Last Comic Standing
Encyclopedia
Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.

The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...

 Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....

 and later on the cable network Bravo.

In March 2009 it was announced that the show had been canceled and would not be returning for a seventh season. However, on December 30, 2009 Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

 reported that NBC was in talks to bring the show back to the air. On February 26, 2010, it was announced that Craig Robinson would become the new host of the series.

Format

In the early rounds of the competition, NBC talent scouts Ross Mark and Bob Read held open casting calls in various locations around the United States. At each casting call, Mark and Read identified comics to participate in callback auditions in front of live audiences. Mark and Read then selected a predetermined number of comics from each callback, who were invited to participate in a semifinal qualifying round.

The comics who advanced to the semifinal qualifying round were divided into two groups. In Season Four, 40 comics were divided into two groups of 20; these comics performed and competed against each other at the Alex Theater in Los Angeles. During the semifinal qualifying rounds, a panel of celebrity judges, and the show's producers, selected the comics who would move forward to the final qualifying round. This determined who among the comics would be "in the house." While this was usually a regular house, in season four, the comics were chosen to live aboard in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

.

Once "in the house," the comics participated in some type of comedic challenge each television week. Past challenges included performing stand-up at a local laundromat, working as a tour guide
Tour guide
A tour guide provides assistance, information and cultural, historical and contemporary heritage interpretation to people on organized tours, individual clients, educational establishments, at religious and historical sites, museums, and at venues of other significant interest...

 in Los Angeles, participating in a roast
Roast (comedy)
A roast is an event in which an individual is subjected to a public presentation of comedic insults, praise, outlandish true and untrue stories, and heartwarming tributes, the implication being that the roastee is able to take the jokes in good humor and not as serious criticism or insult, and...

 at the Friars Club of Beverly Hills
Friars Club of Beverly Hills
The Friars Club of Beverly Hills was a private show business club started in 1947 by comedian/actor Milton Berle, among other celebrities who had moved from New York. It was forced to change its name in 2007 after losing a lawsuit with the New York Friars' Club, and later closed...

 and performing comedy on a specific subject with little preparation time on a radio show. The winner of each challenge is usually rewarded with immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...

 from being eliminated from the competition for that week, while the remaining comics are vulnerable to elimination through a "head-to-head" standup challenge.

As the conclusion of each television week drew near, each comic selected one other comic whom they believed they could defeat in a head-to-head challenge. The comics were sent off individually to a secluded booth, and named the person selected using the phrase "I know I'm funnier than _____." The comic who received the most nominations participated in that evening's head-to-head competition, and selected their opponent from any of the comics who had challenged them.

The head-to-head competition occurred in front of a live studio audience. The comics performed for an equal amount of time, and the studio audience voted electronically for their preferred performer. The winning comic remained "in the house" for at least one more television week, and the losing comic was eliminated from the competition.

When only five comics remained, the format changed again. All remaining comics performed for a large theatre audience as before, but now the decision-making power shifted from the studio audience to the television audience. Viewers cast their votes for their favorite comic by phoning a specific number, by voting online at the network's website, or both. Unlike some other "audience-vote reality" programs, the producers imposed a maximum number of eligible votes per originating phone number and email address. The comic who received the lowest number of votes each week was eliminated from the competition, until there was one "Last Comic Standing".

The "in the house" concept was dropped for season 7, and each week consisted of all remaining comics performing in front of a theater audience and being voted on by the television viewers to determine who leaves and who remains. It was essentially identical to the "final five" format used previously.

Winners:
Dat Phan,
John Heffron,
Alonzo Bodden,
Josh Blue,
Jon Reep,
Iliza Shlesinger,
and Felipe Esparza.

Season 1: Summer 2003

Season one aired in the summer of 2003 and was hosted by Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...

. The winner of the audience-participation final vote in season one was Dat Phan
Dat Phan
Dat Phan , is a Vietnamese American stand-up comedian.-Early life:When he was a child, he, his mother, and nine of his siblings emigrated from South Vietnam to the United States. They suffered financial hardships throughout his childhood...

, with 35% of the vote. Other finalists included Ralphie May
Ralphie May
Ralphie O. May is an American stand-up comedian.-Early life:May was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but raised in Clarksville, Arkansas. When he was seventeen years old, he won a contest to open for comedian Sam Kinison, whom he considered his idol. Kinison suggested he move to Houston, Texas to...

 (28%), Rich Vos
Rich Vos
Richard Ira "Rich" Vos is an American comedian. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, Vos has been a working stand-up for decades. Colin Quinn described Vos in his early days as a "Jersey Hack"....

 (18%), Cory Kahaney
Cory Kahaney
Cory Kahaney is an American comedian. She competed in the first season of NBC's reality television show Last Comic Standing.Cory was a grand finalist and runner-up in season one of NBC's Last Comic Standing. She has had her own comedy specials on both Comedy Central and HBO...

 (12%), and Tess (7%). Contestants "in the house" who did not make the final five were Geoff Brown, Tere Joyce, Sean Kent
Sean Kent
Sean Kent is a stand-up comic and television writer. He is also the 2009 Seattle International Comedy Competition champion. Originally from Austin, Texas, Kent resides in Los Angeles, California. Best known for his stand-up comedy appearances on Showtime, Kent was also as a series regular on the...

, Dave Mordal
Dave Mordal
Dave Mordal is a comedian from Elk River, Minnesota.- Career :He was a contestant on the first and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing. He was fourth eliminated in the first season after losing in a head-to-head competition to Dat Phan, the eventual winner of Last Comic Standing season 1. He...

, and Rob Cantrell
Rob Cantrell
Rob Cantrell is an American comedian based in Brooklyn, New York.Comedian Rob Cantrell first gained national attention as a Top 10 Finalist on the very first season of NBC's Last Comic Standing....

.
Elimination Chart
Comics |Head-to-head |Public Elimination
Ep 4 Ep 5 Ep 6 Ep 7 Ep 8 Ep 10 Ep 11
Dat Phan
Dat Phan
Dat Phan , is a Vietnamese American stand-up comedian.-Early life:When he was a child, he, his mother, and nine of his siblings emigrated from South Vietnam to the United States. They suffered financial hardships throughout his childhood...

IN IN SAFE WIN WIN IN LCS
Ralphie May
Ralphie May
Ralphie O. May is an American stand-up comedian.-Early life:May was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but raised in Clarksville, Arkansas. When he was seventeen years old, he won a contest to open for comedian Sam Kinison, whom he considered his idol. Kinison suggested he move to Houston, Texas to...

IN IN WIN IN IN IN OUT
Rich Vos
Rich Vos
Richard Ira "Rich" Vos is an American comedian. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, Vos has been a working stand-up for decades. Colin Quinn described Vos in his early days as a "Jersey Hack"....

IN IN IN IN IN OUT
Cory Kahaney
Cory Kahaney
Cory Kahaney is an American comedian. She competed in the first season of NBC's reality television show Last Comic Standing.Cory was a grand finalist and runner-up in season one of NBC's Last Comic Standing. She has had her own comedy specials on both Comedy Central and HBO...

IN WIN IN SAFE IN OUT
Tess SAFE SAFE IN IN IN OUT
Geoff Brown IN IN IN IN OUT
Dave Mordal
Dave Mordal
Dave Mordal is a comedian from Elk River, Minnesota.- Career :He was a contestant on the first and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing. He was fourth eliminated in the first season after losing in a head-to-head competition to Dat Phan, the eventual winner of Last Comic Standing season 1. He...

WIN IN IN IN OUT
Rob Cantrell
Rob Cantrell
Rob Cantrell is an American comedian based in Brooklyn, New York.Comedian Rob Cantrell first gained national attention as a Top 10 Finalist on the very first season of NBC's Last Comic Standing....

IN IN OUT
Tere Joyce IN OUT
Sean Kent
Sean Kent
Sean Kent is a stand-up comic and television writer. He is also the 2009 Seattle International Comedy Competition champion. Originally from Austin, Texas, Kent resides in Los Angeles, California. Best known for his stand-up comedy appearances on Showtime, Kent was also as a series regular on the...

