nate263

I'm okay with Clayton going through because I liked Clayton's set more than Joe List's tonight (and I'm a fan of Joe's). Same with Sheng Wang. I just wish the producers could have put them up against Francisco Ramos and Ian Baggs so we would get to see their final 5 set. The whole head-to-head thing seems like an unfair way to find the best comedian since you could theoretically boot out the second best person on the show before their time. Andy Erikson was insufferable as usual. She had a joke about the element of surprise that I suspect was taken from one of the more watched stand up videos on Youtube (1.5 million views): https://youtu.be/Ej8EaLF382c?t=312

Clayton was a little hacky on racial issues. I get a little sick of "laugh at how poor black people are" jokes. (e.g. black people X-treme sports being driving without a license). That's partly why Chappelle quit: he realized that white people were laughing AT black people, not with them. Clayton's other jokes about how rednecks pronounce things had solid execution. I'm not sure he was better than Ms. Pat though. Andy Erickson is one of the most cringe-inducing comics I've ever seen. It's already weird that she's acting that way at this age. Can you imagine her having the same act at 40? I can tell she's been rewarded for being cutesy and silly from the day she was born, but seriously, no one buys that she still has the sense of humor of a 7 year old. She needs to figure out another schtick fast. I was rooting for Ms. Pat, Sheng Wang, or Joe List to win it all so I'm happy Sheng got through. His jokes are really well-crafted, and he's not trying to be a cartoon character with his delivery. Bryan Kellen is pretty much the epitome of that and it was a relief that his silly movements didn't destroy with this audience.

Alison Haislip. She was great. I think she's on the reboot of Battle Bots now. I actually like the current sideline lady way better than Jenn Brown, the one from last year. She was the worst. I remember there was a guy who was straight up balling and she tried to start a question with "Now I know you said you were doing this to make your kids proud..." and he let out a little yelp and crouched down so he wouldn't have to talk to her anymore. The current sideline lady at least makes a connection with some of the people and is way less of a robot than Jenn Brown was. I think it's just an awkward job to interview them right after they've failed and/or succeeded but are out of breath. Maybe one of the improvements could be to delay the interview till they've recovered a little more.

Either get rid of the announcers or have the current announcers say stuff that isn't just redundant. It's like I'm being forced to listen to a play by play for the blind. "Looks like so-and-so is struggling here." Yes, I can see that. "Brian approaching the Crazy Cliffhanger" Once again, I can see that. "Sandra gearing up for the Warped Wall." Okay, where's the mute button? They'll also repeat stuff we just heard in the obligatory, overlong segment about the contestant. In the last episode, Akbar was telling us the contestant was a 9 time wrestling champion literally within 2 minutes of hearing it from the contestant's mouth. Either cut most of the segments and let the announcers tell us relevant facts to give them something to say (my preference) or figure out some other way for the announcers to add value to the show. I wish they could have found freerunners/parkour experts for the job because I think they would have the relevant knowledge to be interesting. It'd be especially cool if the announcers could get a few runs on the course before the show started so they could give their experience. Oh and more and better statistics would help fill dead air too. Maybe even incorporate stats from the Japanese show concerning how many people tend to fail on a certain obstacle, how hard this course is relative to other courses in the past etc.

Yeah that was either total BS or the producers are so desperate to have a successful marriage/finale that they request proof that the Bachelorette is still together with their partner.

Norm is just a mumbly guy. He hasn't had a drink in years. Maybe he lacks the polish needed for this over-polished show, but I think he's actually saying interesting things to some of the contestants and I like that he's not afraid to have negative opinions. He's definitely a quirky guy though. Norm's said in interviews he has a thing about death, and I think that's probably why he thought Amy Miller was going too far. Anthony Jeselnik is the best host they've had. Year after year we've had animatronic comics devoid of personality or humor. Jeselnik has funny stuff to say and calls the judges out on their shit. It gives the whole show some energy. Hated the physical comedian at the end. I go to a lot of comedy shows and when stuff like that kills it makes me misanthropic. Physical comedy can be great. But it has to be the logical outcome of its premise. Obviously no one ever taught him the wrong way to do the Running Man or whatever. It's just a flimsy excuse to get to that movement. There's no content there. It's comedy for 5 year olds.

Did anyone else laugh really hard when Matt Iseman teased Travis' run with "Coming Up! : He gets his food from the garbage!" or whatever? They get so desperate for a hook sometimes. That said, I was really happy that guy finished. I was worried they'd have no finishers and it would seem like the course was impossible and therefore a little unfair. I definitely agree on there needing to be more leg-based obstacles. Maybe a tightrope you have to balance on. Or a series of ascending platforms you have to leap between without your hands, Mario-style.