Fourteen UF students shared their side-splitting jokes with the standing-room-only crowd at the Orange and Brew Friday night for a chance to win a national stand-up comedy title.
Rooftop Comedy, an international multimedia comedy broadcasting network, hosted the on-campus talent search event as part of its 2009 National College Comedy Competition.
Film and media studies senior J.C. Currais said that this would be an opportunity for UF to win another national championship.
"We want to bring one back, you know?" he said.
After about 175 people voted for their top-three favorite comedians, eight students were selected to compete as a team at the next level.
Most of the student comedians had been in the spotlight before, but for others this was their first time.
"This is my break-out performance," said Tim Keck, a UF telecommunications sophomore. "I have nowhere to go but up from here."
Each of the contestants had four minutes to charm the audience with their playful antics and clever jokes. Some opted for crass humor, while others shared off-beat personal thoughts that connected with the crowd.
UF English literature senior Lane Pieschel, who used to work at Subway, joked about a time he had trouble understanding someone's foreign accent when they ordered a "tuna rape."
UF engineering sophomore Rudy Mendoza cracked-up the crowd by creating his own witty lyrics summarizing the plot of "Jurassic Park" to the movie's soundtrack theme.
"Every round we're going to be better than we were before," said UF film and media studies junior Calvin Cole.
In March, the UF team will compete in Tampa for the next level against USF's top-eight student comedians, said Danielle Shingleton, a Rooftop Comedy spokeswoman.
The audience will pick the winning team, and judges will select four comedians from that team to advance to an online voting round.
Rooftop Comedy might sponsor bus rides for any UF fans who want to see the show live in Tampa.
"It's one of the biggest comedy festivals in north America," Mendoza said. "It would mean everything, in terms of exposure, making my dream of being a stand up comic that much more possible."
RooftopComedy.com
