Hosted by MTV’s very own Matthew Broussard, USC’s annual Student Comedy Competition took place in the Russell House theater Monday night hosting by Carolina Productions. Featuring eight student contestants competing for the votes of audience members, this year’s show was full of raunchy humor, wit and showmanship.
First place went to Joey Massaro, second to Philip Carter and third to Kat LeeHong. All eight performers showed a passion for comedy and a willingness to go anywhere, joking about everything from Tinder to incest.
“College kids are smart, have a lot of enthusiasm, but they’re also sensitive and way too uptight about everything, which makes for a good show. You win some and you lose some,” Broussard said.
Using his college experience in Houston as a pedestal for some of his skits and performances, Broussard acknowledged that the college atmosphere is perfect for an aspiring comedian, though the start can be difficult.
“They need to write more, perform more and always retain originality,” Broussard said. “I’m excited to see these kids do well … and some maybe not so well.”
Vic Whitten, fourth-year T.O.A.S.T. member and guest judge expressed an excitement in seeing fellow students simply laughing and having a great time.
“Laughing is what I’m excited about. But the judging is going to be rough,” said Whitten. “I’m going to be judging contestant’s on their apparent wit and honestly what is least offensive.”
The show began with a short stand-up bit from Broussard, which included some audience interaction, awkward flirting and heavy laughter. Contestants then performed one by one; each skit wildly different from the other.
Hayden Childress, a second-year student, started off the show with a somewhat awkward demeanor which surprisingly turned into a magic act. To the chagrin of the other participants, his magic tricks proved to be highly entertaining.
“If I lose to a f---ing magician, I’m going to be pissed,” Carter said.
Family-friendly comedian, Malik Thompson, based his script on racial tensions and stories from his childhood. With his family eagerly laughing along in the audience, his performance was less raunchy than others and more based in family.
LeeHong was the only female competitor, and she didn’t hold back. Her set got dark as she joked about sexual roleplay and incest, hilariously and accidentally at the same time.
“I tried roleplaying with my brother one time,” she said to shocked laughter.
Broussard showed his “Mondaypunday” comic as the judges put together their results, letting the audiences try to solve them for a T-shirt.
Some of the comedians at the event were just doing it as a hobby, but some said they wanted to make a career out of it. Regardless of their future career, they all worked hard on stage, making for a fun, intimate evening of comedy.