Last Comic Sucking Redux

Last year I complained about how bad NBC's "Last Comic Standing" had gotten in terms of show structure. I didn't expect anyone to read my blog and change the show accordingly but I didn't expect that the show would actually get worse either.

"Last Comic Standing" has a season broken up into roughly three parts: try-outs, challenges, and vote-off. The most enjoyable section of that (for me) is the challenge section wherein the audience is privy to the diverse personalities of the comedians living together, in-fighting, and being put to the test via improvisational exercises that, in years past, included acting as a tour guide on a bus tour of Los Angeles, speed "dating" with bizarre characters, a roast, et cetera.

All told this season boasted three episodes like that sandwiched between endless tryouts and the vote-off section of the show. In other words, this has been the lamest season of "Last Comic Standing" yet. I won't even go into the two hour episodes that switch from 9-11 to 8-10 without warning!

Suggestions:

• How about some "Comedy Bootcamp" with some previous years' winners?
• More show / fewer teasers (repeats of jokes within five minutes... not too smart)
• Fewer weeks of auditions - This isn't "American Idol"!
• Funny comedians should make it to the house, not "diverse" ones (and votes from "talent scouts" should actually count -- remember the Drew Carey debacle that exposed how rigged the show truly is?)
• Feel free to kill the overseas auditions and stick to North American comedians -- as if Chicago, New York, L.A., Toronto don't have enough funny folks to populate a show? Or, if they're that determined those overseas comedians can fly themselves over.
• One hour show / consistent time slot (think "Survivor" in terms of show pacing with reward/immunity challenges at :15 and :40)
• No "double vote offs" - one comic versus one comic in a head to head "I think I'm funnier than" challenge.
• Finale call-in should be done when we're down to the final four. It should mean something to survive the arduous weeks prior.

Oh, one more thing to show how dumb this show can get... As the tryout section was wrapping up there was a series of "The Ten Best Moments of Last Comic Standing" scattered throughout. You would think that these should include all of the comics who managed to win previous years. Think again! Several of the winners were missing but, sure enough, that annoying bastard (and Season 1 winner) Dat Phan was there!