OUT

LCS means the comic was the last comic standing
SAFE means the comic won the immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...

 challenge
WIN means the comic participated and won the head-to-head showdown
OUT means the comic lost in the head-to-head showdown or by viewer voting and was eliminated

Season 2: Summer 2004

Season two aired in the summer of 2004, hosted by Jay Mohr. The winner was John Heffron
John Heffron
John Heffron is an American stand-up comic. Born in Detroit, he was raised in South Lyon, Michigan. He graduated from South Lyon High School and Eastern Michigan University....

. Alonzo Bodden
Alonzo Bodden
Alonzo Bodden is an American comedian and actor known for winning the grand prize in the third season of the reality-television series Last Comic Standing. He had been the runner-up in the previous season....

 was the first runner-up
Runner-up
Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...

, while third place went to Gary Gulman
Gary Gulman
Gary Lewis Gulman is a stand-up comedian. He was a finalist on the NBC reality-talent show Last Comic Standing . In season 2, he finished in third place behind John Heffron and Alonzo Bodden...

. The other finalists were Ant
Ant (comedian)
ANT is an American stand-up comedian and actor. ANT prefers his name spelled in all capital letters.ANT performed at comedy clubs across the USA beginning in 1991...

, Tammy Pescatelli
Tammy Pescatelli
Tammy Pescatelli is a comedian originally from Perry, Ohio. In 2010 she won Comedy Central's Standup Showdown. Tammy is a regular "friend of the show" of the Bob & Tom Show. Pescatelli was on the second and third seasons of Last Comic Standing and finished in the finals both seasons...

, Bonnie McFarlane, Jay London
Jay London
Jay London is an American stand-up comic, whose one-liner jokes made him a favorite on NBC's Last Comic Standing. Although he did not win either of the two seasons in which he appeared , his humble personality and clean comedy made him a favorite among the show's fans.London was born in The Bronx,...

, Kathleen Madigan
Kathleen Madigan
Kathleen Madigan is an American comedian.-Early life:Kathleen Madigan grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant as one of seven children in a large Irish-American family...

, Todd Glass
Todd Glass
Todd Steven Glass is an American stand-up comedian originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Biography:Glass is perhaps best known for his appearances as a contestant on the second and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared regularly on programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!,...

, Chris Voth, and Corey Holcomb.

Buck Star, who became infamous for appearing at each and every LCS audition, first appeared in season two. After being repeatedly rejected by talent scouts Mark and Read, Mark finally acquiesced and allowed Buck to perform in the callback auditions in Tampa (the final audition site of the season). Buck failed to impress the live audience, however, and did not advance further in the competition.

After five head-to-head eliminations, a wildcard competition was setup among the five eliminated comics the top voter-getting returning to the competition. Jay London won this competition, but was ultimately eliminated again in the next vote.
Elimination Chart
Comics |Head-to-head |Wild Card |Public Elimination
Ep 5 Ep 6 Ep 7 Ep 8 Ep 9 Ep 11 Ep 13 Ep 15
John Heffron
John Heffron
John Heffron is an American stand-up comic. Born in Detroit, he was raised in South Lyon, Michigan. He graduated from South Lyon High School and Eastern Michigan University....

WIN IN IN IN WIN IN IN LCS
Alonzo Bodden
Alonzo Bodden
Alonzo Bodden is an American comedian and actor known for winning the grand prize in the third season of the reality-television series Last Comic Standing. He had been the runner-up in the previous season....

IN IN SAFE IN WIN IN IN OUT
Gary Gulman
Gary Gulman
Gary Lewis Gulman is a stand-up comedian. He was a finalist on the NBC reality-talent show Last Comic Standing . In season 2, he finished in third place behind John Heffron and Alonzo Bodden...

IN IN WIN WIN IN IN IN OUT
Jay London
Jay London
Jay London is an American stand-up comic, whose one-liner jokes made him a favorite on NBC's Last Comic Standing. Although he did not win either of the two seasons in which he appeared , his humble personality and clean comedy made him a favorite among the show's fans.London was born in The Bronx,...

IN IN IN OUT WIN OUT
Kathleen Madigan
Kathleen Madigan
Kathleen Madigan is an American comedian.-Early life:Kathleen Madigan grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant as one of seven children in a large Irish-American family...

IN IN IN SAFE IN IN OUT
Tammy Pescatelli
Tammy Pescatelli
Tammy Pescatelli is a comedian originally from Perry, Ohio. In 2010 she won Comedy Central's Standup Showdown. Tammy is a regular "friend of the show" of the Bob & Tom Show. Pescatelli was on the second and third seasons of Last Comic Standing and finished in the finals both seasons...

IN WIN IN IN SAFE IN OUT
Corey Holcomb SAFE IN IN IN OUT OUT
Ant
Ant (comedian)
ANT is an American stand-up comedian and actor. ANT prefers his name spelled in all capital letters.ANT performed at comedy clubs across the USA beginning in 1991...

IN SAFE OUT OUT
Todd Glass
Todd Glass
Todd Steven Glass is an American stand-up comedian originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Biography:Glass is perhaps best known for his appearances as a contestant on the second and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared regularly on programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!,...

IN OUT OUT
Bonnie McFarlane OUT OUT

LCS means the comic was the last comic standing
SAFE means the comic won the immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...

 challenge
WIN means the comic participated and won the head-to-head showdown
WIN means the comic won the wildcard and returned to the show
OUT means the comic lost in the head-to-head showdown or by viewer voting and was eliminated
OUT means the comic competed for the wildcard and lost

Season 3: Fall 2004

While Last Comic Standing Season Two was airing, NBC agreed to produce a third season, which would air during the fall
Autumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....

 of 2004. Season three, dubbed the "Battle of the Best", consisted of a competition between the final ten comedians from seasons one and two. The grand prize awarded this season was a flat $250,000 (unlike previous seasons' prizes, which included a talent contract and a television special). Alonzo Bodden, the runner-up from Season 2, was the winner and Dave Mordal, the seventh place man from Season 1, was the runner-up. The third placemen were John Heffron, the Season 2 winner and Rich Vos, the third place man from Season 1 and Bonnie McFarlane's husband. Season 2 first-eliminated Bonnie McFarlane had chosen not to participate in this competition for unknown reasons. Resources say that she may've been taking care of her and Rich Vos
Rich Vos
Richard Ira "Rich" Vos is an American comedian. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, Vos has been a working stand-up for decades. Colin Quinn described Vos in his early days as a "Jersey Hack"....

's new baby (Rich Vos being married to her and him also being third place man in season one). She was replaced by a finalists judge competition of four comics who made to the Hawaii round. The winner of that competition was Jessica Kirson who was eliminated first from season 2. Celebrities appearing in the season were Jeffrey Ross
Jeffrey Ross
Jeff Ross is an American stand-up comedian, insult comic, actor, director and author.-Early life:...

, Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog
Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog
Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog is a character puppet best known for mocking celebrities. Triumph was identified in the early appearances as a Yugoslavian Mountain Hound, hence his distinct Eastern European accent . As his name indicates, Triumph's comedic style is almost exclusively insult comedy...

, Louie Anderson
Louie Anderson
Louie Perry Anderson is an American stand-up comedian. Anderson created the cartoon series Life with Louie, has written three books, and was the initial host of the second revival of the game show Family Feud, from 1999 to 2002....

 and Carrot Top
Carrot Top
Scott Thompson , better known by his stage name Carrot Top, is an American comedian known for his bright red hair, prop comedy, and self-deprecating humor.-Early years:...

. Episodes would be shown as 1 hour and the finale was a half-hour long.
Elimination Chart
Comics Ep 2 Ep 3 Ep 4 Ep 5 Ep 6 Ep 7 Finale
Alonzo Bodden
Alonzo Bodden
Alonzo Bodden is an American comedian and actor known for winning the grand prize in the third season of the reality-television series Last Comic Standing. He had been the runner-up in the previous season....

