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roast battle

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Julie Seabaugh’s “Ringside at Roast Battle” Captures the History of the International Comedy Phenomenon

August 8, 2018
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comedy history, comedy store, julie seabough, roast battle, troy conrad
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Roast Battle is, at this point in time, one of the most exciting series on Comedy Central’s schedule, a partial lifeblood of The Comedy Store, officially franchised to several countries around the world, and proof positive that any taboo subject can be made into comedy. 

It wasn’t too long ago that two open mic’ers were stopped short of a full brown brawl at the parking lot of The Comedy Store and subsequently told to write and deliver roast jokes about each other.

Ringside at Roast Battle: The First Five Years of LA’s Fight Club for Comedians by Julie Seabaugh (one of the most veteran comedy journalists around) captures all of that history from inception to its current status as an international sensation in this book. it should only come as a little surprising that the rise of a trash talking contest is fraught with drama and Julie, one of Roast Battle’s most frequent attendants, tackles it all in wondrous detail. The accompanying photos in the book are taken by Roast Battle’s photographer, Troy Conrad.

Ringside at Roast Battle, just released today, is a marvelous edition of comedy history that’s still happening and you can and very much should go get it here.

This Season of Roast Battle Starts Off with a Bang with Jamar Neighbors vs Yamaneika Saunders

August 2, 2018
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jamar neighbors, roast battle, yamaneika saunders

On the first episode of this season’s Roast Battle on Comedy Central, two of the most vicious battlers (including a member of Roast Battle’s The Wave) went head-to-head.

Jamar Neighbors and Yamaneika Saunders went toe-to-toe, literally, making a hell of way to start this latest round of the televised edition of Roast Battle.

Catch the whole battle here.

Roast Battle Gets 3rd Season On Comedy Central, Expands to Mexico, and Picks Up 2nd Season in South Africa

June 14, 2018
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brian moses, jeff ross, roast battle

Roast Battle Gets 3rd Season On Comedy Central, Expands to Mexico, and Picks Up 2nd Season in South Africa

With the way the things are in the world today, people sure are down to see comedians talk sh*t about each other in the most succinct, brutal way possible.

Roast Battle has expanded so far, so fast from its humble beginning at the Belly Room of The Comedy Store only a few years ago. Look for the 3rd season of the original Roast Battle this Summer on Comedy Central.

Frank Castillo Wins Roast Battle II Tournament

January 30, 2017
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frank castillo, jeff ross, matthew broussard, roast battle
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Congratulations to Frank Castillo, who rose through the ranks from the humble beginnings of Roast Battle while working the door at The Comedy Store, and just clinched the title for the second ever Roast Battle tournament.

It almost seems like a rag to riches dream came true on the back of brutal roast jokes. 

Last night, he bested Matthew Broussard in the final round and did so with a pretty ruthless set of burns. Watch his winning performance here.

Roast Battle II Tournament Begins Tonight

January 26, 2017
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anthony jeselnik, brian moses, comedy central, jeff ross, kurt metzger, roast battle, snoop dogg, todd barry, yamaneika saunders

The March Madness style tournament of Roast Battle on Comedy Central begins tonight at 10PM. 

Above, we’ve got the beginning match-ups and you can take a stab at making your own Roast Battle bracket.

Watch a Roast Battle Regional Round with Jamar Neighbors vs. Guy Branum

January 24, 2017
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comedy central, guy branum, jamar neighbors, roast battle, stand up

The final rounds of Roast Battle II are just around the corner. 

Leading up to that is some top shelf roasting from around the country. In LA, Jamar Neighbors and Guy Branum, two comics that definitely know how to dish out verbal cruelty, faced off in a regional round, though seemed like a final round to us. 

Watch it here.

Roast Battle II Kicks Off with New York Regionals Tonight

January 1, 2017
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brian moses, comedy cellar, comedy central, jay pharoah, jeff ross, jeremiah watkins, jp mcdade, lisa lampanelli, roast, roast battle, yamaneika saunders

Kicking off the year with carefully crafted, vicious sh*t talking seems to be somehow appropriate for 2017.

In that spirit, Roast Battle II headed to NYC for its first set of regional rounds and you can see what went down tonight at Comedy Central at 11PM.

Get a taste of it with this clip of Yamaneika Saunders vs. J.P. McDade.

Comedy Central Orders Another Round of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle

November 4, 2016
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andy haynes, atlanta, brian moses, candice thompson, clayton english, comedy central, denver, dulce sloan, guy branum, jamar neighbors, jeff ross, los angeles, megan gailey, mike recine, nate craig, new york, noah gardenswartz, roast battle, the comedy store, yamaneika saunders

The tournament will be even bigger this time around as preliminary bouts around the country will be aired in the weeks leading up to a main event.

