Last Comic Standing 5

On June 13, 2007, competitive reality show "Last Comic Standing" began airing its fifth season on NBC with new host, Bill Bellamy. For the first time ever people could vote in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. This season is also taped rather than filmed.

Auditions

Auditions were held in London, Montreal, Sydney, Los Angeles, New York, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Tempe.

Numerous established comedians auditioned for "Last Comic Standing" this season. They included:
* Arj Barker
* Chuck Roy
* Thea Vidale ("Thea")
* Dwayne Kennedy

Some of the finalists have also appeared elsewhere:
* Dante ("BET's Comic View")
* Doug Benson ("Best Week Ever", "Marijuana Logues")
* Gerry Dee ("")
* Debra DiGiovanni ("Video on Trial")
* Ralph Harris ("On Our Own")
* Jon Reep ("Premium Blend", "Bandits vs. Smokies", Dodge Ram Hemi commercials)
* Gina Yashere ("Mock the Week", "Gina's Laughing Gear", "Comic Relief Does Fame Academy"

Season 5 Results

:colorbox|limegreen LCS means the comic was the last comic standing:colorbox|lightblue SAFE means the comic won the immunity challenge:colorbox|gold WIN means the comic participated and won the head-to-head showdown:colorbox|red OUT means the comic lost in the head-to-head showdown or by viewer voting and was eliminated

Episode Guide

Episodes 1-6

Episodes 1-6 consisted of the early auditions and the selection of the finalists.Dante received the first standing ovation in the history of the show at the semi-finals.

Episode 7

Immunity challenge: Heckler Challenge

The contestants were driven to The Ice House, were they were paired up. One performed on stage while the other sat in the audience heckling them about their jokes. They then switched roles. The best heckler and the best performer would be rewarded with immunity. The winner for dealing the best with the heckler was Lavell Crawford.

The pairs for this challenge are as follows:
*Lavell Crawford and Debra DiGiovanni
*Amy Schumer and Matt Kirshen
*Ralph Harris and Gina Yashere
*Jon Reep and Gerry Dee
*Dante and Doug Benson

Head to Head

Ralph Harris, Gina Yashere, and Dante all tied in the main vote, they went head-to-head. Ralph Harris gained the majority of the audience vote, sending the other two home.

Episode 7

Immunity challenge: Jester Challenge

The comics were driven to Medieval Times were they were told that they were going to dress up like court jesters and tell Medieval jokes in front of an audience. Jon Reep beat Amy Schumer in the finals to win immunity.

Head to Head

This episode's head to head put Debra DiGiovanni against Matt Kirshen. Matt beat Debra by a narrow margin (in the closest head-to-head vote the show had ever had) to stay in the competition.

Episode 8

Immunity Challenge: Speed Joking

The contestants were told that they would have ninety seconds to tell jokes to six Deal or No Deal models. However, the contestants didn't know that four of the deal or No Deal models were switched out for a drag queen, a nun, and a clown. After everyone was through, the women picked Amy Schumer as their favorite comedian.

Head to Head

Matt Kirshen, Doug Benson, and Ralph Harris were chosen to compete in the head to head. After their performances in the Last Comic Theatre, it was revealed that Ralph Harris had the most votes to become the last person to make the final five.

Episode 9

The final five performed in front of a live audience for five minutes each. After all five had performed, the phone lines opened to let home viewers vote for their favorite comic. The one with the lowest amount of votes would be eliminated. Each comic had a short bio before their performance.

Episode 10

Ralph Harris was eliminated for having the lowest number of votes. The remaining contestants performed another stand-up routine for five minutes. Doug Benson made a guest performance.

Episode 11

Amy Schumer received the lowest number of votes and was subsequently the first of the final four to leave the competition. Josh Blue from season four and Harland Williams performed. Jon Reep, Lavell Crawford, and Gerry Dee performed five-minute sets. Before their performances, NBC showed clips of them at their old jobs, where Dee was a waiter, Crawford was a crossing guard, and Reep worked at a tire store.

Episode 12

Kathleen Madigan, Gilbert Gottfried, and Greg Proops made guest performances. Afterward, Gerry Dee was eliminated from the competition as he received the fewest votes. Reep and Crawford performed their acts in anticipation of the following week's final episode.

Episode 13

Jon Reep beat Lavell Crawford in the two-hour finale.

External links

* [http://www.nbc.com/Last_Comic_Standing Official site]
* [http://www.realitytvworld.com/lastcomicstanding5 Reality TV World page]