Good evening ladies and gentlemen. No wait, the show’s over and the 2010 Yuk Yuk’s Laugh Off winner is Canadian comic…
What? Just a minute. Is that right? OK then, this year, for the first time in the competition’s history, the winner is an American, Boston funnyman Tom Dustin, who was almost speechless by his win.
Confetti flies as Mark Breslin announces Tom Dustin as winner of the 2010 Laugh Off
David Baker and Martha Chaves look on as Mark Breslin brings a speechless Tom Dustin to the mic
2010 Laugh Off winner Tom Dustin is all smiles with his $25,000 grand prize cheque
Yuk Yuk’s Mark Breslin, the evening’s stellar host said, ‘I think this shows that Americans, when they apply themselves, can be just as funny as Canadians. We expect to see a lot more international contestants in the years to come.’
Another record was broken with a tie for second place. Ottawa’s Martha Chaves and England’s David Baker split the prize of a year’s worth of roach traps, the ultimate in comedy home decor.
Special thanks to the judges: Ashley Olivia, booker for Conan O’Brien; Bruce Hills, COO of Just for Laughs; Late Show with David Letterman’s Eddie Brill and Michelle Daly from The Comedy Network. With tonight’s high calibre talent, they had their work cut out for them. And thanks to warm-up man, the always warm, Lawrence Morgenstern.
And with that, another Laugh Off comes to a close. Thanks for joining us!
The show begins at 8 PM at Yuk Yuk’s, 224 Richmond Street West - west of University Ave between Simcoe & Duncan. For reservations call 416-967-6425 or visit the online reservations desk.
And don’t forget to watch for the Comedy Network special.
Sir Laughsalot lived up to his namesake. The last night of the semifinals had the audience in stitches. Only two people from each show could move on to the finals and - as always - it was a tough call for the judges.
The first show was dominated by the first two performers, with Ottawa’s local Laugh Off winner Martha Chaves and London’s David Baker moving on to the big show.
The second show had the audience rocking and rolling out of their seats. Some comedians were crass, some were clean, but it was Tom Dustin and Landry who took the cake.
Congratulations to all the Laugh Off comedians who have yukked their way tthrough the Laugh Off. We wish we could take all of you to the finals! (But we cannot.)
See you all tomorrow night for a spectacular finale!
If you weren’t there on Thursday to see how Tom Dustin and Darryl Purvis made it into the semifinals, this video recap will give you a brief sample of the laughs they got to advance.
Check back for more funny video recaps as we continue posting clips as videos come in.
OK, it may be comedy, but tonight we’re getting serious! Eight comics who battled their way through the preliminary rounds compete this evening. But only four move on to the finals on Sunday and the chance to win $25,000.
Tonight’s MC was the high energy, raucus Alyson Smith - who kept the audiences captivated through both shows with her quick wit and catchy lines. Rob Ross headlined both shows with his laid back cranky hilarity.
The jokes were flying through the whole first show, leaving the audience soar-jawed from laughter. Esteemed judges Rudy Blair, Mike Bullard, Shinan Govani and Spencer Rice had tough decisions to make, but it’s Patrick Haye and L.A King that will be performing again on Sunday.
The second show kept the pace going and had the crowd rolling in the aisles. Judges Millan Curry-Sharples, Jeff Seymour and Vinessa Antoine had tough decisions to make, but Tim Gilbert (left) and Darcy Michael (right) won them over to make their way into the finals.
The semis continue on Saturday night with two more shows to determine who will join Patrick, L.A, Tim and Darcy in the finals on Sunday. Only one can take home the $25,000 grand prize - you don’t want to miss this! To reserve tickets call 416-967-6425 or reserve online.
We had whisperers and we had screamers, but in the end, only two could emerge as comedian victors: Andrea Henry and Bobby Mair. See the highlights from their sets (along with some other funny business) below:
Tonight is THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE LAUGH OFF SEMIFINALS! We’re expecting a packed house, so call the box office ASAP to get tickets and avoid disappointment.
No one wanted to miss a minute of Thursday’s final preliminary show - the place was almost packed an hour before the show began!
Crowd energy was high as the MC took the stage and did some hilarious back and forth banter with the audience. After getting the crowd under control with “We have to stop this because you guys will never be as good as me at this,” the competition started with Imran Yusuf all the way from London, England. It was a stiff competition full of international talent, but only two could move on, and the North Americans stole the show.
