Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle
GenreRoast comedy
Insult comedy
Created byBrian Moses
Rell Battle
Jeffrey Ross
Directed byJoel Gallen
Presented byJeff Ross
StarringJeff Ross
Brian Moses
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes19
Production
Executive producersBrian Moses
Rell Battle
Jeffrey Ross
Amy Zvi
Willie Mercer
Rick Austin
Joel Gallen
EditorsTimothy Schultz
Pi Ware
Camera setupMulti-camera
Original release
NetworkComedy Central
ReleaseJuly 27, 2016 (2016-07-27) –
August 28, 2018 (2018-08-28)
Related
Comedy Central Roasts
Roast Battle

Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle is an American roast comedy competition television series that was broadcast on Comedy Central from July 27, 2016 to August 28, 2018.

Hosted by Jeff Ross, the show consisted of one on one roast battles during which the comedians would insult each other comedically. The winners of each battle were decided by a panel of guest judges that consisted of fellow comedians and other celebrities. Comedian Brian Moses served as the announcer and referee.

History

The television series is based on a live show that runs at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles in the comedy club's Belly Room.[1][2][3] The live show originated from a heated argument that occurred in The Comedy Store's parking lot in 2013 between two comedians over a stolen joke.[1][2] The argument was about to devolve into a physical fight and comedian Brian Moses–who was hosting an open mic night the following night–suggested that the two comedians could fight it out verbally on stage.[1][2] Two other comedians volunteered to judge the event.[2] From there Moses and fellow comedian Rell Battle started the live Roast Battle comedy show.[1][3]

Moses and Battle eventually parted ways.[3] Moses continued the show in the Belly Room and his shows were sometimes credited as "Jeffrey Ross Presents".[3] Moses also brought the show to The Stand comedy club in New York City under the title Brian Moses and Jeff Ross Present Roastmasters.[3] Both the LA and NYC roast battle shows held bracket-style tournaments to determine the top regional roaster for each city, then the top LA and NYC roasters would compete for the title of Roastmaster, which included a championship belt similar to those awarded in professional combat sports.[3][4]

The Roastmasters show in NYC was emceed by comedian Luis J. Gomez and audio recordings were posted to a podcast feed under the Roastmasters name.[4] The NYC show dissolved in 2018. Moses also broadcast audio recordings of the LA show as a podcast titled Verbal Violence. The show gained in popularity and Ross was able to recruit friends like Dave Chappelle and Sarah Silverman to serve as guest judges during the show.[1]

Since 2014 Ross has been adviser and lead judge of Roast Battle[5] In 2015 Ross brought the live show to the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal where it caught the attention of Jonas Larsen, a senior vice president at Comedy Central.[1] The first episode of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle aired on the network in 2016.[3][6][7] In 2018 the Verbal Violence podcast's name was changed to Roast Battle and the podcast was moved to Comedy Central’s Global Podcast Network.[8]

Format

The show is hosted by Jeff Ross who also serves as one of the judges on each show.[5][7][9] Comedian and show co-creator Brian Moses announces each competitor and also serves as referee.[3][6][10] The winners of each battle are determined by a panel of guest judges that include two or more comedians or other celebrities.[3][6][10] There are three rules to the competition: The competitors must use only original material, no physical contact is allowed and the battle always ends with a hug.[1][2][7]

In the first two season there were regional events filmed at various comedy clubs across the United States in search of some or all of the sixteen contestants to compete in the main eight battle competition via a bracket-style tournament.[3][6] In the first season the regionals were held in Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago and New York City. The final eight battles were filmed at the 2016 Just for Laughs festival in Montreal and the very final battle was broadcast live on Comedy Central.[7]

In the second season the regionals were held at the Comedy Cellar in New York City, Comedy Works in Denver, Colorado, the Laughing Skull Lounge in Atlanta, Georgia and the Los Angeles Comedy Store.[11] In addition, there were comedians added to the final sixteen competitors list who did not compete in the regionals. The final eight battles of the second season were filmed on the Sunset Strip and the final battle was also broadcast live.[12]

The show changed it format in the third season and abandoned the bracket-style tournament.[8][13] As a result there were no preliminary regional battles and instead each episode featured only two battles per episode over six episodes.[13] In addition Anthony Jeselnik and Nikki Glaser served as judges on all six episodes and they were also joined by Pete Davidson during the final episode.[8][13] The final episode also marked the first time that Ross took to the stage as a battler during the show; he battled with NBA player Blake Griffin.[8][13]

International versions

The popularity of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle has led to the launch of roast battle shows on some of Comedy Central's sister stations outside of the United States:

Broadcasts

SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodes
1July 27, 2016July 31, 20165
2January 1, 2017January 29, 20178
3July 29, 2018August 28, 20186

Episodes

Series 1

The winner of each roast battle is in bold.