WIN WIN WIN LCS
Dave Mordal
Dave Mordal
Dave Mordal is a comedian from Elk River, Minnesota.- Career :He was a contestant on the first and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing. He was fourth eliminated in the first season after losing in a head-to-head competition to Dat Phan, the eventual winner of Last Comic Standing season 1. He...

IN IN IN OUT
John Heffron
John Heffron
John Heffron is an American stand-up comic. Born in Detroit, he was raised in South Lyon, Michigan. He graduated from South Lyon High School and Eastern Michigan University....

WIN WIN WIN OUT
Rich Vos
Rich Vos
Richard Ira "Rich" Vos is an American comedian. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, Vos has been a working stand-up for decades. Colin Quinn described Vos in his early days as a "Jersey Hack"....

IN IN IN OUT
Gary Gulman
Gary Gulman
Gary Lewis Gulman is a stand-up comedian. He was a finalist on the NBC reality-talent show Last Comic Standing . In season 2, he finished in third place behind John Heffron and Alonzo Bodden...

WIN WIN OUT
Tess IN IN OUT
Todd Glass
Todd Glass
Todd Steven Glass is an American stand-up comedian originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Biography:Glass is perhaps best known for his appearances as a contestant on the second and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared regularly on programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!,...

WIN WIN OUT
Geoff Brown | IN IN OUT
Jay London
Jay London
Jay London is an American stand-up comic, whose one-liner jokes made him a favorite on NBC's Last Comic Standing. Although he did not win either of the two seasons in which he appeared , his humble personality and clean comedy made him a favorite among the show's fans.London was born in The Bronx,...

WIN WIN OUT
Ralphie May
Ralphie May
Ralphie O. May is an American stand-up comedian.-Early life:May was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but raised in Clarksville, Arkansas. When he was seventeen years old, he won a contest to open for comedian Sam Kinison, whom he considered his idol. Kinison suggested he move to Houston, Texas to...

IN IN OUT
Kathleen Madigan
Kathleen Madigan
Kathleen Madigan is an American comedian.-Early life:Kathleen Madigan grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant as one of seven children in a large Irish-American family...

WIN WIN OUT
Dat Phan
Dat Phan
Dat Phan , is a Vietnamese American stand-up comedian.-Early life:When he was a child, he, his mother, and nine of his siblings emigrated from South Vietnam to the United States. They suffered financial hardships throughout his childhood...

IN IN OUT
Ant
Ant (comedian)
ANT is an American stand-up comedian and actor. ANT prefers his name spelled in all capital letters.ANT performed at comedy clubs across the USA beginning in 1991...

WIN OUT
Sean Kent
Sean Kent
Sean Kent is a stand-up comic and television writer. He is also the 2009 Seattle International Comedy Competition champion. Originally from Austin, Texas, Kent resides in Los Angeles, California. Best known for his stand-up comedy appearances on Showtime, Kent was also as a series regular on the...

IN OUT
Tammy Pescatelli
Tammy Pescatelli
Tammy Pescatelli is a comedian originally from Perry, Ohio. In 2010 she won Comedy Central's Standup Showdown. Tammy is a regular "friend of the show" of the Bob & Tom Show. Pescatelli was on the second and third seasons of Last Comic Standing and finished in the finals both seasons...

WIN OUT
Rob Cantrell
Rob Cantrell
Rob Cantrell is an American comedian based in Brooklyn, New York.Comedian Rob Cantrell first gained national attention as a Top 10 Finalist on the very first season of NBC's Last Comic Standing....

IN OUT
Corey Holcomb
Corey Holcomb
Corey Holcomb is an American stand-up comedian, radio host, and actor. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Holcomb got his start in comedy with the help of another Chicago-area comedian, Godfrey....

OUT
Tere Joyce OUT
Jessica Kirson OUT
Cory Kahaney
Cory Kahaney
Cory Kahaney is an American comedian. She competed in the first season of NBC's reality television show Last Comic Standing.Cory was a grand finalist and runner-up in season one of NBC's Last Comic Standing. She has had her own comedy specials on both Comedy Central and HBO...

OUT

Season 1 comic
Season 2 comic

LCS means the comic was the last comic standing
OUT means the comic was the runner-up
WIN means the comic's team won the $50,000 viewer vote and the comic moved on in the competition
IN means the comic's team lost the $50,000 viewer vote and the comic moved on in the competition
OUT means the comic's team won the $50,000 viewer vote, but the comic was eliminated
OUT means the comic's team lost the $50,000 viewer vote and the comic was eliminated.

Cancellation

Due to lackluster ratings in the third season (falling as low as 74th in the prime-time Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...

), NBC pulled the plug before the last episode aired; it aired on Comedy Central instead. It has been speculated that the low ratings were due to overexposure, since season three began airing almost immediately after season two had concluded. Some believe that since this was a "Tournament of Champions' season with the finalists from the previous two seasons competing, these relatively undistinguished comics, with their relatively thin catalogs of material had little new and funny to offer the audience.

Season 4: Summer 2006

On May 30, 2006, the show returned to NBC with a two-hour special and a new host, Anthony Clark
Anthony Clark (actor)
Anthony Higgins Clark , is an American actor and comedian who starred in the television series Yes, Dear, in which he played the character Greg Warner.-Early life:...

.

Nielsen ratings from Season 4 averaged a 4.4 share (4,848,800 households).

Josh Blue
Josh Blue
Josh Blue is an American comedian. He was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC's reality show Last Comic Standing during its fourth season, which aired May–August 2006...

, a St. Paul, Minnesota, native who has cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....

, was the Last Comic Standing on the August 9, 2006, conclusion of the contest. Ty Barnett
Ty Barnett
Tyrone Barnett is an African-American comedian, actor and writer. Primarily a stand-up comic, he first began performing in high school. He made his first television appearance in 2003 on CBS's Star Search and is now a regular on CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Professionally he is...

 was the runner-up, while third place went to Chris Porter
Chris Porter (comedian)
Chris Porter is an American comedian and finalist on season 4 of Last Comic Standing. He has also appeared on The Bob & Tom Show, Comedy Central's Live Tour, and appeared on Live at Gotham in Summer 2006...

. Other finalists were (in order of placement) Michele Balan, Roz, Kristin Key
Kristin Key
Kristin Key is an American comedian who has appeared at The Improv and on Last Comic Standing. The daughter of a Christian minister, she favors a self-deprecating style of blue humor in her act....

, Rebecca Corry
Rebecca Corry
Rebecca Corry is an American stand-up comedienne. She has her own Comedy Central Presents show. She is 4'11" tall.-Filmography:* "Yes Man"...

, Gabriel Iglesias
Gabriel Iglesias
Gabriel J. Iglecias , known professionally as Gabriel Iglesias, is an American standup comedian and actor, known for his shows I’m Not Fat… I’m Fluffy and Hot & Fluffy.-Early life:...

, Joey Gay
Joey Gay
Joseph Vincent "Joey" Gay is an actor/comedian who appeared in Last Comic Standing 4 but he lost and was voted off. He has had numerous appearances in Law & Order, and appeared on Live at Gotham.-External links:*...

, Bil Dwyer
Bil Dwyer
William Michael "Bil" Dwyer is an American stand-up comedian and game show host. Television shows he has hosted include GSN's Extreme Dodgeball, I've Got A Secret and The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time, the PAX TV game show Dirty Rotten Cheater, and the FSN game show, Ultimate Fan...

, April Macie, and Stella Stolper. Additionally, Theo Von
Theo Vonkurnatowski
Theo Vonkurnatowski aka Theo Von, is an American stand-up comedian. He currently lives in Santa Monica, California.Vonkurnatowski was born in Louisiana. He first became known as a contestant on MTV's Road Rules, and competed on several seasons of its spin-off show, Real World/Road Rules Challenge...

 won the separate online contest to be the Last Comic Downloaded. Iglesias was disqualified for multiple violations of his contract including using a BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...

 and became the first in the history of the show to be thrown out of the competition.
Elimination Chart
Comics |Head-to-head |Public elimination
Ep 5 Ep 6 Ep 7 Ep 8 Ep 9 Ep 10 Ep 11
Josh Blue
Josh Blue
Josh Blue is an American comedian. He was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC's reality show Last Comic Standing during its fourth season, which aired May–August 2006...

