We’re down to The Final Four

Here’s how the judging worked. In addition to myself, I had two unbiased judges (above) who have asked to remain anonymous in order to protect their families. We watched the videos from both weeks, then listed our favorites in order from 1-7, the lower the score, the better. Each person’s vote counted 30%. The remaining 10% was determined by the voting on the website. Positions 1 and 2 were fairly unanimous, but positions 3-7 were hotly debated. I’ll be perfectly honest. I truly liked everyone who competed, and I think the caliber of contestant definitely went up in the second year of the contest. Here are the final results, in no particular order.

Edge and Moose brought the most energy to the proceedings, no questions asked. They had style, and never lost their kool, whether performing in a racous Black Sheep or being accused of writing on the walls at McGrincheys.

Jam Master Sean was somewhat of an enigma. The judges both liked his very dry style, but it seemed like he was holding back a little bit. He’s a very humorous guy. I think we’ll see more of that on the mic this week.

Krystyna definitely showed a lot of enthusiasm, regularly showing up at other contestants quizzoes to take notes, though she was a little late to one of her gigs and on one of her assignments. She had a good voice and seemed confident on the mic.

Pedro Mays really helped himself out by bringing his own theme music and having his own weekly double music. He had a good, crisp voice, though it was a touch sing-songy at times. Also possessed a good sense of humor.

As for the remaining three contestants, we’ll hear more from the other two judges later, but here are my thoughts: The Kid was, without question, the nicest person in the contest. I mean, you’re just not going to meet a nicer guy. But he might have been a little too nice. I think a quizmaster needs to have a little bit of a wiseass mean streak to deal with obnoxious drunks. Smooth Dan P. got off what was, without question, the best line of the contest. When some girl at the Bards shouted, “You’re no Johnny Goodtimes!” he quickly responded with, “Listen, I don’t come to where you work and tell you how to empty trashcans.” But that wasn’t enough to propel him past the first round. As for Jenny Goodtimes, well this was a pretty big surprise. She had a nice crowd turnout at Doc’s, was second in voting on the website, and made my final four. But the judges weren’t as impressed. Jenny is one of the biggest wiseacres I know, but I don’t think she ever really showed it on the mic. She had a nice cocky swagger off the mic, but I don’t think we saw it when she was in the bright lights.

The final four contestants will have to perform standup comedy at Finn McCool’s on Monday night, in addition to coming up with another round. The next cuts will come next weekend.