We’ll Be the Judge of That! – Last Comic Standing, July 31

Last Comic Standing finally got to its final performances – in one case, a first performance! Unfortunately, usual judge David’s TiVo fell prey to Big Brother changing air days. But you’ve probably seen the episode (unless you were like David) and/or read Dale’s RealityNewsOnline recap. Now it’s Wesley’s turn to judge the competitors.

Marcus: Marcus is the fellow who’s given me a new idiom for beating a dead horse (“beating a dead Christopher Walken impersonation”). But like his semifinal showcase, he actually comes out with some solid non-impersonating material. And the impersonations he does do, Eddie Vedder and Aaron Neville, actually fit quite well into his set. I give Marcus a surprising B+.

Ron G: My mind started wandering after about 30 seconds into his set. He was that uninteresting. What really doesn’t make sense to me is that he knows how to build a comedy set. He creates characters and even calls back references to earlier jokes at the end of his material. But I just don’t find him that funny. Perhaps he’s just left a sour taste in my mouth with his attitude from the house. C- again.

Jim Tavare: Started out slowly and picked up only slightly by the end. I usually enjoy his material much more, though I might have to blame the audience on this one. They obviously enjoyed his comedy, but they also enjoyed it so much that I couldn’t hear his bass over all of their cheering. He did still have some clever jokes mixed in with all of the stuff I couldn’t hear, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt with a B.

Bill Bellamy: Mildly amusing material from the host. He probably wouldn’t win if he was competing, but he could definitely teach Ron and Sean a thing or two about comedy. C+.

Louis Ramey: How on earth did I know he was going to talk about “rednecks”? I could see that material coming for miles. And unfortunately, I think it might just do him in. There was some decent stuff in there, but Amish and redneck jokes are simply too overdone. A disappointment from the veteran comic this week. Still, it was worth a watch just to see that audience member jumping around like an idiot in the background when he was talking about the U.S. B-.

Adam Hunter: Adam reminds me of that guy in high school who is always joking with his friends when the teacher is trying to teach. And, of course, that means that all of his friends are missing the lesson as well. And I just want to teach you guys how to do an MLA heading, because you will use it all the time in college. I’m not kidding! What are you laughing at? It’s not funny! Okay, that’s it! Go to the principal’s office right now! Uh. . . I mean, I think I’ll give Adam a B-.

Jeff Dye: Wow! Jeff hit a home run tonight. Tons of totally relatable material, clever set-ups, and a shout out to his parents that made him all the more personable. He still scattered a few more annoying “rights” in there like last week, but they weren’t nearly as prominent nor as prolific. A.

Sean Cullen: Have you noticed at all this season, Sean’s humor seems to revolve around violence? Anyway, I’m going to completely change the subject now with nothing more than an “anyway,” because that’s how Sean likes to do it. The whole act was disjointed in this way. The craziest part is that Sean seems to be going the impersonating route more and more, while Marcus has eased off of it. I gave Marcus a B+ for that decision. Sean gets branded with another D for going the opposite route.

Iliza Shlesinger: Iliza’s material was much more mean-spirited than I’m used to from her. And despite a chuckler here and there, it lacked the luster that her previous sets have had. I think the lack of “A” material has finally caught up to her. C.

Final Thoughts: I can’t believe it! America got it right! The three best from last week all made it, and the crappy ones got voted off. Why can’t it be this way in the semis? I hate it that the producers get to pick the finalists. Unfortunately, though, the best from last week only brought us mediocrity this week. So, if I’m to follow my grades, Jeff should win it all, followed by Marcus and then Jim in third. If I were to consider the entire season, however, I think I’d have to give it to either Louis or Iliza. It’s just so tough to tell, since we haven’t seen much of anyone but Iliza until these last two weeks.

Wesley is a writer and English/drama teacher from Wichita, KS. He promises that the scenario he presented about students like Adam is entirely fictional… no really! He can be reached with questions, comments, or snide remarks at musnud@gmail.com.