Did anyone watch the premier last night? This season NBC had pinned the comics from season one, against the comics from season 2. It’s a team elimination type deal. One of the comics, Ralphie May, was selected to perform last night. When Ralphie came out, he told the audience (which, being a member of the home audience, includes me) that his father had passed away yesterday from cancer, and he was going to tell a couple of his Dad’s favorite jokes in his honor. He pretty much completely lost it on stage while he told these two jokes. Then said “the show must go on” and walked off the stage.

Now, I do feel bad for the guy. For him to have to go in front of the audience and the TV cameras and do a comedy show of all things, the day after his father passed away had to be terrible. Which is exactly why I don’t think he should have been there. Now, it’s going to end up sounding like I think that he was trying to get sympathy votes. I don’t. I don’t think that he consciously decided to do what he did, because he knew it would help his cause. The problem is it DID help his cause. He WILL get sympathy votes. A ridiculous amount, if you read the NBC.com forums. What he did, as unintentional as it may have been, was make the contest extremely unfair to everyone else performing last night. I also don’t believe that changing your set, to tell old jokes that everyone has already heard, while completely losing it on stage, is the “show going on”. Yes, he said that the show must go on, but what he did was halt the damn thing. He brought down everyone. The comics, the studio audience, the home audience, everyone. What comic would want to follow that up, with their comedy routine?

Now, I don’t think he’s funny at all. The “I’m a fat white guy from the ghetto” routine is terrible. The way he talks with an accent is terrible. I’m simply not a fan of his. But a lot of people think that stuff is funny. Another thing I noticed on the forums over at NBC was that people were stating that they know he’s a good performer, and that they voted for him because they know he can put on a good show. NOT because he DID put on a good show, but because they know he could. This is the problem that you run into when you have people returning like this on a show. Based solely on his performance last night, which is what is supposed to happen, he should be one of the people to go. But he won’t. And that bugs me.

Generally speaking, I think America is slightly retarded. Individuals aside, I mean the people as a whole. The first thought I had while watching last night was that everyone is going to run to his side stating what a hero he was for doing what he did. This is what brought me to the NBC forums this morning. And I was dead right. There are a few people who think what Ralphie did was wrong, but the majority are already sending him sympathy cards from hallmark.com.

Again, I feel bad for the guy. I really do. I just don’t think the premier of a LIVE (yes, it was aired live) comedy TV show, in front of a studio audience is the best place for him to start mourning. Quit the opposite in fact, I think it was in poor taste.