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Kerry Coddett Crowned 2017 Carolines Comedy Madness Champion

Kerry Coddett

Kerry-Coddett-1Congratulations to Kerry Coddett, who outlasted 63 other comedians over five rounds to be crowned champion of the 2017 Carolines Comedy Madness stand-up competition.   For winning the event, Coddett will receive a cash prize and have the opportunity to perform at the 2017 New York Comedy Festival in November.

Coddett, who won one week after her 30th birthday, is the first female to take home the top prize the competition, which is now in its eleventh year.

Taking a page from the NCAA College Basketball Tournament’s “March Madness,” Carolines Comedy Madness is a five-round comedy competition in which 64 comedians go head to head with audience members deciding who advances to the final round. A panel of industry judges determines the champion in the fifth and final round.

Sixty-four of New York’s best young comedians were randomly pitted against one another in a series of one-on-one competitions.  The first round took place on Wednesday, March 1 when all of the 64 competitors each performed one minute of stand-up.  32 comedians advanced to the second round on Tuesday, March 7, when each performed two minutes of stand-up.  The third round, on Tuesday, March 14, feature the “Sweet Sixteen,” and fourth round on Tuesday, March 28 featured the “Elite Eight,” who each performed three minutes of stand-up. The “Final Four” advancing into the fifth and final round on March 28.  The “Final Four” comedians squared off on Tuesday, March 29, with each performing seven minutes of stand-up.  The last two advancing comedians will then square off with each performing ten minutes of stand-up, with the eventual winner being crowned.

This year’s “Final Four” comedians were KC Arora, who was pitted against and lost to Coddett; and Phil Hunt and Rob Ryan.  Hunt defeated Ryan to face off against Coddett in the final contest of the competition.

Past winners of Carolines Comedy Madness are Julian McCullough (2007), Reese Waters (2008), Myq Kaplan (2009), Nate Bargatze (2010), Dan Soder (2011), Adam Newman (2012), Mark Normand (2013), Gary Vider (2014), Anthony DeVito (2015), and Neko White (2016).

Below is the final bracket of the 2017 Carolines Comedy Madness tournament (click on image to enlarge):

 FINAL BRACKET COMEDY MADNESS 2017