This is the way to finish - another sold -out show. 800 people at the Lucky Eagle Casino in Rochester, WA. Where's Rochester? 12 miles south of Olympia, 10 miles west of Centralia, and 40 miles east of Aberdeen. Does that help?
It was our 11th consecutive year at the Lucky Eagle; we figured that out because the first time we did it, host John McClellan, the 1996 winner, was in the contest.
This is the first time, however, that we
A. Did the show on a Saturday; and
B. Ended the semi-final round there
Both smart moves on our part. What a way to close out the semis!
Allyson Smith, up 2nd, tore the roof off the joint. Would it be enough to push her up into the top 5? Kyle Harbert, who has been commuting from Portland daily and suffering from a pretty bad cold, was up 10th and ditto; this was, as Paul Simon once wrote, his "shot at redemption."
Tony Boswell did all new material. Killed.
The audience loved everyone. If you are a performer and have never heard 800 people roaring with laughter and applause, we highly recommend the experience.
Here's how the judges saw it for the night:
1. Allyson Smith 2. (tie) Kyle Harbert & Tony Boswell 3. Leif Skyving 4. Key Lewis 5. Marcus
Missing from the list were some comics who were placing all week. . .would we have a repeat of the "perfect storm" that vaulted Andy Haynes from 12th to the semis in his opening round?
But it was not to be.
Here are the results of the semi-final round:
In 10th place, winning $500: Andy Haynes
9th Kyle Harbert $600
8th Allyson Smith $700
7th Ruben Barron $800
6th Andy Peters $900
And moving on to the finals (in alphabetical order since the scores go back to zero) and still in the running for the $5000 first prize:
Tony Boswell, Key Lewis, Geoff Lott, Marcus, Leif Skyving!
First open-to-the-public show is Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving at the Vashon Theater on Vashon Island; then Friday at the Kirkland Performance Center; Saturday at the Admiral in Bremerton, and closes out Sunday November 25 at the Comedy Underground in Seattle.
Some tickets are available for all shows.
(L-R Key Lewis, Marcus, Leif Skyving, John McClellan, Tony Boswell, Geoff Lott