Worst Carnival Comedians

[crewsweeper]

While I've walked out of some R-rated shows where the comedian(s) thought the F word was the subject, adjective, verb and adverb for every sentence and/or proceeded to harangue the poor underaged children laying across chairs trying to sleep whose clueless parents were yucking it up, I always thought the worst comedian on Carnival was Jeff the Fun Dude. I've heard he's gotten better and that his replacement as host(ess) on the Dream was so bad he was brought back.

[scperk]

I am NOT complaining about how rude and crude the R rated shows are. I have been to many R rated shows that were rude and crude but still funny. I realize that is the point and know when I go there that that is what I will get. I listen to the warnings and choose to stay and most the these R rated shows have been funny. My point is that this particular comedian crossed the line. If I could tell you what he said you would understand where I am coming from but I would never repeat what he said.

I agree with you, throwing out a bunch of F-bombs and crass references does not make a comedian funny...Sometimes it gets to be boring instead of funny which is why I go to see the show..Dennis

[skacton]

I agree with O2Bcruisin on the vulgarity of some comedy shows. We attend the "R" shows and enjoy most of them. However, just standing on a stage throwing the "F" bomb out every other word is not funny to me and that seems to be what a lot of comedians try to pass off as funny.

[pmang]

Would think it would be rather boring to the performer to do the same exact act over and over and over.

 

If this is what they do for a living how hard could it be to add new material from time to time. After all they only do 30 minutes or so.

 

Listen to other comedians and steal their material if necessary.

 

Jerry Sienfeld came out with a great documentary a few years ago called "Comedian"... Please watch that to get an understanding of how hard coming up with 5 minutes of new material is.... As for getting bored... If a comedian has comes up with the perfect delivery to a well crafted joke, they will never get tired of the audience reaction to it...

[golfadj]

Jerry Sienfeld came out with a great documentary a few years ago called "Comedian"... Please watch that to get an understanding of how hard coming up with 5 minutes of new material is.... As for getting bored... If a comedian has comes up with the perfect delivery to a well crafted joke, they will never get tired of the audience reaction to it...

 

I will google it in a little while.

 

The best comedians I have seen keep their act fresh by talking about things that are happening now.

 

I do not expect a completely different show but a change here and there would be nice.

 

About 18 months ago on the Glory the manager of the comedy club decided to have an open mic night and asked passengers to take part. About 10 of them did including my son and they were asked to do about 3-5 minutes of standup comedy. It took my son a few hours to do this (and he did great) so I do understand what is involved in developing material.

[golfadj]

Jerry Sienfeld came out with a great documentary a few years ago called "Comedian"... Please watch that to get an understanding of how hard coming up with 5 minutes of new material is.... As for getting bored... If a comedian has comes up with the perfect delivery to a well crafted joke, they will never get tired of the audience reaction to it...

 

I googled it and could not find it. Could you please post the link.

[samiam0403]

If this is what they do for a living how hard could it be to add new material from time to time. After all they only do 30 minutes or so.

 

Listen to other comedians and steal their material if necessary.

 

Yikes! I hope you were kidding about stealing material. :eek: My boyfriend is a stand-up comic and I know for a fact that stealing a material is a HUGE no-no in the comedy world. It will kill your reputation (and I swear they all know each other) faster than anything. Well, other than being completely unfunny. :)

 

As for the new material thing - it is extremely hard to have 30 minutes of good, solid material. Most comics are continuously working - taking notes, coming up with ideas, re-writing, trying out new bits on the road etc. But it takes a lot to tweak those ideas into a full blown bit that's funny. But I also know that when Carnival hires comics, they are required to have at least 5 solid sets of 30 minutes of material. So we really shouldn't be seeing the same acts over and over again from these guys. Maybe they just get too comfortable with one particular set? :confused: Either way, once they get vetted and hired, they're technically required to have different material. Wonder why we don't seem to see it.