The four night event of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle worked out well enough for a March Madness of roasting to happen again in January on Comedy Central.

In Atlanta, LA, NYC, and Denver, there will be preliminary roast battles that will make their way to TV on Sunday nights at 11PM. This will lead to the final bouts of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle II in a four night event from Jan. 26th-Jan. 29th in LA where the show was originally born out of The Belly Room of The Comedy Store. return to preside over the tournament.

The brackets have already started and are as follows: 

ATLANTA – November 5th at Laughing Skull Lounge 8PM
Erik Bergstrom vs. Jacob Williams
Sean White vs. Megan Gailey
Dulce Sloan vs. Joel Byars
Kim Congdon vs. Kath Barbadoro
Jasmin Leigh vs. Candice Thompson

Get tickets here.

NEW YORK – November 7 at Village Underground 8PM
Kerryn Feehan vs. Luis J. Gomez
Aaron Berg vs. Dina Hashem
Zac Amico vs. Evan Williams
Yamaneika Saunders vs. JP McDade
Patrick Schroeder vs. Sean Donnelly
Eli Sairs vs. Scott Chaplain
Pete Lee vs. Mike Recine

Get tickets here.

DENVER – November 9 @ Comedy Works 8PM
Jay Light vs. Karlous Miller
Noah Gardenswartz vs. Clayton English
CJ Sullivan vs. Nate Craig
Bri Pruett vs. Erin Ingle
Justine Marino vs. Sam Tallent
Nicole Aimee Schreiber vs. Andy Haynes

Get tickets here.

LOS ANGELES – November 16 @ Comedy Store Belly Room 9PM
Frank Castillo vs. Greg Roque
Jesus Trejo vs. George Perez
Jamar Neighbors vs. Guy Branum
Keith Carey vs. Anna Valenzuela
Omid Singh vs. Toby Muresianu
Leah Kayajanian vs. Connor McSpadden
Joe Dosch vs. Alex Hooper
Robin Tran vs. Pat Barker

Get tickets here.

Here’s an Excerpt of Sarah Tiana vs. Mike Lawrence from Final Round of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle

August 3, 2016
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comedy central, jeff ross, jfl montreal, mike lawrence, roast battle, sarah tiana

Catch a glimpse of Roast Battle champion Mike Lawrence securing his championship in this final battle against Sarah Tiana while up at JFL Montreal for the special Roast Battle tournament. 

You can clearly see how much of a roast joke machine Mike really is.

Watch the whole thing here.

“Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle” Tournament Crowns Mike Lawrence as Its First Champion

August 1, 2016
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champion, jeff ross, jfl montreal, mike lawrence, roast battle, sarah tiana
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Photo via Troy Conrad

Mike Lawrence is indeed the very first champion of the first Roast Battle tournament, presented by Roastmaster General Jeff Ross. His victory comes after beating a formidable final opponent in Sarah Tiana last night while up at JFL Montreal.

That trophy is a pretty fitting for Roast Battle, by the way. If you saw how Mike roasts throughout out this whole thing, you wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled off another championship run if Comedy Central opted to do another one.

Finale of The “Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle” Tournament Is Tonight

July 31, 2016
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comedy central, earl skakel, jeff ross, k. trevor wilson, mike lawrence, roast battle, sarah tiana

From a pool of 16 comedians, Sarah Tiana, Earl Skakel, K. Trevor Wilson, and Mike Lawrence have emerged victorious and will face off on the final night of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle tonight at 10PM on Comedy Central.

Here’s a promo with highlights to catch you up.

“Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle” Kicks Off Tonight

July 28, 2016
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comedy central, comedy roast, jeff ross, roast battle, tournament

At 10PM for the next four nights, Roast Battle gets to do a special televised tournament on Comedy Central presented by Jeff Ross.

See the brackets of the first battles here.

Get Ready for Roast Battle with “Road to Roast Battle”

July 19, 2016
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alex hooper, ashley barnhill, austin tx, brian moses, chris cubas, comedy central, guy branum, jay light, jeff ross, olivia grace, road to roast battle, roast battle

Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle is set to debut next week on Comedy Central. Before that, you can get a look at what Roast Battle is in a behind-the-scenes look of the Road to Roast Battle Tour that Ross did earlier this year.

Watch their stop in Austin, TX and at The Comedy Store, where Roast Battle was born.

More of their tour, with some battles, can be seen here.

