you pick). He calls for a rescue dog. One-liners aplenty. What’s wrong with his Hendrix impersonation? But can he play the bass? Brit Lady delivers the news…and…he’s in the top five! Hooray for the U.K., Brit Lady!
Oh, Brit Lady is hosting so we can have Bill Bellamy do stand-up…he jokes about visiting Idaho and being in the outdoors…cut to white people having fun…phew. That’s over.
But now we get an extended preview of an upcoming NBC competition…America’s Toughest Jobs. It’s not supposed to be comedy, so stop laughing.
Louis Ramey gets the childhood photo treatment next, and Ramey does a pretend version of running around on the New York City club circuit for the cameras makey nicey. The Amish pay in cheese? His jacket looks like it fits better this week. He jokes about Amish gangs. Also about Houma, Louisiana. And a twist on a terrorist alert joke. A big redneck twist. And he’s still in it to win it!
Adam Hunter wrestled in high school. This news does not surprise me. He attacks the stage and looks like a scrapper. No, that’s a good thing. Right? Jokes about San Francisco, cocaine, pot, rappers, George Bush Speak N Spell, Obama is black, McCain is old, more drugs, sex, strip clubs. All over the place. He is a New York guy doing Los Angeles comedy. Does that make sense to anyone? He has been eliminated. The crowd boos.
Jeff Dye. They show lots of clips from Seattle, so that gets my vote. Gives a shout-out to his parents, then proceeds to joke about them. Before and afterward, he delivers the set he gave earlier this month at Montreal New Faces. Pan out to show the audience clapping enthusiastically. We’re thinking he goes through…and…he did!
So that leaves Iliza Shlesinger and Sean Cullen for the fifth and final spot.
Cullen goes back to Toronto, where they love him already. Wow. Did you see some of those flashback stage shots. Did he have long curly hair at one point? We believe he did. He threatens to spin into the crowd with his pinwheels and fists of death. Jokes about Sean Connery and his amazing ability with accents. Why Australia can never have a James Bond villain. Why Neil Young and REM won’t do Bond theme songs, which lets him sing some more.
Shlesinger, too, goes home again. She jokes about her Olympic experience being limited to Beer Pong. She wears a tight red shirt, which explains the pervy Google searches already heading this way (calm down, people). Why did you send that 40-page blank fax, again? Jokes about former co-workers. Iliza isn’t as energetic as usual in this performance, slowing things down just a bit. A poised, confident five minutes.
And the final spot goes to…Iliza Shlesinger! Which means your final five for season six are: Marcus, Jim Tavare, Louis Ramey, Jeff Dye and Iliza Shlesinger. Would it have turned out this way with additional weeks of challenges? We’ll never find out. Nor will we get to see the final five whittle down, one by one. Instead, come back next week and find out who won.
I just had to give up watching this season. I couldn’t take. I really couldn’t.