‘Last Comic Standing’ review: Did Aida Rodriguez, Rod Man make it to next round?

“Last Comic Standing” is back at the part of the competition that we really love, and the only thing that we’re really bummed out about is that we had a double-elimination. That means fewer weeks, and we could watch this show all summer.

Let’s begin here by talking about the first challenge, which was a showdown in the world of sketch. This was a tricky one, mostly because not every comic was only a level playing field when it comes to experience. Ultimately, though, the victors in this challenge seemed to be more about chemistry and teamwork than actually knowing what to do. Here’s the breakdown.

“The Business” (DC Benny, Rod Man, Jimmy Shubert, Aida Rodriguez, and Rocky LaPorte) – This was a disaster. While the team got off to a good start, it fell apart the moment that Rocky came on stage, mostly because Jimmy’s chemistry with everyone was off. He was also not easy to work with throughout the process.

“Sketchy Snakes” (Joe Machi, Monroe Martin, Karlous Miller, Lachlan Patterson, and Nikki Carr) – Lachlan started slow, but the sketch ended strong. Our estimation is that the most important thing that you can possibly do is end on a high note rather than fizzle out.

Were these performances really “hilarious,” JB Smoove? We don’t think so. Of course the Snakes advanced, which meant that there was going to be a showdown on the other side. It felt obvious that Jimmy and Aida were going to be a part of the showdown at the end, but thanks to the way that voting went down, Rod Man was forced into performing against them. Here’s how the comics shook up in our mind.

3. Jimmy Shubert – This reminded us of that older guy who comes into a party with 25-year olds and tries to talk about things he saw online to look cool. It felt unnatural, like Jimmy is doing the same shtick he did on the road 20 years ago even with a joke that was modern about a text message. The world’s changed!

2. Aida Rodriguez – Aida had good material, but her delivery was a little shaky and the crowd couldn’t quite get into it completely. What she can be happy about, though, is that she did herself mostly proud through this.

1. Rod Man – This is all personality. There wasn’t really much of a punchline at all in the story that he told about the glass eye, but we were still laughing hilariously the entire way. He was our pick to advance.

Rod Man was the winner, and this one was clear since he had the support of the judges and the crowd at the Hollywood Improv. We were a little surprised to see Aida go home tonight, mostly because earlier in the season it looked like she had serious potential to last.

Happy for the results, and do you think that Nikki is the underdog now as the only female comic left in the competition? Share below, and head over here to grab some other TV updates via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: NBC