Here’s Line-Up for Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle on Comedy Central

July 14, 2016
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anthony jeselnik, brian moses, comedy central, david spade, jeff ross, jimmy carr, jimmy kimmel, mark normand, mike lawrence, ms. pat, olivia grace, ralphie may, roast battle, sam morril, sarah silverman, sarah tiana, steve rannazzisi

This might be the most fun roast that Comedy Central has put on in recent memory.

Going burn-for-burn on the televised Roast Battle, tournament style over four nights from July 28-31 at 10PM on Comedy Central will be:

Jimmy Carr vs. Christi Chiello
Earl Skakel vs. Tom Ballard
Mark Normand vs. Tony Hinchcliffe
Steve Rannazzisi vs. Sam Morril
Ralphie May vs. Ms. Pat
Matthew Broussard vs. Mike Lawrence
Sarah Tiana vs. Chris Cubas
Olivia Grace vs. K. Trevor Wilson

Anthony Jeselnik, Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman and David Spade are all set to judge the contests next to Roastmaster General Jeff Ross along with Brian Moses officiating.

So, you might not want to miss out on this.

Roast Battle Gets Its First Comedy Central Teaser

July 3, 2016
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comedy central, jeff ross, roast battle, teaser

It’s almost unbelievable to think that this all started from open mic comedians about to brawl at The Comedy Store, but Roast Battle coming to television is still very much happening as proven by this teaser.

Get ready for four nights of Roast Battle coming to Comedy Central this Summer on July 28th.

Comedy Central Announces Nice, Big Development Slate Including Roast Battle, The Goddamn Comedy Jam, Specials from Braunohler/DeRosa/Soder, Deals for Jordan Klepper and Jessica Williams, and More

March 31, 2016
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awkafina, comedy central, development slate, goddamn comedy jam, jeff ross, jessica williams, jordan klepper, justin willman, kurt braunohler, kyle dunnigan, new timers, rachel feinstein, roast battle, used people

Comedy Central is making sure that it’s not resting on the laurels of the heaps of critical acclaim they’ve gotten over the last couple of years.  

Announced today, Comedy Central has the following in the works:

Series Greenlights Including:
-Two Stand-Up Series Produced by Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Productions
-”Jeff Ross Presents: Roast Battle” (w/referee Brian Moses)
-An Untitled Comedy Documentary Series  
-A Digital Series Starring Nick Swardson and Simon Rex

New Specials:
Kurt Braunohler
Deon Cole
Pete Davidson
Joe DeRosa
Trevor Moore
Jordan Klepper
”Jeff Ross Roasts the Police”
Big Jay Oakerson
Dan Soder
“The Goddamn Comedy Jam” with Josh Adam Meyers and The Goddamn Band

“The Daily Show’s” Jessica Williams and Jordan Klepper Sign Talent Development Deals