IN IN IN IN IN IN LCS
Ty Barnett
Ty Barnett
Tyrone Barnett is an African-American comedian, actor and writer. Primarily a stand-up comic, he first began performing in high school. He made his first television appearance in 2003 on CBS's Star Search and is now a regular on CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Professionally he is...

IN IN WIN IN IN IN OUT
Chris Porter
Chris Porter (comedian)
Chris Porter is an American comedian and finalist on season 4 of Last Comic Standing. He has also appeared on The Bob & Tom Show, Comedy Central's Live Tour, and appeared on Live at Gotham in Summer 2006...

SAFE WIN IN IN LOW OUT
Michele Balan WIN WIN IN LOW OUT
Roz SAFE IN IN OUT
Rebecca Corry
Rebecca Corry
Rebecca Corry is an American stand-up comedienne. She has her own Comedy Central Presents show. She is 4'11" tall.-Filmography:* "Yes Man"...

IN SAFE OUT
Kristin Key
Kristin Key
Kristin Key is an American comedian who has appeared at The Improv and on Last Comic Standing. The daughter of a Christian minister, she favors a self-deprecating style of blue humor in her act....

IN IN OUT
Gabriel Iglesias
Gabriel Iglesias
Gabriel J. Iglecias , known professionally as Gabriel Iglesias, is an American standup comedian and actor, known for his shows I’m Not Fat… I’m Fluffy and Hot & Fluffy.-Early life:...

IN IN DQ
Joey Gay
Joey Gay
Joseph Vincent "Joey" Gay is an actor/comedian who appeared in Last Comic Standing 4 but he lost and was voted off. He has had numerous appearances in Law & Order, and appeared on Live at Gotham.-External links:*...

IN OUT
Bil Dwyer
Bil Dwyer
William Michael "Bil" Dwyer is an American stand-up comedian and game show host. Television shows he has hosted include GSN's Extreme Dodgeball, I've Got A Secret and The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time, the PAX TV game show Dirty Rotten Cheater, and the FSN game show, Ultimate Fan...

IN OUT
April Macie
April Macie
April Macie is an American stand-up comedian, television personality, writer, and actress. She is perhaps best known for winning Howard Stern's "Funniest, Hottest Comedienne" contest and her appearance for the fourth season of NBC's reality series Last Comic Standing. - Television appearances...

OUT
Stella Stolper OUT

LCS means the comic was the last comic standing
SAFE means the comic won the immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...

 challenge
WIN means the comic participated and won the head-to-head showdown
LOW means the comic was shown as receiving the second-lowest viewer vote total
OUT means the comic lost in the head-to-head showdown or by viewer voting and was eliminated
DQ means the comic was disqualified for breaking the show's rules

Season 5: Summer 2007

Last Comic Standing returned for a fifth season in the summer of 2007. Comedian Bill Bellamy
Bill Bellamy
William "Bill" Bellamy is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He currently resides in California. Bellamy first gained national notoriety on HBO's Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, where he is credited for creating or uttering before a televised audience, the phrase "booty call", described as...

 hosted the show. The winner got $250,000 along with an NBC Universal contract and a Bravo special. Unlike previous versions, this season featured comics from around the world competing alongside Americans. Auditions were held in London, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, Sydney, Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...

. The fifth season began June 13. This series premiered on British music channel TMF
The Music Factory
The Music Factory is a pop music television channel that operates in Belgium .TMF previously operated channels in the Netherlands , the UK with TMF UK and Australia with . The brand is owned by MTV Networks International...

 on July 4, 2007.

The final ten comics were Lavell Crawford
Lavell Crawford
Lavell Crawford is an American stand-up comedian and actor from St. Louis, Missouri. His mother is Annita Crawford. His sisters are Elonda Goodwin and Erica Roach. His step-father is Dwight Davis....

, Jon Reep
Jon Reep
Jon Reep is an American stand-up comedian and actor, known as the "That thing got a Hemi?" guy in Dodge commercials, and more recently as the winner of the fifth season of Last Comic Standing on NBC.-Early life:...

, Gerry Dee
Gerry Dee
Gerry Dee is a Canadian stand-up comedian. Prior to his comic career, he was a physical education teacher and hockey coach at De La Salle College "Oaklands", a private co-ed high school in Toronto...

, Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer
Amy Beth Schumer is an American stand-up comedian. She placed fourth on NBC's Last Comic Standing Season 5, and she placed second on Comedy Central's Reality Bites Back.-Life and career:...

, Ralph Harris
Ralph Harris (comedian)
Ralph Louis Harris is an American comedian, actor, and writer. Harris is best known for his role as Josh Jerrico in the TGIF sitcom On Our Own, and his stand up routines.-Biography:...

, Doug Benson
Doug Benson
Douglas Steven "Doug" Benson is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has appeared on Comedy Central Presents, Best Week Ever and was a contestant on Last Comic Standing in the show's fifth season....

, Matt Kirshen
Matt Kirshen
Matt Kirshen is a British comedian. Kirshen has performed around the world, including Singapore, Dubai, Holland, Germany, and France. In 2007, he enjoyed a successful run in NBC's Last Comic Standing...

, Debra DiGiovanni
Debra DiGiovanni
Debra DiGiovanni is a Canadian stand-up comedian of Italian descent originally from Tillsonburg, Ontario.Her comedy career began with the help of Humber College's inaugural year of their Comedy Writing and Performance course, in 2000 and has since been nominated for the coveted Tim Sims Comedy...

, Dante
Dante (comedian)
Dante is an American comedian from near Ridgecrest, California. He was born at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.Dante starred in the short-lived 1996 BET sitcom The Blackberry Inn...

, and Gina Yashere
Gina Yashere
Gina Obedapo Yashere is a British comedian of Nigerian descent.-Early life:Yashere was born in Bethnal Green, London, England. Her mother was an immigrant from Nigeria...

.

The season finale aired on September 19, 2007 in which Jon Reep was revealed as the winner. Lavell Crawford was the season 5 runner-up.
Elimination Chart
Comics |Head-to-head |Public elimination
Ep 7 Ep 8 Ep 9 Ep 10 Ep 11 Ep 12 Ep 13
Jon Reep
Jon Reep
Jon Reep is an American stand-up comedian and actor, known as the "That thing got a Hemi?" guy in Dodge commercials, and more recently as the winner of the fifth season of Last Comic Standing on NBC.-Early life:...

IN SAFE IN IN IN IN LCS
Lavell Crawford
Lavell Crawford
Lavell Crawford is an American stand-up comedian and actor from St. Louis, Missouri. His mother is Annita Crawford. His sisters are Elonda Goodwin and Erica Roach. His step-father is Dwight Davis....

SAFE IN IN IN IN IN OUT
Gerry Dee
Gerry Dee
Gerry Dee is a Canadian stand-up comedian. Prior to his comic career, he was a physical education teacher and hockey coach at De La Salle College "Oaklands", a private co-ed high school in Toronto...

IN IN IN IN IN OUT
Amy Schumer
Amy Schumer
Amy Beth Schumer is an American stand-up comedian. She placed fourth on NBC's Last Comic Standing Season 5, and she placed second on Comedy Central's Reality Bites Back.-Life and career:...

IN IN SAFE IN OUT
Ralph Harris
Ralph Harris (comedian)
Ralph Louis Harris is an American comedian, actor, and writer. Harris is best known for his role as Josh Jerrico in the TGIF sitcom On Our Own, and his stand up routines.-Biography:...

WIN IN WIN OUT
Doug Benson
Doug Benson
Douglas Steven "Doug" Benson is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has appeared on Comedy Central Presents, Best Week Ever and was a contestant on Last Comic Standing in the show's fifth season....

IN IN OUT
Matt Kirshen
Matt Kirshen
Matt Kirshen is a British comedian. Kirshen has performed around the world, including Singapore, Dubai, Holland, Germany, and France. In 2007, he enjoyed a successful run in NBC's Last Comic Standing...

