Comedy Central is always on the lookout for the next big comedy star, and to speed up their search, they're hosting a nationwide talent contest this fall. The Comedy Central Up Next Talent Search kicks off with the preliminary rounds, hosted by 26 participating certified clubs. One of those clubs is the Addison Improv here in DFW. And one of the judges is yours truly. So not only do you get to see some great comics this Sunday, you get to see me try to look professional and not drink too much.
Hosted by local comedy fave Paul Varghese, this weekend's competitors are:
- Mark Agee
- Aaron Aryanpur
- Peter Barrera
- Chris Brown
- Chris Darden
- Jason James
- Jeffrey Jay
- Josh Johnson
- Cris Lehman
- Linda Stogner
The winners from the preliminary rounds will move on to the semi-finals, taking place in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After that, the eight finalists (two from each semi-final round) will compete for the grand prize at Caroline's on Broadway in New York City. Lucky bastards. The big prize includes a performance in an upcoming Comedy Central college tour; a spot as a guest DJ on Comedy Central's SiriusXM channel 95 (includes airing of their winning performance); inclusion on cc.com/standup and the CC: Stand-Up App; a Comedy Central Records digital release; $2,500 cash; and an appearance on a future Comedy Central stand-up series. Damn. Is it too late to learn stand up?
Tickets for this Sunday's preliminary show at the Addison Improv are available online.