It was the edgy humour of Tom Dustin from Boston, Massachusetts, and the quick wit of Darryl Purvis from Nova Scotia who brought the laughs the hardest and will be moving on to this weekend’s semi-finals!
Pictured above, Tom (left) and Darryl (right), had a rough start to their relationship, which escalated to an almost physical altercation, (we’re joking of course - they’re comedians) but ended in a warm embrace as they move closer to winning the $25,000 grand prize.
The semi-finals start Friday - come down this weekend to watch the winners battle it out and see who claims victory on Sunday. Call 416-967-6425 or reserve your tickets online .
The evening started in the sweltering heat of Atlanta and finished in the hilly breezes of San Francisco. It was hump day, but the crowd felt more like that of a rowdy Saturday night. (That’s the way we like it!)
We had some stellar performances, but in the end it was the dry wit of Andrea Henry (Norton) and screaming antics of Bobby Mair (LLO Winner, Vaughn) that won our esteeemed judges over.
It’s only going to get busier and crazier so snap up those tickets while you still can! Reserve tickets by calling 416-967-6425 or reserving online.
The weather outside was rainy, but that only fueled extra cheer at last night’s Laugh Off round. To see some clips from the winners’ sets, have a look at the video below:
Eight comedians took the stage tonight and great performances took over the stage for the sixth show of the contest.
The young crowd stayed laughing as Lars Calleiou (right) and Peter White (left) won the judges over to move to the semifinals.
Our thanks to the judges, and everyone that came out to enjoy a night of laughs. The next night of fun starts Wednesday at 8 pm. Reserve tickets by calling 416-967-6425 or reserve online.
Saturday night live! Our Twitter stream was going full tilt on Saturday and so were the comedians. Two clever comedians managed to beat out the rest of the competition. Here are the highlights:
The contest has been running for three nights so far. After five successful shows, ten lucky comics will progress to the semifinals.
Didn’t catch the shows? Oh no, not to worry! Resident Laugh Off laughologist Fatima has been cooking up some video highlights from the first five rounds of the contest!
Here are the highlights from March 19’s Laugh Off:
SNL took on a new meaning at Saturday’s two hilarious and sold out Yuk Yuk’s Laugh Off shows. MC Jay Brown rocked the room with his sharp delivery and natural audience rapport.
In the early show, the talent to watch out for performed at the end. The winners were both Yuk Yuk’s Laugh Off local champs: from London, L.A. King and from Calgary, Trent McLellan. Their high energy material made them shoe-ins for the semifinals next weekend.
Competition was stiffer in the late show with five comics turning in near winning sets. But only two get to move onto the semifinals: Kitchener’s local Laugh Off rep and former Rasta with a mullet, Landry and London’s (England, that is)ginger-tongued, David Baker.
Thanks to all the comic contestants and Glen Foster for the all-Canadian-all-the-time feature sets.
The 2010 Laugh Off got off to an impressive opening with super talent taking the stage. The audience was knee slapping (literally) with roaring laughter throughout the shows and only one comedian had to get hooked off stage.
The first show was a great start to the night with Bryan O’Gorman and Tim Gilbert moving on to the semi-finals.
The second show was full of laughs and left the audience wanting more. When it was all said and done, Martha Chaves and Patrick Haye won the judges over to move on to the semi finals next week.
We would like to thank the judges for the shows, who had very tough decisions to make: Canadian celebrity and comedian Tony Rosato, Rachel Goldstein-Couto from The Comedy Network, Tim Shore from BlogTO, agent Kathryn McCartney, casting director Jeff Marshall, Ryan Bruce from Fade to Black TV, Carlos Hicks from Hicks Talent Management and talent agent Maria Sant’Angelo.
Of course, the Laugh Off wouldn’t be possible without the support of our great sponsors:
Local Laugh Off winner Chris Valente got a special mention in today’s Barrie Examiner. (Read the full article here.) Will his Barrie constituents come on out tonight to support him as he takes the stage for the 8 PM show? Only time will tell.
After much anticipation, we’re finally here. Tonight is the first night of the Yuk Yuk’s Laugh Off and it’s going to be a stellar one! Tell your family, friends, dog and cat to follow the hooting and hollering all the way to 224 Richmond Street.