Episode Episode Title First broadcast Judges Battles Notes
1.1 Road to Roast Battle July 27, 2016 Various (see notes) Various (see notes) This was an introductory episode featuring clips from the preliminary battles that were held in Los Angeles, Austin, Chicago and New York City.
1.2 Night One July 28, 2016 David Spade, Kevin Hart
1.3 Night Two July 29, 2016 Whoopi Goldberg, Anthony Jeselnik
1.4 Night Three July 30, 2016 Seth Rogen, Jimmy Kimmel
  • Mike Lawrence vs. Ralphie May
  • Earl Skakel vs. Jimmy Carr
  • Sarah Tiana vs. Sam Morril
  • Tony Hinchcliffe vs. K. Trevor Wilson
1.5 Night Four: Live Finals July 31, 2016 Sarah Silverman, Judd Apatow Semifinals:
  • Sarah Tiana vs. Earl Skakel
  • K. Trevor Wilson vs. Mike Lawrence
 The final round was broadcast live on Comedy Central
Finals:
  • Mike Lawrence vs. Sarah Tiana

Series 2

The winner of each roast battle is in bold.

Episode Episode Title First broadcast Judges Battles Notes
2.1 New York Regional January 1, 2017 Lisa Lampanelli, Jay Pharoah, Jim Norton, Mike Lawrence
  • Eli Sairs vs. Scott Chaplain
  • J.P. McDade vs. Yamaneika Saunders
  • Evan Williams vs. Zac Amico*
  • Dina Hashem vs. Aaron Berg**

Filmed at the Comedy Cellar in New York City
*Both contestants advanced to final sixteen.
**Neither contestant advanced to the final sixteen.

2.2 Denver and Atlanta Regionals January 8, 2017 Denver:

Russell Peters, Moshe Kasher

 Denver:
  • Justine Marino vs. Sam Tallent
  • Karlous Miller vs. Jay Light*
  • CJ Sullivan vs. Nate Craig
  • Bri Pruett vs. Erin Ingle
  • Noah Gardenswartz vs. Clayton English
  • Nicole Aimée Schreiber vs. Andy Haynes

Filmed at Comedy Works in Denver, Colorado.
*The only contestant to advance to the final sixteen from this episode was Jay Light.

Atlanta:

Lil Rel Howery, Josh McDermitt, Fortune Feimster

 Atlanta:
  • Kath Barbadoro vs. Kim Congdon*
  • Candice Thompson vs. Jasmin Leigh**
  • Erik Bergstrom vs. Jacob Williams (tie)***
  • Megan Gailey vs. Sean White****

Filmed at the Laughing Skull Lounge in Atlanta, Georgia.
*Neither contestant advanced to the final sixteen.
**Neither contestant advanced to the final sixteen.
***Neither contestant advanced to the final sixteen.
****Neither contestant advanced to the final sixteen.

2.3 LA Regionals: Part 1 January 15, 2017 Chris D'Elia, Sebastian Maniscalco, Ron Artest
  • Alex Hooper vs. Joe Dosch*
  • Toby Muresianu vs. Omid Singh**
  • Greg Roque vs. Frank Castillo
  • Anna Valenzuela vs. Keith Carey***

Filmed at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.
*Both contestants advanced to the final sixteen.
**Neither contestant advanced to the final sixteen.
***Both contestants advanced to the final sixteen.

2.4 LA Regionals: Part 2 January 22, 2017 Chris D'Elia, Sebastian Maniscalco, Ron Artest
  • Jamar Neighbors vs. Guy Branum*
  • Robin Tran vs. Pat Barker**
  • Leah Kayajanian vs. Connor McSpadden***

Filmed at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles.
*Neither contestant advanced to the final sixteen.
**Neither contestant advanced to the final sixteen.
***Neither contestant advanced to the final sixteen.