[golfadj]

Yikes! I hope you were kidding about stealing material. :eek: My boyfriend is a stand-up comic and I know for a fact that stealing a material is a HUGE no-no in the comedy world. It will kill your reputation (and I swear they all know each other) faster than anything. Well, other than being completely unfunny. :)

 

As for the new material thing - it is extremely hard to have 30 minutes of good, solid material. Most comics are continuously working - taking notes, coming up with ideas, re-writing, trying out new bits on the road etc. But it takes a lot to tweak those ideas into a full blown bit that's funny. But I also know that when Carnival hires comics, they are required to have at least 5 solid sets of 30 minutes of material. So we really shouldn't be seeing the same acts over and over again from these guys. Maybe they just get too comfortable with one particular set? :confused: Either way, once they get vetted and hired, they're technically required to have different material. Wonder why we don't seem to see it.

 

Thanks so much for your post. The stealing of material was we have heard comedians talk about this during their act and thought they all did it.

 

Shocked that they have to have 5 sets of 30 minutes of material. Wonder why they do the same sets all the time than?

[rybreadsmomshubby]

If noone was laughing the comedian was bombing.

And that I would find funny. Watching him squirm, or trying desperately to get a few laughs. I'd be laughing at all the 'wrong' things. :D

 

I'm not one for conventional stand-up comedians and joke-telling. I'm more about observational humour and ready wit...not something I've seen too much of from a ship's comedian.

[golfadj]

And that I would find funny. Watching him squirm, or trying desperately to get a few laughs. I'd be laughing at all the 'wrong' things. :D

 

I'm not one for conventional stand-up comedians and joke-telling. I'm more about observational humour and ready wit...not something I've seen too much of from a ship's comedian.

 

I miss the stand up guys who told stories. Alan King talking about everyday life was priceless and hilarious.

[pmang]

I googled it and could not find it. Could you please post the link.

 

Here you go... http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0328962/

 

Hope you all get to see this. It's quite eye opening to see what comedians, even at Seinfeld's level, go through to find their material...

[pmang]

I will google it in a little while.

 

The best comedians I have seen keep their act fresh by talking about things that are happening now.

 

I do not expect a completely different show but a change here and there would be nice.

 

About 18 months ago on the Glory the manager of the comedy club decided to have an open mic night and asked passengers to take part. About 10 of them did including my son and they were asked to do about 3-5 minutes of standup comedy. It took my son a few hours to do this (and he did great) so I do understand what is involved in developing material.

 

The open mic for amatures is a great idea! What a fantastic thing for someone to try on vacation... Certainly something most wouldn't do at home...

 

I make my living as a professional musician and I have the utmost respect for stand-ups... It is such a hard way to entertain! Just one person and a microphone...

 

Yes, anyone who can stay current and funny will be very successful... Although, I can watch a comedian sell the same joke again and again if it slays the room.. Something about the perfect delivery and punch line that I can appreciate even if I know what is about to be said. I can watch videos of George Carlin all day and still laugh at bits I know by heart. It's all about the dilevery and selling it!!

[pmang]

Thanks so much for your post. The stealing of material was we have heard comedians talk about this during their act and thought they all did it.

 

Shocked that they have to have 5 sets of 30 minutes of material. Wonder why they do the same sets all the time than?

 

A comedian stealing material is the WORST thing they could possibly do to their career.... A cruise director stealing jokes from another CD or comedian sadly happens all the time!!

[cruiser fanatic]

Just recently got off the Splendor and saw two of the worst comedians I have ever seen - Lars Callieou and Stanley Ullman. Lars was the worse of the two and the crudest show I have ever seen. Bordered on pornographic. I am not easily offended but he definitely crossed the line. Has anyone else seen either of these two and have an opinion?

 

 

 

 

 

Yes I will agree with you for one of Them Lars is bad and offensive I have never seen Stanley though. I saw Lars in July on the Triumph.

[bumorgan]

I always enjoyed the comedians. Best addition Carnival has made in a while. Last cruise there were 4. 3 were great and 1 was lousy just like at the comedy shows on land. Occasionally a stinker in the group.

[babyher]

I miss the stand up guys who told stories. Alan King talking about everyday life was priceless and hilarious.

 

 

"Survived by his wife" *LOL*

 

Funny and not funny, and rude and crude , and innapropriate and irreverent are definately in the eyes of the beholder.

