IMPRESS THESE APES SEASON 5

Picked by the Chicago Reader as Best Variety Show of 2010, "Impress These Apes" is an original comedy competition that pits eight contestants against each other to create the best performance based on a surprise new challenge presented every week. I was lucky enough to be a part of the 5th season of this amazing show and proceeded to go insane (along with my fellow contestants) to make the greatest original performance I could each week. After 8 long weeks, I finished in a close second place.

Week 8: Impress These Apes - For the final week, our only challenge was to "Impress These Apes." We could create anything we wanted, as long as it was limited to 5 minutes long. My love of silent films inspired me to create this scene with a little help from my friends Tim Heurlin and Jill Fenstermaker. It was my favorite performance and I got a perfect score this week.
Week 1: Anti-Comedy - For the first week, we were given the challenge to perform an original piece of anti-Comedy (a la Andy Kaufman). Ladies and gentleman, everyone's favorite rollerblading comedian, Nate "The Skate" Cross!
Week 7: Review - For the seventh week, we had to review something - anything - and perform the review. I had just seen the movie "Inception" and I just had to tell everyone how awesome it was.
Week 6: A Very Special Episode - For the sixth week, we were paired up with another contestant to present a very special episode of a television show that dealt with a hot button topic. These choices were drawn from a hat the previous week: I drew "The Flintstones" and Dyan drew "illiteracy."
Week 5: Strokin'! - Perhaps the most regretful of all the challenges, for the fifth week, we were supposed to rewrite the lyrics to Clarence Carter's camp hit "Strokin'," but still keep the chorus. I decided to celebrate America. Performed with my friend Joe Avella. (Here is the video that was showing during our performance.)
Week 4: Birthday Entertainment - For the fourth week, we were given the challenge to be the birthday entertainment for a small child.
Week 3: Prank Week - For the third week, we were given the challenge to prank complete strangers and film what transpired. This actually got me into more trouble than I expected. Executed with help from my Cell Camp pals, this was inspired by our original sketch, "A Star Doesn't Always Rise."
Week 2: Dance Week - For the second week, we were given a dance genre and challenged to create an original dance piece. I drew "broadway." Lord knows Barbra always brings the house down.
Callback Audition - For the callback audition, we were given the challenge to tell a real story but do it in the style of a tall tale, adding pieces of fiction throughout. I decided to tell the true story of when I had to hitchhike in Scotland.