Auburn Ave Theater Nov 12
The Auburn Avenue Theater is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to bring the competition to...as the audiences are always great, the staff really makes the extra effort to make certain that the event feels like something important, and we get to watch our participants adjust to the addition of "TV Clean" restrictions for this one night. This was Preliminary Week Two turn to try to find the line between what might be acceptable on American network television before 11pm and what might not be...and for the most part, they did very well. Almost everyone avoided any penalties due to their not being "TV Clean". Almost, but not all. Some comics, evidently, can't help put but their hand on the hot stove--even after you warn them that it's hot.
L-R: Lars Callieou (Host), Brad Brake (1st Place), John Wessling (3rd Place), Nathan Brannon (5th Place), Nancy Reed (4th Place), Dan Boulger (2nd Place)
There were many strong performances on this night...with a pair of Seattle-based performers leading the way. Billy Wayne Davis adds another first place finish to his total and Drew Barth was very close behind in Second Place for this night. Matt Davis would have been right there with them, right at the very top, if not for one stingy judge, but he ends up taking 3rd Place on the night.. AJ Finney, battling the loss of his voice as best as he can, still managed to score high enough to take Fourth Place while Fifth Place goes to Boston's Dan Boulger.
Top Five:
- Billy Wayne Davis (Seattle, WA)
- Drew Barth (Seattle, WA)
- Matt Davis (Birmingham, AL)
- AJ Finney (Kansas City, MO)
- Dan Boulger (Boston, MA)
In addition to the Top 5 for the night, both Tony Dijamco and Nancy Reed were right there...tying for Sixth Place, and both of them only one point on one judge's scoresheet from Dan Boulger's Fifth Place score.
With four nights in the book, the weekly scores are beginning to take shape...and our contestants only have two more shows remaining to lock down the kind of scores that will gain them entrance to the next round of the competition--to join the Top 5 comedians from Preliminary Week One in the Semi-Finals, which begin on Tuesday of next week.
Meanwhile, for Preliminary Week Two, Saturday night sees the competition heading to a brand new venue for this year--the Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley for Night Five of this week. Tickets are still available for that show!