IN WIN OUT
Debra DiGiovanni
Debra DiGiovanni
Debra DiGiovanni is a Canadian stand-up comedian of Italian descent originally from Tillsonburg, Ontario.Her comedy career began with the help of Humber College's inaugural year of their Comedy Writing and Performance course, in 2000 and has since been nominated for the coveted Tim Sims Comedy...

IN OUT
Dante
Dante (comedian)
Dante is an American comedian from near Ridgecrest, California. He was born at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.Dante starred in the short-lived 1996 BET sitcom The Blackberry Inn...

OUT
Gina Yashere
Gina Yashere
Gina Obedapo Yashere is a British comedian of Nigerian descent.-Early life:Yashere was born in Bethnal Green, London, England. Her mother was an immigrant from Nigeria...

OUT

LCS means the comic was the last comic standing
SAFE means the comic won the immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...

 challenge
WIN means the comic participated and won the head-to-head showdown
OUT means the comic lost the head-to-head showdown or by viewer voting and was eliminated

Season 6: Summer 2008

Bill Bellamy once again hosted. British television host Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton is an English television and radio presenter who is known for presenting a number of popular TV programmes such as Top of the Pops and the Red Nose Day telethon. In 2007, she became the first regular female presenter of BBC Radio 1's Chart Show...

 joined him as co-host.

Season 6 semi-final rounds were held and filmed in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...

 at the Paris Hotel & Casino. The season finale also aired from Las Vegas. The season premiered on May 22, 2008, and was being shown in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 on Paramount Comedy
Paramount Comedy
Paramount Comedy is a 24-hour Spanish cable television and satellite television comedy channel available in Spain. It is owned by MTV Networks Europe and Viacom. In other parts of the world, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy, the channel is known as Comedy Central...

.

The season finale aired on August 7, 2008 during which Iliza Shlesinger
Iliza Shlesinger
Iliza Vie Shlesinger is an American comedian, winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing in the series' sixth season and current host of the syndicated dating show Excused.-Background:...

 was revealed as the winner. Marcus was the season 6 runner-up.
Elimination Chart
Comics |Head-to-head |Public Elimination
Ep 8 Ep 9 Ep 10 Ep 11 Ep 12
Iliza Shlesinger
Iliza Shlesinger
Iliza Vie Shlesinger is an American comedian, winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing in the series' sixth season and current host of the syndicated dating show Excused.-Background:...

WIN WIN IN IN LCS
Marcus IN IN SAFE IN OUT
Jeff Dye
Jeff Dye
Jeff Dye is an American comedian, actor and television host who has hosted two series for MTV—Numbnuts and Money From Strangers. Dye performed at the TBS Comedy Festival in Chicago and Comedy Central's Live At Gotham before starring in his own half-hour comedy special titled Comedy Central Presents...

IN SAFE IN IN OUT
Jim Tavare
Jim Tavare
Jim Tavaré is an English stand-up comedian, actor and musician. He is best known for his work on The Sketch Show on ITV which won a BAFTA award and also plays the role of Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.-Life and career:Tavaré was born in Essex,...

SAFE IN IN IN OUT
Louis Ramey
Louis Ramey
Louis Ramey is an American stand-up comedian from Atlanta, Georgia. He started performing comedy while in college.He was featured in his own episode of Comedy Central Presents in 2001. It was filmed at the Hudson Theatre, in New York City. In 2008, he was a finalist on Last Comic Standing 6. On...

IN IN IN IN OUT
Sean Cullen
Seán Cullen
Seán Cullen is a Canadian comedian. He is known for combining improvisation with mimicry and music. Cullen has been described in Time as the "vanguard of comedy's next generation". He is best known for voicing Four, Five & Seven in Seven Little Monsters. -Career:Cullen entered into the public eye...

IN IN IN OUT
Ron G. IN IN IN OUT
Adam Hunter IN IN IN OUT
Papa CJ
Papa CJ
Papa CJ is a stand-up comedian from India. With over 1000 shows under his belt, he is widely recognised as the global face of cutting-edge Indian stand-up comedy and one of Asia’s leading comedians. He has toured sell-out shows across four continents and in Oct 2011 he taped a Showtime USA Stand-up...

IN OUT
Paul Foot
Paul Foot (comedian)
Paul Foot is an English comedian. He commands a significant cult following called The Guild of Connoisseurs. Foot is known for his musings, rants, 'disturbances' and apparent aversion to pop culture...

IN OUT
Esther Ku
Esther Ku
Esther Ku is a Korean-American comic. Ku was chosen as one of the ten best comedians for the 2006 NBC Stand-up for Diversity Showcase in New York City. Ku has also been a featured regular performer in the Boston International Comedy Festival and the New York Underground Festival. She has been...

OUT
God's Pottery
God's Pottery
God's Pottery is a New York faux-Christian acoustic music and comedy duo. Its members are Jeremiah Smallchild and Gideon Lamb. The duo is played by Wilson Hall and Krister Johnson . They are both from New York City....

OUT

LCS means the comic was the last comic standing
SAFE means the comic won the immunity
Immunity (reality television)
Immunity in reality television is a concept that is widely used in weekly elimination-type reality television shows by which a contestant participating in such a show may not be "kicked off" or eliminated from competition in a particular time period...

 challenge
WIN means the comic participated and won the head-to-head showdown
OUT means the comic lost the head-to-head showdown or by viewer voting and was eliminated

Season 7: Summer 2010

A casting call appeared on the Casting Page on NBC.com, announcing auditions in Los Angeles and New York. The seventh season premiered on June 7, 2010, hosted by Craig Robinson. The show was again reworked following a format similar to the one used for Season 3, without a House or Challenges, with voting beginning right after the Semi-Finals. The judges for season 7 were Greg Giraldo
Greg Giraldo
Greg Giraldo was an American stand-up comedian, television personality, and retired lawyer. Giraldo was best known for his appearances on Comedy Central's televised roast specials, and for his work on that network's television shows Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, Lewis Black's Root of All Evil, and...

, Natasha Leggero
Natasha Leggero
Natasha Leggero is an American actress and stand-up comic from Rockford, Illinois.-Biography:Leggero began performing at age 10, in several Chicago plays. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City to study at the Stella Adler Conservatory. While there, she also attended Hunter...

, and Andy Kindler
Andy Kindler
Andy Kindler is an American stand-up comedian from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles.-Stand up:His material often covers the comedy industry itself, criticizing other comedians for being too predictable. One of his more notable criticisms was that of Dane Cook where he compared the...

. Comedians that have appeared this season include James Adomian
James Adomian
James Adomian is an Armenian-American actor and stand-up comedian. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and currently lives in New York City...

, Jim David
Jim David
Jim David is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is originally from Asheville, North Carolina, and lives in New York City. He performs stand-up comedy at comedy clubs and other venues worldwide...

, Christina Pazsitzky
Christina Pazsitzky
Christina Pazsitzky is a Stand Up Comedian and Writer who appears regularly on the E! show "Chelsea Lately". She was a cast member of MTV's Road Rules Australia and also made an appearance on the Real World/Road Rules Challenge Battle of the Sexes...

, Kirk Fox
Kirk Fox
Kirk Fox is an American actor, screenwriter, and stand-up comedian.-Career:Fox has been acting in television and film since the early 1990s. In 2003 he received attention for his work with Pauly Shore as co-writer and co-star of the film Pauly Shore Is Dead, and in 2005 he wrote, co-produced, and...

, Jimmy Dore
Jimmy Dore
Jimmy Dore is an American stand-up comedian who has been performing for over 20 years.-Life and career:...

, Michael J. Herbert, Myq Kaplan
Myq Kaplan
Myq Kaplan is an American stand-up comedian. Born Michael Kaplan in Livingston, New Jersey, he is based in Boston and New York City.-Education:...

, Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Sarac Haddish is an American dancer, comedienne and actress.-Early life:Haddish is of African-American descent. California. Her social worker spotted her talent in stand-up comedy, while she was playing...