Pilot/Script Development with:
-Untitled Jessica Williams Project – “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” correspondent brings her unique point-of-view to a narrative scripted pilot executive produced, starring and written by Williams with Naomi Ekperigin.
–Untitled Jordan Klepper Project – “Daily Show” correspondent Jordan Klepper has signed a development deal with Comedy Central for a late night talk show presentation. 
–Untitled Rachel Feinstein Project – this half-hour pilot starring Rachel Feinstein features hidden camera segments where Feinstein goes undercover to perform social experiments that tackle a different issue or theme each week. The series includes stand-up, sketch and conversations with comedians where Feinstein riffs on the week’s theme. 
–Untitled Justin Willman Project – Comedian Justin Willman aims to fix the world’s greatest problems and social injustices using the only logical method we have left: Magic. 
–“Do You Want to See a Dead Body?” – based on the Funny or Die shorts, “Do You Want to See a Dead Body?” is a half-hour, scripted pilot that follows Rob Huebel as he embarks on a bizarre quest/adventure to see a dead body with a different celebrity guest each week. 
–“Germany” (pilot presentation) – Executive produced by and starring Channing Tatum, “Germany” explores the trials and tribulations of diverse microorganisms living in a microcosm of our world – complete with political scandals, climate change and vaccination deniers. “Germany” is a unique world in which both the laughter and the characters are contagious.
-“Hood Adjacent” – Based on the Comedy Central original series, “Swag-A-Sauraus with James Davis” on Snapchat Discover, Davis, who was born and raised in South Central, one block away from where the sh** goes down, uses his multifaceted hybrid brand of comedy to share his unique take on the world.
–“Live From Everywhere” – shot in front of a studio audience, this live, half-hour variety show for the digital generation uses live streams to orchestrate the coolest, most unpredictable hangouts with celebrities and comedians. 
–“Problematic with Moshe Kasher” – a half-hour pilot hosted by Moshe Kasher who uses his own brand of “comedy journalism” to crawl into the social media muck of our most polarizing issues, provocative questions and heated arguments and dissect them in front of a studio audience.
-“Rudy” (pilot presentation) – an animated project written by Robert Padnick that follows childish “cholo” Rudy Cisneros who, after serving a 15-year prison sentence, wants to dissociate from gang life and start being there for his wife, kids and abuelita. 
–“Storytime” – based on the web series created by Chioke Nassor, this half-hour pilot follows three comedians who recreate personal stories by playing every character in their story in dreamlike reenactments. In between segments, the performers and a host sit at a roundtable dissecting and reacting to one another’s stories in front of a live audience. 
–Untitled Kyle Dunnigan Project (script deal) – this script, set at a superhero academy, follows Kyle Dunnigan (“Inside Amy Schumer”) as a professor with unimpressive powers.
-“Awkwafina” (script deal) – half-hour scripted narrative that focuses on a heightened version of Nora Lum, better known as rapper Awkwafina, as she navigates the underground hip hop community in Queens. 
–Best Seller” (script deal) – this script written by Nora Kirkpatrick and Dennis McNicholas, is set in the world of a third rate home shopping network. After the reigning queen of the channel is electrocuted on-air during a hair drying demonstration gone wrong, her three venomous power hungry disciples enter into a cutthroat competition for her coveted time slot.
–“Casey Vs.” (script deal) – Casey Jost one-ups “Man vs. Wild” in the most extreme survival guide ever made and teaches viewers how to handle everything from the zombie apocalypse to an alien invasion. 
–“Delco Proper” (script deal) – based on the Comedy Central digital series, “Delco Proper” centers around a family owned lumber yard and its blue collar crew made up of hardworking locals who never left their hometown in Delaware County, PA. 
–“Drunk Girl/High Guy” (script deal) – this Sarah Walker script follows the adventures of two best friends and work wife/work husband in New York City – a girl who is almost always drunk, and a guy who is almost always high.
–“East 89th” (script deal) – based on Sean Donnelly’s real life experiences centering around the dysfunctional doormen of a luxury high-rise building on East 89th Street in New York City.
–“GERP” (script deal) – Produced by Jack Black’s Electric Dynamite and co-written by Dick Blasucci (“Mad TV”) and Janine DeTullio (“Late Night wtih Jimmy Fallon”), this show within a show follows a federal worker who hosts a government produced variety TV show from inside his cubicle during the work day.
-“Legal-ish” (script deal) – written by Dave Storrs and Steve Mallory, follows a well-meaning slacker who finds himself on the jury bench of the longest-running case at his local courthouse. 
–“New Timers” (script deal) – based on the Comedy Central Digital series, “New Timers” takes place following an apocalyptic “event.” Matt Porter and Charlie Hankin, who create, star, executive produce and direct the series, now live their day-to-day in what’s left of Brooklyn, looking for adventures, new friends and ways to pass the time.
-“Tijuana Beach” (script deal) – this animated project follows a Mexican American father who inherits a rundown resort from his uncle and relocates his family to Mexico.
–“Used People” (script deal) – based on the Comedy Central digital series written by Michelle Wolf and Dan Soder, “Used People” follows uptight Michelle and stoner Dan who spend their days arguing, obsessing over their messy personal lives and – theoretically – selling used cars. 

We’re really excited to see The Goddamn Comedy Jam, Roast Battle, hour stand-up specials from Kurt Braunohler, Joe DeRosa, another one from Trevor Moore and Dan Soder, and what Jordan Klepper and Jessica Williams will do with their new deals.

Also, from the sound of Moshe Kasher and Rob Huebel’s pilots, we hope that they get to see the light of day past being a pilot.

So Here Are Some Clips of That “Roast Battle” That Everyone Keeps Talking About

April 26, 2015
Uncategorized
brian moses, comedy store, jeff ross, rell battle, roast battle

If you haven’t been able to cram yourself into The Comedy Store’s Belly Room on late Tuesday nights, you have been missing out.

Brian Moses and Rell Battle have made one of LA’s truly hottest shows (just check LA Weekly and Vulture),  by pitting comics together a la a rap battle and have switched bars for roast jokes. 

Roast Battle is probably one of the best things The Comedy Store has had in a long time and it’s only a matter of time before it gets even more notoriety. Roastmaster General Jeff Ross has become a regular fixture on the show as a judge.

So, as many folks can’t get out to the Sunset Strip by midnight on a Tues., here are choice clips of some memorable past Roast Battles including:

Candice Thompson vs. Virginia Collins

Jamar Neighbors vs. Jesus Trejo

Sarah Tiana vs. Pete C

So far, they keep making “to watch” lists and have been to SXSW, Riot LA, and will go to the NY Comedy Fest. 

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