Comedy · The Cup

The comedy contest

The Jester's Cup

Six comics are paired up live on stage into three teams. They play two rounds and a Final, and a meter measures how loud the room laughs.

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This is how a live comedy night is scored. It takes four short steps.

Click here to see how a night runs

No judges and no online vote. The room decides.

How a night runs

  1. Round 1: every team plays

    Each team plays a prepared 8-minute set. The meter takes one reading per set.

  2. Round 2: points add up

    Each team plays a prepared 6-minute set. The readings from both rounds are added.

  3. The cut: third place goes out

    After Round 2, the third-place team leaves the running. Two teams go through.

  4. The Final: the top two teams

    One more prepared 6-minute set each, read by the same meter.

This is the format as planned. Which night hosts which round will be announced here.

The Laugh Meter

It is a meter that measures how loud the room laughs. It takes one reading for every team set, and that reading is the only score. Laugh plus Roar makes the set's score.

Laugh
The loudest moment of laughter during the set.
Roar
The noise the room makes after it.

The room decides. A black wristband is never picked on. Read the house rules.

What's on the line

The champion team takes the Jester's Cup and wears the jester's crown. Their names go up in the Cup Wing, the Cup's own page in the Hall of Fame. The first Court Jesters, the champion team, are crowned at The Coronation, the final night. The cash for the champion team is announced before the first live night.

Visit the Cup Wing
Click here to read the full Cup rules

  1. Six comics, three teams

    The comics are paired live on stage. The pairing only decides who works with whom. Pairings and the running order carry nothing of value.

  2. Prepared sets only

    Round 1 is an 8-minute set. Round 2 and the Final are 6-minute sets. Every set is prepared, and each team plans its own before it goes on.

  3. The meter is the score

    One Laugh Meter reading per team set: Laugh, the loudest moment during the set, plus Roar, the noise after it. There are no judges and no online vote.

  4. Points add up, then the cut

    The readings from Round 1 and Round 2 are added together. After Round 2, the team in third place goes out.

  5. The Final stands alone

    The top two teams perform once more, and the final score alone decides who takes the Cup.

  6. Who's fair game

    Black bands are never picked on. Blue bands (Roast Me) are picked on, on purpose. White bands (Fair Game) may be picked on. On comedy nights the DJs may be picked on too.

  7. Crowned

    The champion team takes the Jester's Cup and wears the jester's crown. The cash for the champion team is announced before the first live night.

Format as planned. Final details are confirmed before the first live night. Looking for the DJ side? Read the DJ rules.

What next?

Click here to choose your seat Click here if you are a comic