Analyzing the results of the 2023 Comedyscene.org Community Choice Award Winners
Our inaugural election is over, and with 750+ ballots submitted, the community has spoken.
Methodology and Caveats
Before we get into the results, lets address the vote spamming: there was a lot of it, and in just about every category . While voters might’ve thought they were pretty sly, the vote spamming was expected, which is why it’ll be factored into the final results. Those participants who may have thought that spreading their vote spams out incrementally between hours or days to avoid suspicion will be dismayed to know that many of those spams stuck out from the rest of the ballot poll results like sore thumbs. The most egregious vote spam offenders will have earned themselves (or their beloved nominees) a special nomination as the Spam Vote Winner of 2023.
But what exactly is Vote Spam?
In our case, Vote Spam is any series of votes sent in bulk. Bulk may be defined as duplicate submissions sent within seconds or minutes of each other:
Worry not spammers, for your deceitful tactics were not entirely in vain. Vote spams that included only one choice out of 22 voting categories will count as 1/10th of a vote toward their nominee. Vote spams that included at least half of the 22 voting categories will count as a half vote toward their nominees. All final vote totals have been rounded up.
With our methodology for winning criteria in place, let’s take a look at the actual results of the 2023 Comedyscene.org Community Choice Awards.
Digital Content
Best Digital Short
Winner: We Should Start A Band (Jon Plester)
Trans HQ held an early lead in the first hours of polling of what seemed to be a three way race between Active Bitch Face Band and We Should Start A Band, which were both trailing just behind. We Should Start A Band inched its way to victory in the latter half of the ballot casting period and took first place.
Best Short Film
The Ill-Conceived, Poorly Executed Housewarming Party of Amy & Jamie has an undeniably loyal fan base with a minimal amount of vote spamming, and was the only looming threat to Jon Plester’s double victory with We Should Start A Band and Zona.
Best Web Series
Winner: Party Hotline Live! (Playground Social Studios)
Playground Social Studios live-streaming web series dominated every other nomination in its category with the exceptions of Rey Teng’s LDR, which proved to be a substantial competitor with a small amount of vote spams, solidifying it in 2nd place. With all the community love for the Playground Social series and the many local comedians it features, it should surprise nobody that Party Hotline Live! won Best Web Series of 2023, and at no point did it lose it’s lead in the category.
Best Reel or Short
Winner: Children’s Ozempic (Fresh Hell Sketch)
While Sullivan Finlay’s Every Podcast Hosted By A Guy came in hot with an early lead and a few vote spams, Fresh Hell absolutely dominated the polls with Children’s Ozempic, almost racking up more votes than the other three nominees combined, even when you exclude the swathe of vote spams that the Fresh Hell fanbase had submitted early in the ballot casting process.
Best Podcast or Zine
Winner: Murder I Barely Know Her (Andrew Sabcha & Juliana Zepeda)
Often it’s said that comedy and horror have a symbiotic relationship, and that’s certainly reflected in this years winners for Best Podcast or Zine with We Die First and Murder I Barely Know Her leading the nominations, and Murder maintaining a sizable lead throughout the voting period.
Best Music Single or Album
Winner: “Ode to Tube Man” by Rebecca Jaffe
A dark horse in the music/single category, Rebecca Jaffe’s Ode to Tube Man managed to beat out some absolutely worthy contenders. While the folksy tune may not have all the bells and whistles of a studio production, the quality of the performance speaks for itself and the playful execution of Jaffe’s premise proves that a minimalist approach can be the best one.
Sketch & Devised
Best Devised Production (Limited Run)
In a category that was absolutely stacked with phenomenal shows from 2023, America Runs on Women managed to clench the win with just a few votes. The all-female sketch team managed to create a show that is relatable, empowering, and resonates with audiences. America Runs On Women eked out a close victory against Arrivals & Departures and LIGHTS, which essentially tied for 2nd place.
Best Sketch Show (Ongoing)
Winner: Missed Call (Annoyance Theater)
The Annoyance reigned supreme when it came to Sketch comedy in 2023, with Missed Call taking the first place spot and Best of Annoyance Sketch solidly in 2nd place. Both legacy shows from the Annoyance are performed in a weekly open run, with Missed Call happening every Friday night and Best of Annoyance Sketch every Saturday.
Best Musical/Performance
Winner: Little Orphan Boy: The Musical
A late contender for best musical, Little Orphan Boy won the hearts of our local comedy community despite its opening night premiering in late November. Set in New York, the greatest city in the world, An orphan boy looking for his mum becomes the leader of a gang, defeats an evil rat catcher and gets adopted by a rich old man. With all the love Little Orphan Boy received this holiday season, the Annoyance production is all but guaranteed to remount in the future.
Stand-Up Comedy
Best Open Mic
Winner: 8 Bit Open Mic (Lincoln Lodge)
While The Lincoln Lodge is home to many open mics, there’s one that stands out from the rest, which is why the community voted it the best open mic in the city for 2023. 8 Bit Open Mic offers comedians a chance to riff or explore a single bit for up to 8 minutes, with little wiggle room and an expectation that you’ve come prepared with something interesting to say. What’s more, the mic keeps things fresh with intermittent rounds of Riffleball, wherein Open Mic comedians have a chance to practice their improv and their crowd work as they riff on subjects provided to them in the moment from the audience.
Stand Out Stand-Up
David Feinberg managed to eek out a victory in a close race against Rebecca Jaffe for Stand Out Stand Up of 2023. The self proclaimed doppelganger of HBO’s Girls’ Alex Karpovsky has performed in venues all over Chicago. In April 2023, Feinberg released his first full length comedy album David Feinberg Plays The Hits on Bandcamp.