, Cathy Ladman
Cathy Ladman
Cathy Ladman is a Jewish American stand-up comedian, television writer, and actor. She was featured in her own installment of HBO's One Night Stand comedy series, and has been a guest on The Tonight Show on nine occasions...

, Jamie Lee, Ryan Hamilton, Brian McKim
Brian McKim
Brian McKim is a professional standup comedian and the editor and publisher of the standup comedy website, SHECKYmagazine.com. He was a seminfinalist on Season 7 of the NBC series Last Comic Standing...

, Adrienne Iapalucci, Jerry Rocha, Paula Bel, Rachel Feinstein, Jeff Ragsdale, Jesse Joyce
Jesse Joyce
Jesse Joyce is a stand-up comedian and writer living in New York City.He has been on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, hosted AMC's Date Night, and Entertainment Tonight. He is regularly heard as a guest of The Bob and Tom Show, Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld, The Keith and the Girl show, Has been on The...

, Kyle Grooms, Jonathan Thymius, Felipe Esparza, Shane Mauss, Jason Weems, Amanda Melson, Chip Pope, Claudia Cogan, Nikki Glaser, Taylor Williamson, Alycia Cooper and David Feldman. The winner was Felipe Esparza.
Elimination Chart
Comics LCS
Tommy Johnagin
Tommy Johnagin
Tommy Johnagin is an American stand-up comedian.Johnagin is from Benton, Illinois. He began performing stand-up comedy at age 18 and dropped out of college at age 21 to become a full-time comedian.-Career:...

IN IN IN IN OUT
Roy Wood, Jr.
Roy Wood, Jr.
Roy Wood, Jr. is a stand-up comedian from Birmingham, Alabama. He is also known for his prank calls, as well as his work on talk radio. Hailed for his colorblind brand of comedy, Roy has opened for comedians ranging from D.L...

IN IN IN IN OUT
Mike DeStefano
Mike DeStefano
Mike DeStefano was an American stand-up comedian. He used material from his heroin addiction, which began at age 15, and his recovery in brutally honest, profanity-laced routines. He also was a drug counselor to others. He had been clean for 11 years at the time of his death and was HIV positive...

IN IN IN IN OUT
Myq Kaplan
Myq Kaplan
Myq Kaplan is an American stand-up comedian. Born Michael Kaplan in Livingston, New Jersey, he is based in Boston and New York City.-Education:...

IN IN IN IN OUT
Jonathan Thymius IN IN IN OUT
Rachel Feinstein IN IN OUT
Maronzio Vance IN OUT
Laurie Kilmartin
Laurie Kilmartin
Laurie Kilmartin is an American comedienne and writer best known for being a finalist on Last Comic Standing season 8, and is currently a staff writer for the Conan O'Brien show Conan...

IN OUT
James Adomian
James Adomian
James Adomian is an Armenian-American actor and stand-up comedian. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and currently lives in New York City...

IN OUT

LCS means the comic was the last comic standing
OUT means the comic was eliminated based on viewer votes

Controversy

During season two, a panel of four celebrity judges was used to shrink the field of 40 semifinalists to ten finalists. The celebrity judges rated each of the semifinalists as they performed, and cast votes for the 10 top comedians. When the ten finalists were announced they did not seem to correspond with the judges' votes, which the judges noticed. Two celebrity judges, comedians Drew Carey
Drew Carey
Drew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...

 and Brett Butler
Brett Butler (comedian)
Brett Butler is an American actress, writer, and stand-up comedian, best known for playing the title role in the comedy series Grace Under Fire.-Early life:...

, left the judges' table visibly angry after the finalists were announced.

The two were shown backstage arguing with producers. Carey and Butler did not understand how the finalists who were announced could be correct, given the way the judges had voted. It was revealed that a panel of four producers were also casting votes in the process, assuring that unless all four celebrity judges cast exactly the same ten votes, their voting power could be usurped by the four unanimously agreeing producers. If for some reason all four celebrity judges did cast exactly the same votes, the worst the producers would be faced with was a tie.

Upon news of this information, Carey became angry that the producers made it seem he had a deciding vote in the outcome of the show, calling the situation "crooked and dishonest." It was also revealed that some of the finalists who advanced were clients or employees of the producers or directors of the show.

Allegedly, some of the competitors in opening rounds were plants hired by the producers to liven up the auditions on television. For example, Buck Star, a comedian who followed talent executives Bob Read and Ross Mark to auditions across the country, is rumored to have been a production assistant
Production assistant
A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production...

 for NBC.

Auditions

Mark Breslin
Mark Breslin
Mark Breslin is a Canadian entrepreneur, stand-up comedian and actor best known for being the founder of Yuk Yuk's, the largest chain of comedy clubs in Canada.He made several guest appearances in the Robocop: The Series television series....

, owner of Yuk Yuk's
Yuk Yuk's
Yuk Yuk's is a national comedy club chain in Canada, owned by former stand-up comedian Mark Breslin and established in 1977 by Breslin and Joel Axler...

 comedy club
Comedy club
A comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...

s which hosted the Toronto audition for season 6, described the audition process actually employed during those auditions. He explained that while anyone who wanted to could wait in line to audition, most would be berated and embarrassed by the panel of judges and then dismissed after only one joke.

Top local agents are usually given a number of specific call times for their clients. The first round of auditions were for a producer early in the morning, and those that were chosen came back for the celebrity judges in the afternoon. Breslin also confirmed that, while only two were shown advancing in the final broadcast, four comics had been initially chosen to advance to the finals. Brian Lazanik, one of the two finalists who did not end up at the Vegas finals, has said that he was also chosen as a finalist in season 5's Toronto auditions, but was similarly cut. Producers for the show called his agent, urging him to try out again for season 6.

Appearances by comics

  • Angry Bob ("Sirius Radio" and "Opie and Anthony
    Opie and Anthony
    Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...

    ")
  • Arj Barker
    Arj Barker
    Arjan Singh , known by the stage name Arj Barker, is an American stand-up comedian and actor from San Anselmo, California. He has toured in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. He was born to an engineer father and artist mother, and is half-Indian, half-European...

     (Marijuana Logues, Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...

    , Flight of the Conchords
    Flight of the Conchords (TV series)
    Flight of the Conchords is an American television comedy series that debuted on HBO on June 17, 2007. The show follows the adventures of Flight of the Conchords, a two-man band from New Zealand, as its members seek fame and success in New York City. The show stars the real-life duo, Jemaine Clement...

    )
  • Bil Dwyer
    Bil Dwyer
    William Michael "Bil" Dwyer is an American stand-up comedian and game show host. Television shows he has hosted include GSN's Extreme Dodgeball, I've Got A Secret and The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time, the PAX TV game show Dirty Rotten Cheater, and the FSN game show, Ultimate Fan...

     (Battlebots
    BattleBots
    BattleBots is an American company that hosts robot competitions. BattleBots is also the name of the television show created from the competition footage. BattleBots Inc...

    , I've Got a Secret
    I've Got a Secret
    I've Got a Secret is a panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show What's My Line?...

     and Comedy Central Presents)
  • Chad Shapiro (MTV's "Yo Momma", LOGO's "Sketch Show")
  • Claire Hooper
    Claire Hooper
    Claire Hooper is an Australian stand-up comedian and writer. She appeared as a team captain on the 2008 revival of Good News Week on Network Ten and previously was a regular on The Sideshow, appearing with Paul McDermott...

     (Good News Week
    Good News Week
    Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...

    )
  • Dan Cummins
    Dan Cummins
    Dan Cummins is a professional stand-up comedian. His first comedy album, Revenge is Near, distributed by Warner Brothers, was ranked as one of the top 10 comedy CDs of 2009 by Punchline Magazine...

     (Comedy Central Presents)
  • Dan Levy
    Dan Levy
    Dan Levy is a Los Angeles, California-based comedian.- Biography :In 1993, Levy was a member of the "Half Pint Players", a teen-age improvisation group in Stamford, Connecticut....

     (The Reality Show and Your Face or Mine?
    Your Face or Mine?
    Your Face or Mine? was a game show that ran from 2 September 2002 to 23 May 2003 and aired on E4. It was hosted by Jimmy Carr and June Sarpong.-Round 1:...

