The inaugural Tournament of Laughs from TBS has wrapped and declared a winner.
Would you believe…Piff the Magic Dragon?
Sunday’s finale, hosted by Jason Sudeikis, saw the final four competitors quickly winnowed to two, with Piff beating out Natasha Leggero (who claimed in last week’s episode that she didn’t want to win, anyhow), and Jim Norton’s character Chip Chipperson beating out Tim Dillon for the other slot in the finals.
Then after showing new videos from Piff and Chip, Sudeikis told viewers that the winner would be determined not by viewers, but by the other 30 contestants. Which meant we got to see cameos from many of them, with Matteo Lane benefitting the most with his singing impersonations of Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey and more.
Who knows why they chose Piff over Chip? No, really. Who knows this? Anyone?
Anyhow: What Piff the Magic Dragon and Chip Chipperson both showcased more than any of the other comedians was a willingness to invest time and resources into their weekly videos. Norton included animated bits each week. While Piff included participation from many of his Las Vegas resident entertainers. Magician Lance Burton got in on the act for the finale, in which he presided over a stunt in which Piff had to escape being burned at the stake.
Here are Piff’s videos leading up to the finale…
Look. I know this never felt or seemed like a real competition, because perhaps that wasn’t even the premise — rather, this was an exhibition and showcase which allowed dozens of comedians to get primetime TV exposure on Sunday nights this summer when they’re mostly all otherwise unemployed.
So kudos to TBS for putting this together in the first place, even.