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Staff sergeant wins comedy contest

Staff Sgt. Walter Campbell has finally received the promotion he’s waited over a year for. His new title: Funniest Person in South Texas.

Campbell beat out 14 other finalists in Monday’s standup comedy showdown in San Antonio, including Capt. Jose Sarduy, who took a close second, according to the judges.

“All the comics brought their A-game ... it was tough competition,” said Campbell, a materiel management instructor at Lackland Air Force Base.

Adding to the challenge was an 11th-hour announcement that all comics would have six minutes of stage time instead of the seven minutes they had been told to prepare, both airmen said. The switch was especially hard on Sarduy, who had to perform first out of all the finalists.

“I had seven minutes down. And then they told us six minutes, and I think that kind of threw me off, because I had to take a joke out,” said Sarduy, a training pilot instructor from Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. “When it actually came time on stage, I took the wrong joke out.”

Campbell adjusted with aplomb, Sarduy said, and performed with a bold strategy: ad-libbing jokes about one of the contest’s judges, none other than Michelle Manhart.

“I said the Air Force recruiting slogan is “Do something amazing,” not “Do something naked,” Campbell said. “[Manhart] laughed, she was able to make fun of herself, it was cool. I took a risk.”

Sarduy credited Campbell’s high-risk maneuver and strong finish with tipping the judges’ favor.

“You take the risk, and it pays off for you,” the pilot said. “I really commended him on that.”

Campbell can now look forward to his prize, a week of shows at Los Angeles’ Laugh Factory, a comedy club known for attracting big names and talent scouts. He said bookers for other clubs and even other military bases have already started contacting him.

Sarduy didn’t walk away empty-handed. He said agents have spoken with him as well, and that he is thinking of making a swing through New York City to do shows and make contacts.

Unfortunately, neither Sarduy nor Campbell made it past the first round of auditions for NBC's "Last Comic Standing" on Friday night. The auditions are all taped, though, so either or both airmen could be featured on the reality show's next season.

See Campbell’s material

See Sarduy’s video

Discuss:

Who’s funny and who’s just plain lame?