    )
  • Dave Mordal
    Dave Mordal
    Dave Mordal is a comedian from Elk River, Minnesota.- Career :He was a contestant on the first and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing. He was fourth eliminated in the first season after losing in a head-to-head competition to Dat Phan, the eventual winner of Last Comic Standing season 1. He...

     (Wreckreation Nation with Dave Mordal)
  • Doug Benson
    Doug Benson
    Douglas Steven "Doug" Benson is an American stand-up comedian and actor who has appeared on Comedy Central Presents, Best Week Ever and was a contestant on Last Comic Standing in the show's fifth season....

     (Marijuana Logues, Best Week Ever
    Best Week Ever
    Best Week Ever is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004 and was put on hiatus in the summer of 2009...

    , Comedy Central Presents, Super High Me
    Super High Me
    Super High Me is a 2007 documentary film about the effects of smoking cannabis for 30 days. The documentary stars comedian Doug Benson. The documentary's name and its poster are plays on the 2004 documentary Super Size Me.-Synopsis:...

    )
  • Fiona O'Loughlin
    Fiona O'Loughlin
    Fiona O'Loughlin is an Australian comedian, known primarily for her stand-up comedy; for her television performances, on ABC TV's Spicks and Specks, and Channel Ten's Rove Live and GNW; and a series of advertisements for Heinz soups...

  • Gabriel Iglesias
    Gabriel Iglesias
    Gabriel J. Iglecias , known professionally as Gabriel Iglesias, is an American standup comedian and actor, known for his shows I’m Not Fat… I’m Fluffy and Hot & Fluffy.-Early life:...

     (All That
    All That
    All That is an American live-action, sketch comedy-variety show that aired on the Nickelodeon cable television network featuring short comedic sketches and weekly musical guests. The theme song for All That was performed by TLC...

     and Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...

    )
  • Gary Gulman
    Gary Gulman
    Gary Lewis Gulman is a stand-up comedian. He was a finalist on the NBC reality-talent show Last Comic Standing . In season 2, he finished in third place behind John Heffron and Alonzo Bodden...

     (Comedy Central Presents and Tourgasm)
  • Gerry Dee
    Gerry Dee
    Gerry Dee is a Canadian stand-up comedian. Prior to his comic career, he was a physical education teacher and hockey coach at De La Salle College "Oaklands", a private co-ed high school in Toronto...

      (Trailer Park Boys: The Movie)
  • Gina Yashere
    Gina Yashere
    Gina Obedapo Yashere is a British comedian of Nigerian descent.-Early life:Yashere was born in Bethnal Green, London, England. Her mother was an immigrant from Nigeria...

  • Harland Williams
    Harland Williams
    Harland Williams is a Canadian actor, comedian, author, artist, musician and radio personality.-Personal life:Harland Reesor Williams was born on November 14, 1962, in Toronto, Ontario, to Lorraine , a social worker, and John Reesor Williams, who worked as a member of the Ontario Provincial...

     (RocketMan
    RocketMan
    RocketMan is a 1997 science fiction comedy film that was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Caravan Pictures and released on October 10, 1997. The film was shot on location at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and in Moab, Utah for the scenes on the surface on Mars.The film was a...

    , Half Baked
    Half Baked
    Half Baked is a 1998 stoner comedy film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams and Guillermo Díaz. The movie was directed by Tamra Davis, and co-written by star Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan...

    , Premium Blend
    Premium Blend
    Premium Blend was a television show that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005.The program features a well-known stand up comedian as an emcee who introduces four or five lesser known comedians looking for a big break on television...

    , Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...

    )
  • Iliza Shlesinger
    Iliza Shlesinger
    Iliza Vie Shlesinger is an American comedian, winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing in the series' sixth season and current host of the syndicated dating show Excused.-Background:...

     on The Soup
    The Soup
    The Soup is an E! Entertainment Television weekly series; it is a revamped version of Talk Soup that focuses on recaps of various pop culture and television show moments of the week...

  • James Cunningham
    James Cunningham (comedian)
    James Cunningham is a Canadian stand-up comedian and TV host.He is the host of Food Network Canada's and Cooking Channel US's Eat St., a TV show about North American street food that debuted in 2011. He initially auditioned for another show before being offered the job of hosting Eat St. Series...

     (Comedy Central Presents)
  • Jim Norton
    Jim Norton (comedian)
    James Joseph "Jim" Norton, Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, radio personality, author, and actor. He is an on-air personality, often dubbed the 'third mic' on The Opie and Anthony Show, which airs on Sirius XM Radio...

     (Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
    Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
    Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn is a comedic talk show that aired on Comedy Central. The show featured roundtable discussions, inviting various guests of many views, mixing mostly comics/entertainers expressing themselves with journalists and political figures. Quinn's regular guests consisted mainly...

    , Opie and Anthony
    Opie and Anthony
    Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...

    , Lucky Louie
    Lucky Louie
    Lucky Louie is an American television sitcom created by Louis C.K., that aired for one season on HBO in 2006. In addition to being the creator, writer and executive producer of the series, C.K. stars as the eponymous Louie, a part-time mechanic...

     and Tourgasm)
  • Jimmy Pardo
    Jimmy Pardo
    Jimmy Pardo is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and host of the popular comedy podcast Never Not Funny.He is married to fellow comedian Danielle Koenig. They live in Los Angeles with their son Oliver...

  • Joe DeVito
    Joe DeVito
    Joe DeVito is a stand-up comedian and writer living on Long Island, New York.In 2006, he was featured on Comedy Central's Live at Gotham and appeared at the Montreal "Just for Laughs" Comedy Festival in the New Faces program. In 2007, he was a semifinalist on NBC's Last Comic Standing Season 5...

     (Comedy Central's "Live at Gotham, Fox News Channel's "The Red Eye")
  • Joel McHale
    Joel McHale
    Joel Edward McHale is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, television producer, television personality, and voice artist. He is best known for hosting The Soup and for his role as Jeff Winger on Community....

     (The Soup, Community)
  • John Heffron
    John Heffron
    John Heffron is an American stand-up comic. Born in Detroit, he was raised in South Lyon, Michigan. He graduated from South Lyon High School and Eastern Michigan University....

     (season two's winner)
  • Jon Reep
    Jon Reep
    Jon Reep is an American stand-up comedian and actor, known as the "That thing got a Hemi?" guy in Dodge commercials, and more recently as the winner of the fifth season of Last Comic Standing on NBC.-Early life:...

     (Premium Blend
    Premium Blend
    Premium Blend was a television show that aired on the American cable television channel Comedy Central from 1997 to 2005.The program features a well-known stand up comedian as an emcee who introduces four or five lesser known comedians looking for a big break on television...

    , Comedy Central Presents, Bandits vs. Smokies, Dodge Ram
    Dodge Ram
    The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...

     Hemi commercials, Rodney
    Rodney (TV series)
    Rodney is an American television sitcom that was shown on ABC from September 21, 2004, to June 6, 2006. Ric Swartzlander was the creator and executive producer of the comedy series...

    )
  • Josh Blue
    Josh Blue
    Josh Blue is an American comedian. He was voted the Last Comic Standing on NBC's reality show Last Comic Standing during its fourth season, which aired May–August 2006...

     (Mind of Mencia
    Mind of Mencia
    Mind of Mencia is an American television comedy series on the cable channel Comedy Central. Hosted by Carlos Mencia, it aired from 2005 to 2008.- History :...

    , Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents
    Comedy Central Presents is a half-hour long stand-up show that features various stand-up comedians in each episode.-DVDs:Starting in 2008, Comedy Central started releasing "Best of" compilation DVDs, with uncensored audio...

    )
  • Josh Thomas
    Josh Thomas (comedian)
    Joshua Michael "Josh" Thomas is an Australian comedian. In 2005, at the age of 17, he became the youngest ever winner of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Raw Comedy Competition...

     (Talkin' 'bout your Generation
    Talkin' 'bout your Generation
    Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation is an Australian game show produced by Granada Productions which premiered on Network Ten on 5 May 2009. It is hosted by Shaun Micallef....

