André Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

Ugly Bug doing his thing during the TVJ MiPhone Comedy Buss audition. -photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

If Saturday's Comedy Buss audition were a casting call for roles ranging from the wacky to the asinine, all roles would have been filled with many in reserve.

There were doubts about what the turnout would have been, and while it was not overwhelming, the comics were out.

From cross-dressers to under- dressers, and from the aware to the downright out-of-touch comic, the judging team, consisting of Winston 'Bello' Bell and Audrey Reid, separated the jokers from the joke.

"I am very happy about the turnout. I have overwhelming support from the other comedians and that makes it better," said Christopher Daley, the show's host.

The contestant wearing 001, Jenice Jackson, was the first to turn up at 6:30 a.m. and was also the first to make it into the next round of the competition.

The second tryout also made it. Paul Senior was the day's first rejection. He was not given to ticket to enter the 'buss'.

"You are going to have to walk home," Bell said to him.

Then came Keneisha Williams, who came dressed like Miss America Independence in her red, white and blue frills with what she called 'nonsense news.' Her act was funny in parts, but has the potential to be overbearing.

Something different

Judges Winston Bell and Audrey Reid speaking to a contestant at the TVJ, MiPhone Comedy Buss audition, at Oakton Park, Half-Way Tree, on Saturday, September 1.

Reid told her to present something different in the next round.

After that, four consecutive successful tries, there was a long stretch of unsuccessful bids.

That stretch came to an end when Ugly Bug turned up. Simply put, the man has jokes and good timing. Bug's set acknowledged his less physical attributes.

With the judges providing comic, they were not afraid to poke fun at contestants' slip-ups and get their own bellyful of the fun; Bello found it hard to control his outbursts.

The auditions ended around 3:00 p.m., but some people hung around to enjoy the music and others just looked on. From Saturday's audition, 20 persons were chosen to be vetted in the workshop stage.

From there the judges will narrow that number to 12 finalists.

"It is much better than last year," Reid said.

"People are understanding more about this kind of comedy. People started paying it more attention, because of last year," Bello said.

Those to have made it include Jenice Jackson, Ray Jarrett, Keneisha Williams, Eric Brady, Dufton Shepherd, Dwayne Smith, Tashana Gayle, Renford Dunn, Davion Sterling, Gabre Nelson, Robert Graham, Delroy Hart, Donald White, Paul Wellington, Dalton Spence, Camilo Barrett, Allison McCarthy, Bertram Williams, Eric Samuels and Carlos Austin.