The Humber Et Cetera student newspaper recently interviewed 2006 Laugh Off winner Jeff McEnery, who won the Laugh Off one year after graduating from the Humber School of Comedy. More than just hilarious entertainment, the Laugh Off gives students and aspiring comedians the opportunity to watch live performances and see what it takes to get the crowd on your side. What could be better for aspiring comedians than to witness a comedy competition with Canada’s biggest comedy prize up for grabs?!
If you’re a comedy student or aspiring comedian in the GTA, take advantage of this opportunity to come to Yuk Yuk’s Toronto and watch live performances from March 19th - 28th. Click here for show dates and times. Tickets can be reserved online, or by calling 416-967-6425.
As we eagerly wait for the start of the Laugh Off that is a mere eight days away, we’re happy to release more names of comedians who have qualified for the Laugh Off - either by winning a Local Laugh Off or by being selected by random computer draw.
In no particular order, the second wave of comedians competing in the Laugh Off are:
NAME - (Laugh Off Category) - FROM
Martha Chaves - (LLO) - Ottawa Canada
Tim Gilbert - (Can Pro) - Toronto Canada
Kate Anderson - (US Am) - Buffalo USA
Chelcie Rice - (US Am) - Atlanta USA
James Harris - (US Am) - New York USA
Matt Esteves - (LLO) - St. Johns Canada
Keith Lenart - (US Pro) - Westland USA
Spencer King - (US Pro) - Orem USA
Allyson Smyth - (Can Pro) - Toronto Canada
Darryl Purvis - (Can Pro) - Toronto Canada
Christopher Owor - (US Am) - Houston USA
Tom Dustin - (Us Pro) - Everett USA
Gary Peterson - (US am) - Weymouth USA
Keep checking the Newsroom for more contest information, including the final list of comedians that make up the 64 comedians competing in the Laugh Off that starts Friday, March 19th.
Last week, we caught up with Mark Little, winner of the $25,000 grand prize in the 2009 Yuk Yuk’s Great Canadian Laugh Off, to see what he’s been doing with all that cash.
YYLO: How has the Yuk Yuk’s Great Canadian Laugh Off changed your life?
ML:It’s a lot easier to focus on writing and performing my own as-yet-unprofitable material with $25,000 in the bank, so that’s been the main change: financial peace of mind. Temporarily. I guess it’s similar to how musicians/artists/writers must feel when they get government grants. Yuk Yuk’s is my Canadian Government. Make what you will of that analogy.
YYLO: What have you been up to since your big win last year?
ML:So, so much. My main focus has always been sketch comedy, and in the last year my sketch group Picnicface worked with Mark McKinney on developing a sketch series for the Comedy Network. It’s currently in the second stage of development, which, if I know anything about the Canadian TV industry, means it should go to air sometime between 2011 and never. We also wrote a book of lies about Canada for Harper Collins. They have the first draft; we’ll see if they publish it. We’re marketing it as a nice Christmas present for people who like to be lied to.
The most exciting thing is a feature-length movie script that Andrew Bush, Scott Vrooman and I wrote over the last year called Roller Town. We all had to learn how to roller skate for the trailer we shot. That’s the last major thing I did after winning the Laugh Off: buy rollerskates.
YYLO: How did you get into comedy?
ML: I did improv before anything. I got into it in high school through the Canadian Improv Games, which is this amazing organization that spans the country. Nothing glib to add to that, Mark? No, I’m good.
YYLO: Have you always been funny?
ML: I always made my friends laugh, but I’d get intimidated by the real class clowns with their spot-on velociraptor impressions. I think there’s an O.C. episode about that. I remember watching it and thinking, “You’ve captured my life again, O.C.”
YYLO: Where do you find your comedic inspiration?
ML:Other comedians get me real inspired, especially the balls-out original ones. Paul F. Tompkins blows my mind. That whole Comedy Death Ray crowd. Andy Daly. And sitcoms. Eastbound and Down, Seinfeld (still), Curb Your Enthusiasm, Peep Show. Especially Peep Show. Oh, and certain novelists, like the late David Foster Wallace. As for the jokes/sketches I write, the direct inspiration usually comes from things that happen to me — not things I do so much as things that are done to me. I don’t live life in any sort of active sense.
