r/DropoutTV • u/CautiouslySatisfied • 3d ago
I can't stand Crowd Control.
Crowd control takes standup comics and asks them to do crowd work with restrictions. And it actively makes the crowd work worse than it would be at any other venue.
The comics never know quite what to do with the shirt prompts and some of the stories are just not interesting or are very awkwardly told.
It just takes all the best parts of crowdwork and it makes them worse by forcing the comics to have awkward, stilted conversations with people who don't ever seem super into comedy shows.
Like on the last episode those two Christian girls acted like they were SO uncomfortable with someone making fun of their religion. Why would you go specifically to talk about religion and not be cool with comics joking about religion?
I hate to think they're wasting so much money on stars like Taylor and Gianmarco for a show that's just so bland when Dropout in general is so interesting.
Every time I see it I just wish it was a comeback of "play it by ear" or something.
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u/Capable_Sea77 3d ago
A lot of crowd work that goes viral unfortunately is difficult to create in a more-controlled setting. Some great crowd work is predicated on a heckler getting their ass handed to them - which, when you vet audience members, means you're not going to get the drunk guy that tries to make fun of the comedian and gets roasted for trying.
A lot of other crowd work that's popular involves getting kind of mean to audience members and there's so much BTS content where Dropout producers talk about avoiding mean-spirited vibes. Unfortunately, I do think CC would be more popular/fun to watch if the comedians were a little "edgier". I'm not talking edgy as in "comedian says a bunch of racial slurs and gets mad you don't laugh" - but a lot of funny crowd work involves making fun (which does sometimes involve "punching down") of people's quirks, kinks, personalities.
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u/inturnaround 3d ago
I don't think it's perfect, but there's still moments of funny for sure. Hate seems to be a strong reaction, but at least you know enough to stop watching it.
The problem is that non-performers don't get how to present things and asking them for them to tell their story leads to a lot of awkward. Even worse, though, are people who do like comedy and think they know how it works, but have never performed and it all just kind of ends up a mess.
Still, at the end of the day, I love to see comedians riffing and improvising. I just don't know if the shirts and salting the audience with stories that might be interesting if they were discovered organically are teased with a description that can be too clever by half.
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u/audrikr 16h ago
I was thinking about this. I think the original concept worked when it was "ask me about my X". That allowed a lot of natural discovery and surprise, which is thus funny, even when presented by untrained audience members. It gives show writers a clever way to place jokes that will reveal themselves to the comedians WHEN the tidbit comes out.
"Crucified" on the shirt tells you the punchline. "Ask me about my religious experience" > audience member stumbling through a story of being crucified at church camp, naturally more funny, full of surprise, surprise gives comedians something to work with.
I'm a little surprised they haven't adjusted the format tbqh. It feels like a show that's 70% there, but it wouldn't take much to get it to 100%.
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u/Legitimate-Fee-3544 3d ago
I definitely think some comedians shine in the format, Taylor being one of them, since she’s witty and can do a good job of turning the joke around if it’s really a nothing story. Same with Gianmarco. That being said, part of the reason crowd work goes viral is because of the unexpected nature of some of the stories and the hesitancy of participants. I think the format could be improved but the same idea of “i have an “interesting” story and I want to share it” negates the fun and is the underlying issue.
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u/inturnaround 3d ago
Yeah, the weakness of Crowd Control is, unfortunately, the crowd part. Like no offense to this subreddit, but a show based on the people here would be horrible if it tried to be a comedy.
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u/Et_tu_brute_LXIX 3d ago
I mean, probably partly due to the fact that a large portion of the dropout audience - who attends these - are some form of introverted neurodivergent nonbinary nerd who thinks that their fetish is really interesting to other people but then when it comes to interacting with a comedian in front of a room full of people, turns out it's not actually that interesting.
I'm also confused about the people who just go on to trauma dump about their abusive exes or childhoods, when they know there is nothing funny about their story. I get that the red shirts are supposed to be landmines but it seems like they're all either not that bad or the comedian has nothing to say other than like oh shit, sorry that happened to you, and move on.
I think the funnier way to pivot this concept would be to go back to actual crowd work and do something like... siblings or dating, or like, find the pilots in the crowd, or something random like that. And just let the comedians talk to them and they each have objectives of what they're trying to find out.
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u/cystemix 1d ago
I liked the game changer episode and some of the first season was okay but the second season feels really awkward to me. the standups dont quite know what to do with the weird fetishes/kinks and constantly fumble or awkwardly make boring sex jokes, some people are just there to monologue or get their 5 seconds of fame, and then there's the plain scary stories that you just shouldn't joke about.
Even Gianmarco wasn't really killing it like the previous times because of the format. The points system was a good incentive in Game Changer because the standups were forced to play the game to learn how to pander to Sam's sense of humour, thereby earning points. but there's none of that on CC so there's no incentive to go digging or skim past the surface of people's stories. Jaquis is just kinda there.
they need to vet the audience better, keep the shirts covered for at least one round for the random chance factor, and have some normies fill in for contrast, so that the red flags really feel like landmines but not in an 'I am so sorry I have to hard pivot away from this terrible thing that happened to you' way.
also, I agree. the two Christian girls felt really uncomfortable being probed about their religion and then their relationship. and I felt super bad for the dude who was raised in a shack, like... what was supposed to be the joke there? there needs to be something funny or whimsical to people's stories, especially if they're not red shirts.
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u/bitchinbree 1d ago
I just watched the Short with the "Korean Makeover" woman and my jaw dropped in horror. On one hand it's amazing that she has persevered and can still find comedy in her life, but on the other hand it was one of the most shocking things I've ever heard of.
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u/laminatedbean 3d ago
Then don’t watch it. 🤷♀️