[golfadj]

Here you go... http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0328962/

 

Hope you all get to see this. It's quite eye opening to see what comedians, even at Seinfeld's level, go through to find their material...

 

It gives us a trailer but not the entire documentary. How would we get to see that?

[golfadj]

The open mic for amatures is a great idea! What a fantastic thing for someone to try on vacation... Certainly something most wouldn't do at home...

 

I make my living as a professional musician and I have the utmost respect for stand-ups... It is such a hard way to entertain! Just one person and a microphone...

 

Yes, anyone who can stay current and funny will be very successful... Although, I can watch a comedian sell the same joke again and again if it slays the room.. Something about the perfect delivery and punch line that I can appreciate even if I know what is about to be said. I can watch videos of George Carlin all day and still laugh at bits I know by heart. It's all about the dilevery and selling it!!

 

We have seen the comedy club now 4x and only on the Glory did we see the open mic.

 

My son has always been on the shy side and he has opened up in recent years and was awesome to see him get up infront of a few hundred people and do this.

 

Judging by the laughs he got he did great. Only wish we would have thought to tape this. Dumb of us.

[Oskial]

OK. At first I wasn't going to get involved with this thread, but because my son is a standup comic, I feel I must. The way these things work is the comedian must first "showcase" his material in front of a group or a person responsible for hiring the comedian. The comic has to put together a 5 or 7 minute routine and he is judged on that. A lot of the comics don't want to do a cruise because it takes up a lot of their time away from home. The very best comics are absolutely not interested. That's not to say that there are not some very funny comics taking this "gig", but it doesn't pay all that well considering what they have to go through to get there. It takes YEARS of fine tuning to come up with a bit that might only last a few minutes. Try sitting down and making up just 5 minutes of a speech or routine that is funny. Not easy. That being said, the worst of the comics can only do "toilet" humour. A good comic can change his routines to fit the audience and doesn't have to take the crowd to a place that not everyone wants to go. I've watched my son perform for the last 15 years and I wouldn't want his job. My point is, don't blame the comic, he's only doing what he has found to be successful for his career. If you want someone to give your views to, I suggest you find out who does the screening for these comics and voice your opinion there.

[O2Bcrusin]

I do not remember any names but we have actually seen some pretty good comedians on CCL.

I have been really surprised by the quality of the on-board comics.

 

The second two comedians who boarded were better than the first two. One was named Seth and the second's last name was Wayne. After the first two they were a huge improvement.

[O2Bcrusin]

I agree with O2Bcruisin on the vulgarity of some comedy shows. We attend the "R" shows and enjoy most of them. However, just standing on a stage throwing the "F" bomb out every other word is not funny to me and that seems to be what a lot of comedians try to pass off as funny.

 

With this comedian I am talking about the F bomb was the mild part of his show. It was so much worse.

[O2Bcrusin]

OK. At first I wasn't going to get involved with this thread, but because my son is a standup comic, I feel I must. The way these things work is the comedian must first "showcase" his material in front of a group or a person responsible for hiring the comedian. The comic has to put together a 5 or 7 minute routine and he is judged on that. A lot of the comics don't want to do a cruise because it takes up a lot of their time away from home. The very best comics are absolutely not interested. That's not to say that there are not some very funny comics taking this "gig", but it doesn't pay all that well considering what they have to go through to get there. It takes YEARS of fine tuning to come up with a bit that might only last a few minutes. Try sitting down and making up just 5 minutes of a speech or routine that is funny. Not easy. That being said, the worst of the comics can only do "toilet" humour. A good comic can change his routines to fit the audience and doesn't have to take the crowd to a place that not everyone wants to go. I've watched my son perform for the last 15 years and I wouldn't want his job. My point is, don't blame the comic, he's only doing what he has found to be successful for his career. If you want someone to give your views to, I suggest you find out who does the screening for these comics and voice your opinion there.

 

I appreciate the art of comedy, however I must disagree with you. I do blame the comic because what he was doing was not successful. Also I did give my views to Carnival. Hopefully they will listen.

[lappy22]

We have seen Stanley Ulman on a couple of our Carnival left coast cruises and thought he was pretty solid. Different shows each time and got good responses from the crowds.