I was able to catch the TV One marathon of this show. It's basically a stand-up comedy competition of young Black comedians from around the country. The winner of each show will head to Atlanta for the finals.
This show is hosted by Bill Bellamy and Tommy Ford is the Pope who sits on stage. The rules are basically no swearing and no going over the 3 minute time limit. If you break these rules, the pope deducts a point. They are judged by a panel of 3 judges who score out of 5. The first round is a 3 minute routine and the second round is the same. The cool thing about the 2nd round is that they plant a heckler to see if a comedian can work under pressure. Some handle it well, others lose all concentration.
When I recorded the show, I didn't know beforehand that TV One was a public cable station so swearing was prohibited. I usually like my comedy with swearing because it is a lot more natural. I really liked this show though and soon after watching, never even noticed the absent swearing. The heckling part in the show makes this show stand above other comedy programs in the past such as BET's Comic View. It basically separates the born comedians from the amateurs.
Unfortunately I am back in Japan now so will miss the show to see what happens in the finals. I'd better have my mom back home set the VCR, I need some more jokes!