Best Stand Up Show
Winners: Best Night Ever + Roast Battle Chicago (Tie)
Our first and only official tie is in the Best Stand Up Show category, where both Roast Battle Chicago and Best Night Ever managed to get the exact same vote count (23.4 %) making them the official first tie vote of the CCCA. The Laugh Yard, initially a fierce competitor that made this an incredibly tight 3 way race in the first days of voting, fell behind to 3rd place over the last week of the voting period.
Education & Training
Best Training Program
Winner: The Annoyance Training Center
While they share many of the same instructors, the iO Theater Training Center took a backseat to The Annoyance when it comes to training programs in 2023. While the iO has ramped up its offerings of workshops to include writing classes and specialized intensives, the constant shake ups in leadership and staff have not gone unnoticed. Still, both iO and The Annoyance were considerably more popular than the other training centers around Chicago.
Best Coach / Instructor
In another category that is filled with top caliber nominees, Laurel Krabacher held an early lead and never lost it. In addition to being a former member of indie team Bag of Bones, Krabacher is an actor, a Second City ETC alum, coaches the iO house team Birdlady, and has directed several sketch revues and conservatory revues in Chicago.
Improv
Best House Team (The Annoyance Theater & Bar)
Fire & Beer ended up with the crown in what was initially a two-way race between house teams Modern Crimes and Hot Soup, resulting in a 2nd place tie for the latter teams. Fire & Beer also has the advantage of being the only legacy house team nominated for The Annoyance, having been around for nearly a decade while the rest of the nominated teams concluded after a year long run.
Best House Team (iO Theater)
Creamboy clenched the victory as most popular house team at iO Theater, with Birdlady trailing in 2nd place, and Kohl’s Cash just behind in 3rd. While all three house teams are popular amongst the community, Creamboy’s social game along with their coveted Cream of the Week contest has garnered them a loyal fan base online.
Best House Team (Bughouse Theater)
Winner: JOY!
In one of the closest races to date, JOY! managed to just beat out Lazarus for the title of Best House Team at Bughouse Theater. While the Bughouse only recently introduced house teams in 2023, JOY! has been performing in a regular spot at Friday Night Riot, a weekly indie team showcase put on by veteran Chicago improviser and instructor Sammy Tamimi. Both JOY! and Tamimi appear in the premiere episode of The Scene Comedy Vlog (2022).
Best House Team (Logan Square Improv)
The Late 90’s absolutely destroyed this category, emerging as a clear favorite early on in the voting period and never even close to losing their lead as the premiere house team for Logan Square Improv. Originally an iO House Team before the pandemic, The Late 90’s found their new home at Logan Square Improv after Charna Halpern closed the iO Theater in March of 2020, before selling it to Scott Gendell and Larry Weiner in July 2021.
Best Indie Team (Improv)
Winner: Swim Test
Swim Test managed to stay several votes ahead of their competition for the duration of the 2023 voting period. Initially formed out of a Second City Conservatory cohort in 2022, Swim Test has become a post-pandemic Chicago favorite amongst the community for their witty, sharp improv, and intimate play style. Swim Test performs with veteran indie team Peggy and guests every Thursday at iO in their show Tonight In Improv History.
Best Legacy Improv Show
Winner : Devil’s Daughter (iO Theater)
One of the oldest Harold teams still performing in Chicago, Devil’s Daughter has never been more popular. Since 2014, Devil’s Daughter has held weekly performances and offered workshops with veteran improvisers who double as top-notch instructors, such as Gretchen Eng, James Dugan, Brad Pike, and so many more. While they temporarily moved to The Annoyance while iO Was closed in 2021–2022, Devil’s Daughter has since claimed their weekly spot on iO’s calendar Fridays at 8 PM.
Show of the Season
Winner: Splatter Theater
Splatter Theater, an inaugural production of The Annoyance, first premiered back in 1987. The beloved annual production parodies slasher films like Friday the 13th and Halloween, with cliche horror characters like the high school jock, the virgin, the class jerk, the bimbo, and the nerd — all of whom are fantastically and gruesomely murdered by the end of the show. Splatter remounts every October in what is now an Annoyance Halloween tradition. Splatter beat the closely tied Merry Cis-Mas and OY! (a Jewish holiday show for everyone!)
Biggest Vote Spammers:
Before we reveal the show of the year, lets take a moment to acknowledge the top vote spammers on the 2023 Comedyscene.org Community Choice Awards ballot. Fresh Hell made it to the nominations with 10 spam votes. Claire Parlette managed to earn 19 spam votes. Tommy Koch and Mortified Maggie tied for 2nd place with a non-insubstantial 21 spam votes each, but the title of Spam Vote Winner of 2023 goes to the knee slapping sketch show Happy 2 B Here, clutching the win with 31 spam votes.
Winner: Happy 2 Be Here
Show of the Year
Winner: LIGHTS
With half a percentage point and a three vote difference, LIGHTS managed to beat out an incredibly tight race with Arrivals & Departures (24%) and America Runs on Women (22.9%). LIGHTS, written and performed by Anna Weatherwax and Traer Schon, premiered in Summer 2023 and went on to sell out their initial 6 week run as well as their 3 week extension. While the special is available to watch on comedyscene.org, the duo has taken their show to the road in 2024, with an upcoming performance at Brooklyn Comedy Collective in New York.
2024 Nominations are now open. They will close at 11:59pm on December 7th, 2024. The Nominees will be announced December 15th, 2024. The Voting period will be December 16th — 30th, 2024. The winners will be announced January 2025.