2.5 Night One January 26, 2017 Anthony Jeselnik, Snoop Dogg
  • Kurt Metzger vs. Yamaneika Saunders
  • Joe Dosch vs. Leah Kayajanian
  • Evan Williams vs. Anna Valenzuela
  • Jay Light vs. Frank Castillo
 Filmed in Los Angeles on the Sunset Strip
2.6 Night Two January 27, 2017 Whitney Cummings, Ken Jeong
  • Todd Barry vs. Jessica Kirson
  • Keith Carey vs. Olivia Grace
  • Scott Chaplain vs. Alex Hooper
  • Matthew Broussard vs. Zac Amico
 Filmed in Los Angeles on the Sunset Strip
2.7 Night Three January 28, 2017 Sarah Silverman, John Mayer
  • Joe Dosch vs. Yamaneika Saunders
  • Anna Valenzuela vs. Frank Castillo
  • Olivia Grace vs. Todd Barry
  • Alex Hooper vs. Matthew Broussard
 Filmed in Los Angeles on the Sunset Strip
2.8 Night Four January 29, 2017 Patton Oswalt, T.J. Miller, Jason Sudeikis, Natasha Leggero Semifinals:
  • Joe Dosch vs. Frank Castillo
  • Todd Barry vs. Matthew Broussard
 Filmed in Los Angeles on the Sunset Strip
Finals:
  • Frank Castillo vs. Matthew Broussard

Series 3

Episode Episode Title First broadcast Judges Battles Notes
3.1 Sarah Tiana vs. Dolph Ziggler July 29, 2018 Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser
3.2 Yamaneika Saunders vs. Jamar Neighbors July 31, 2018 Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser
3.3 Randy Sklar vs. Jason Sklar August 7, 2018 Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser
3.4 Sam Morril vs. Joe Machi August 14, 2018 Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser
  • Kim Congdon vs. Olivia Grace
  • Sam Morril vs. Joe Machi
3.5 Mike Lawrence vs. Tony Hinchcliffe August 21, 2018 Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser
3.6 Blake Griffin vs. Jeff Ross August 28, 2018 Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser, Pete Davidson

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Zinoman, Jason (July 29, 2016). "Insult Comedy as Blood Sport: The Rise of the Roast Battle". The New York Times. New York City, New York, United States. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Moser, John J. (March 23, 2018). "INTERVIEW: Comedian Jeff Ross, at Sands today with Dave Attell, tells how venue gave birth to the tour, talks about roasting career and new podcast". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Finally, the Comedy Roast Competition Battle is Coming to Television". The Interrobang. Orange Pop Media. March 31, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Zac Amico: 2016 RoastMasters NYC Champion!". The Interrobang. Orange Pop Media. November 4, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  5. 1 2 Seabaugh, Julie (November 14, 2017). "Is Jeff Ross the Most Important Political Comic in Trump's America?". LA Weekly. Los Angeles, California, United States. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Blistein, Jon (March 31, 2016). "Jeff Ross 'Roast Battle,' 'Police Roast' Headed to Comedy Central". Rolling Stone. New York City, New York, United States. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Morgan, Molly (June 14, 2016). "Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle to Pit Comedians Against Each Other". Paste. Decatur, Georgia, United States. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Comedy Central Announces Judges, Battler for Season 3 of Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle" (Press release). New York: Comedy Central. July 31, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  9. ↑ Pilot, Jessica (November 7, 2014). "The Roast Battle: 'Like Fight Club for Comedians,' Says Jeffrey Ross". The Village Voice. New York City, New York, United States. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  10. 1 2 Schwindt, Oriana (November 4, 2016). "Comedy Central Orders Second Installment of 'Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle'". Variety. Los Angeles, California, United States. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle Episode Guide". cc.com. Comedy Central. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Comedy Central and Jeff Ross Announce Celebrity Judges and Matchups for "Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle II: War of the Words"" (Press release). New York: Comedy Central. January 18, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Judges and Battles Announced for Roast Battle Season 3". The Interrobang. Orange Pop Media. July 23, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 White, Peter (June 13, 2018). "'Jeff Ross' Roast Battle' Scores Third Season On Comedy Central As Mexico Gets Local Version". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 Clarke, Stewart (June 13, 2018). "'Jeff Ross' Roast Battle' Scores Third Season On Comedy Central As Mexico Gets Local Version". MSN. Microsoft. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  16. ↑ Jordan Pinto, "CTV Comedy commissions Roast Battle adaptation". RealScreen, April 12, 2021.
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