Last Comic Standing

I was so happy to see Last Comic Standing return to NBC this summer.  Jay and I have watched each season except the first, and I think this year was the best of all.  In addition to having a great host (Craig Robinson, "Darryl" from The Office) and wonderful judges, the format was just as it should have been for a show attempting to showcase talented comedians.  Instead of having the top ten comedians live in a house together and perform various "funny" activities, this season focused on stand-up comedy from the start.  Thus, viewers were able to see hours of stand-up comedy throughout the season.

My three favorites from the top ten actually made it to the top three this year: Tommy Johnagin, Roy Wood, Jr., and Felipe Esparza.  Although I think Johnagin was the most talented of the three, I was not at all surprised that Esparza won because his personality is naturally funny.

The top five comedians are going on tour this fall/winter, and I was excited to see that they will be in Charlotte on October 28.  Jay and I are planning to get tickets.  It's been a few years since we've been able to see live comedy, so I'm very much looking forward to going.

On a slightly different but somewhat related topic, I also have watched The Next Food Network Star and Design Star once again this summer.  I think TNFNS has been enjoyable to watch, and I really like two of the final three contestants; however, I have not liked the changes made to Design Star this season.  The show has been much too serious, all of the challenges have been similar, and, most importantly, the show has suffered without Clive Pearse as the host.