    , GNW
    Good News Week
    Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...

    )
  • Kathleen Madigan
    Kathleen Madigan
    Kathleen Madigan is an American comedian.-Early life:Kathleen Madigan grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant as one of seven children in a large Irish-American family...

     (Comedy Central Presents)
  • Larry Reeb
    Larry Reeb
    Larry Reeb is a Chicago comedian who is also a frequent guest on The Bob & Tom Show. He tried out for the fourth season of Last Comic Standing but only made it to the second part of the quarterfinals.-External links:* http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1252972/*...

     (Bob & Tom Show
    The Bob & Tom Show
    The Bob & Tom Show is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995....

    )
  • Lavell Crawford
    Lavell Crawford
    Lavell Crawford is an American stand-up comedian and actor from St. Louis, Missouri. His mother is Annita Crawford. His sisters are Elonda Goodwin and Erica Roach. His step-father is Dwight Davis....

     (Comedy Central Presents)
  • Marc Price
    Marc Price
    Marc Price is a television actor primarily known for his role as Erwin "Skippy" Handelman on Family Ties.-Biography:Price also hosted the children's game show Teen Win, Lose or Draw on The Disney Channel from 1989 to 1992....

     (Family Ties
    Family Ties
    Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...

    )
  • Nikki Payne
    Nikki Payne
    Nikki Payne , is a Canadian comedian and actress, from Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada. Born with a cleft palate, she is well known for incorporating her lisp into her comedy act. She has won three Canadian Comedy Awards for Best Stand-up Newcomer and Best Female Stand-up...

     (Muchmusic
    MuchMusic
    MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...

    's Video On Trial
    Video On Trial
    Video on Trial is a Canadian comedy television program that airs on Canadian television network MuchMusic. The show consists of a panel of musicians, comedians, and entertainment columnists critiquing five different music videos in a courtroom-esque manner. The panel acts as the jurors, poking fun...

    , CTV's Comedy INC, The Comedy Network
    The Comedy Network
    The Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....

    's Buzz
    Buzz (TV series)
    The Buzz was a Canadian comedy television series that aired on The Comedy Network. The show was hosted by Morgan "Mista Mo" Smith and Daryn Jones. The show originally aired in the mid-90's as a community channel show on Rogers Television before finally getting a network deal in 2000...

    )
  • Pablo Francisco
    Pablo Francisco
    Pablo Ridson Francisco is an American stand-up comedian of Chilean origin. He started his career doing improv in Tempe, Arizona.-Career:...

     (Comedy Central Presents, MadTV
    MADtv
    MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...

    )
  • Ralph Harris
    Ralph Harris (comedian)
    Ralph Louis Harris is an American comedian, actor, and writer. Harris is best known for his role as Josh Jerrico in the TGIF sitcom On Our Own, and his stand up routines.-Biography:...

     (On Our Own, Bob & Tom Show
    The Bob & Tom Show
    The Bob & Tom Show is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995....

    )
  • Ralphie May
    Ralphie May
    Ralphie O. May is an American stand-up comedian.-Early life:May was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but raised in Clarksville, Arkansas. When he was seventeen years old, he won a contest to open for comedian Sam Kinison, whom he considered his idol. Kinison suggested he move to Houston, Texas to...

     (Girth of a nation, Prime Cut, Austintatious.)
  • Rich Vos
    Rich Vos
    Richard Ira "Rich" Vos is an American comedian. Originally from Plainfield, New Jersey, Vos has been a working stand-up for decades. Colin Quinn described Vos in his early days as a "Jersey Hack"....

     (Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
    Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
    Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn is a comedic talk show that aired on Comedy Central. The show featured roundtable discussions, inviting various guests of many views, mixing mostly comics/entertainers expressing themselves with journalists and political figures. Quinn's regular guests consisted mainly...

    , Comedy Central Presents, Opie and Anthony
    Opie and Anthony
    Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...

    )
  • Rob Little
    Rob Little
    Rob Little is an American stand-up comedian and actor from Pinconning, Michigan. He has been performing stand-up comedy since 1998 and has been acting in movies and television. He has also produced two straight to DVD comedy specials based on his stand-up...

     (The Best Damn Sports Show Period
    The Best Damn Sports Show Period
    The Best Damn Sports Show Period is an American sports television show on Fox Sports Net and Comcast SportsNet. The show regularly featured irreverent and opinionated interviews with top athletes, coaches, celebrities, and entertainers. It also aired Top 50 countdown shows and other sports...

    , Last Call with Carson Daly
    Last Call with Carson Daly
    Last Call with Carson Daly is an American late night talk show that is broadcast on NBC. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, the half-hour show featuring celebrity interviews, documentary-style coverage of a topic, and musical performances. Last Call airs weeknights at 1:35 a.m. Eastern / 12:35 a.m....

    , Strictly Sex with Dr. Drew
    Strictly Sex with Dr. Drew
    Strictly Sex with Dr. Drew is a television show hosted by Loveline host Dr. Drew Pinsky. It ran for 10 episodes in all, and is still featured on the Discovery Health channel.-The Orgasm:...

    , and won $25,000 on CBS
    CBS
    CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

    's Fire Me...Please
    Fire Me...Please
    Fire Me...Please is an hour-long hidden camera reality series which aired on CBS in summer 2005. It was based on a BBC series called The Sack Race. Two contestants each reported to a new job at separate locations and figure out how to get fired as close to 3:00 p.m. as possible...

    )
  • Seán Cullen
    Seán Cullen
    Seán Cullen is a Canadian comedian. He is known for combining improvisation with mimicry and music. Cullen has been described in Time as the "vanguard of comedy's next generation". He is best known for voicing Four, Five & Seven in Seven Little Monsters. -Career:Cullen entered into the public eye...

     (CBC's The Seán Cullen Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents, Ellen's Really Big Show)
  • Stephen Kramer Glickman
    Stephen Kramer Glickman
    Stephen Kramer Glickman is a Canadian born American actor, fashion designer and stand-up comedian.-Career:Stephen Kramer Glickman is starring as a main role named "Gustavo Rocque" on the Nickelodeon television series, Big Time Rush...

     (Big Time Rush
    Big Time Rush
    Big Time Rush is a Nickelodeon television series created by Scott Fellows about the Hollywood misadventures of four hockey players from Minnesota—Kendall, Logan, James, and Carlos, after they are selected to form a boy band. The series premiered with an hour-long pilot episode, "Big Time...

    )
  • Thea Vidale
    Thea Vidale
    Thea Vidale , is an American stand-up comedian and actress.She began her career doing stand-up comedy in comic clubs in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Los Angeles...

     (Thea
    Thea (TV series)
    Thea is an American sitcom that premiered September 3, 1993 on ABC, and last aired on February 14, 1994, for a total of 19 episodes. Starring comedienne Thea Vidale, the series marked the first time an African American female comedienne was the star of a series named after her.-Synopsis:Thea Vidale...

    )
  • Theo Von
    Theo Vonkurnatowski
    Theo Vonkurnatowski aka Theo Von, is an American stand-up comedian. He currently lives in Santa Monica, California.Vonkurnatowski was born in Louisiana. He first became known as a contestant on MTV's Road Rules, and competed on several seasons of its spin-off show, Real World/Road Rules Challenge...

     (Road Rules
    Road Rules
    Road Rules was an MTV reality show that debuted on July 19, 1995. The series, which was MTV's second reality show after The Real World followed six strangers between the ages of 18 and 24 after stripping them of their money and putting them on an RV traveling from location to location only guided...

    )
  • Ryan Belleville (Comedy Central Presents)
  • Ryan Hamilton (Comedy Central Live at Gotham)
  • Taylor Williamson
  • Todd Glass
    Todd Glass
    Todd Steven Glass is an American stand-up comedian originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Biography:Glass is perhaps best known for his appearances as a contestant on the second and third seasons of NBC's Last Comic Standing and has appeared regularly on programs such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!,...

     (Comedy Central Presents, Tosh.0)
  • Tom Cotter (Comedy Central Presents)

External links

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