YYLO: If you were a fruit, what type of fruit would you be and why?
ML: I’d be a tomato. People would say, “I thought you were a vegetable…” and I’d be like, “Oh, did you?”
YYLO: What advice would you give to the contestants in this year’s laugh off?
ML:Advice? I don’t know. The judges are totally different in the early rounds compared to the finals. So… don’t get too down if you’re getting low marks from radio DJs? Nothing against radio DJs, of course. (Of course.)
I remember a friend told me that certain comics had an advantage in last year’s competition because they’d peppered their sets with a variety of judge-pleasing material: political bits, relationship bits, etc. Maybe that’s a good tactic, but all my stuff was pretty one-track and I did alright. So I guess my advice is don’t worry about tailoring your set to please the judges — be they radio DJs or, you know, not radio DJs.
ML: In response to your unasked eighth question: Big Mama’s House.
The local Laugh Off contests are in full swing, but there’s still plenty of time to enter the random draw online. Who knows? You could walk away $25K richer!
The Yuk Yuk’s Great Canadian Laugh Off is back! And if you think you have an award-winning punch (line, that is), now’s the time to enter for a chance to be named Laugh Off Champion and win a $25,000 giant cheque (and one you can take to the bank, too).
And even if you don’t make it to the winning spot, all eight finalists will face off in the final show as stars of the Yuk Yuk’s Laugh Off TV Special, to be aired on the Comedy Network later in the year.
How to enter online
Click here and prove your comical genius in one of the following categories: Canadian Amateur, Canadian Professional, American Amateur, American Professional, International Amateur or International Professional.
But hurry – registration closes on February 21st, 2010! For more information on the contest, including complete contest rules, check out the Contest Page.
If you’ve got the talent and timing to keep them rolling in the aisles, don’t pass up this opportunity to take home the ultimate comedy cash and crown.
Starting on Friday, March 19th, 64 comedians will come to Toronto to compete on the big stage. Forty-eight performers will be selected by random computer draw, while the remaining 16 will be selected by winning local Yuk Yuk’s Laugh Offs. Eight contestants will perform daily, with two winners being selected from each show to go to the semifinals.
The hilarious semifinals will be held at Yuk Yuk’s in Toronto March 26th & 27th, 2010, with the finals being held on March 28th. For reservations, please call, 416-967-6425 or visit yukyukslaughoff.com.
Joke your way into the finals and perform for the distinguished panel of celebrity judges. The judges for this year’s final will be:
• Eddie Bill, Comedy Booker for The Late Show with David Letterman
• Michelle Daly, Director of Content for The Comedy Network • Ashley Olivia, Comedy Booker for Conan O’Brien
• Bruce Hills, Chief Operating Officer of Just for Laughs
Watch Mark Little’s winning performance below and see what it takes to impress the judges and claim the $25,000 grand prize.
Follow us here and on Twitter for more updates and the latest news, including contest announcements, a list of comedians competing in the semifinals, profiles of the judges, sponsors, show info and special offers. And check out videos of last year’s finalists to see if you have what it takes.
It was a battle of the Marks at the 2009 Yuk Yuk’s Laugh Off and in the end… Mark won.
Mark Little, that is, a geeky comic who now has a good reason for dropping out of grad school. In a close race, he won $25,000 and a chance at comedy stardom with his outstanding and risky set.
Runner up and winner of a year’s supply of mac and cheese went to Mark Forward, who had the audience in stitches with his off kilter routine about hampsters and reincarnation.
Yuk Yuk’s founder and CEO Mark Breslin kicked off the show with his darkly humourous intros, always original and edgy. He kept it moving as he introduced the top comics in the contest - all of whom had breakthrough sets.
“For the fourth year running, we have a Canadian winner,” Breslin said. “It goes to show how much comedy talent we have in this country and why I believe it’s the export that will get us out of the recession. In terms of talent, my money was on one of the Marks to win.”
Mark Breslin and Yuk Yuk's Laugh Off winner Mark Little (photo: Marko Shark)
Direct from LA, where he now lives, Toronto funny-man Michael Gelbart kept the audience laughing with his ‘classics’ as they watched 16 of the competition’s funniest comics face off for eight spots in the finals. After two hilarious shows and stellar performances and a very close tally, here’s the line-up moving on Sunday night’s finals - and The Comedy Network special.
