Villa Rica native Rod Man became the first Georgia man to take home the crown of "Last Comic Standing" on NBC, beating two very worthwhile competitors.
He takes home $250,000 and gets a development deal with NBC for his own show.
Although the show was taped awhile ago, Rod Man was kept in the dark about the result until yesterday via an ingenious method. The producers filmed each of the finalists as "winners." This way, nobody in the audience would have a clue either and leak the results. He had to be told yesterday so he'd have time to fly to New York from his current home in Los Angeles for a guest appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon," which airs after "Last Comic Standing" but taped before the finale aired. He will also be on the "Today" show Friday morning.
"Relieved" is how he described his feelings when I texted him for a reaction.
This eighth season finale was a tight race. The judges - Roseanne, Russell Peters and Keenan Ivory Wayans - were supposed to eliminate one of the final three during the pre-taped finale the first hour. But they couldn't. So they had the trio do one more set.
Rod Man brought a distinctive style, blending his Southern charm with a bewildered viewpoint of the world that rendered even potentially offensive observations as funny, pure and simple. He started his comedy career at Uptown Comedy Corner in Buckhead nearly two decades ago but never quite broke to the top echelon of black comics.
"I am very excited that a comic that started at the original Uptown in Buckhead has come so far," texted Gary Abdo, who owned the club at the time Rod Man was just a young kid learning his craft after Rod Man's victory aired on NBC tonight. "I always strive to develop talent and couldn't be happier for him. He's a great guy and has worked hard all these years."
Rodney Perry, who hosts Bounce TV's "Off the Chain" comedy show and will be at the Punchline right before Rod Man on August 27-28, said he's known the man for many years and is "super proud" of him and Carr. "I am sure his Atlanta comedy roots helped him rise to the top of this competition," he texted me this evening. "It's time that the world knew we in the urban comedy world had known for over a decade... Rodrigus "RODMAN" Thompson is an amazing comedian. Sending a big congrats to him and his family."
This win should help Rod Man get bigger gigs and elevate his status significantly. And if you want to catch him sooner rather than later, he's at the Punchline at the end of the month during Labor Day weekend. Tickets, if there are any left, are likely to disappear quickly.
His two rivals were equally formidable but all very different. Canadian Lachlan Patterson was probably the strongest writer, bringing a sardonic world view and sharp observations about all sorts of topics. Nikki Carr, a 52-year-old openly gay woman, brought oodles of bright-eyed energy and physical humor as well as platters of self deprecating jokes.
As Rod Man told me earlier this week, before the news came out, "The whole thing has been a boost. I'm winning already. That's a beautiful thing about it, man. Anything else will be icing on the cake."
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