Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle

Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle
Genre	Roast comedy Insult comedy
Created by	Brian Moses Rell Battle Jeffrey Ross
Directed by	Joel Gallen
Presented by	Jeff Ross
Starring	Jeff Ross Brian Moses
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	19
Production
Executive producers	Brian Moses Rell Battle Jeffrey Ross Amy Zvi Willie Mercer Rick Austin Joel Gallen
Editors	Timothy Schultz Pi Ware
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Release
Original network	Comedy Central
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	July 27, 2016 (2016-07-27) – August 28, 2018 (2018-08-28)
Chronology
Related	Comedy Central Roasts Roast Battle

Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle is an American roast comedy competition television series that is broadcast on Comedy Central.

The show is hosted by Jeff Ross and consists of one on one roast battles during which the comedians insult each other comedically. The winners of each battle are decided by a panel of guest judges that consists of fellow comedians and other celebrities. Comedian Brian Moses serves as the announcer and referee for each battle.

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.^{[ citation needed ]} 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:

• Comedy Central’s Roast Battle South Africa launched in 2017 on Comedy Central Africa and was renewed for a second season in 2018. ^{[14] [15]}
• Roast Battle was launched in 2018 on Comedy Central (UK & Ireland). The show is hosted by former Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle contestant Jimmy Carr. ^{[14] [15]}
• Duelo des Comediantes was launched on Comedy Central Latinoamérica in 2018. ^{[14] [15]}
• Two versions have been produced in Canada, the English-language Roast Battle Canada for CTV Comedy Channel and the French-language Roast Battle: Le Grand Duel for Z. ^[16]

Broadcasts

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	July 27, 2016	July 31, 2016	5
2	January 1, 2017	January 29, 2017	8
3	July 29, 2018	August 28, 2018	6

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	Sarah Tiana vs. Chris Cubas Sam Morril vs. Steve Rannazzisi Tom Ballard vs. Earl Skakel Jimmy Carr vs. Christi Chiello
1.3	Night Two	July 29, 2016	Whoopi Goldberg, Anthony Jeselnik	Mike Lawrence Matthew Broussard Ralphie May vs. Ms. Pat Mark Normand vs. Tony Hinchcliffe Olivia Grace vs. K. Trevor Wilson
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	Todd Barry vs. Brendon Walsh Sarah Tiana vs. Dolph Ziggler
3.2	Yamaneika Saunders vs. Jamar Neighbors	July 31, 2018	Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser	Alex Duong vs. Robin Tran Yamaneika Saunders vs. Jamar Neighbors
3.3	Randy Sklar vs. Jason Sklar	August 7, 2018	Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser	Randy Sklar vs. Jason Sklar Joe List vs. Sarah Tollemache
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	Mike Lawrence vs. Tony Hinchcliffe Matthew Broussard vs. Jerron Horton
3.6	Blake Griffin vs. Jeff Ross	August 28, 2018	Anthony Jeselnik, Nikki Glaser, Pete Davidson	Blake Griffin vs. Jeff Ross Kurt Metzger vs. Mark Normand

References

1. 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. 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. "Finally, the Comedy Roast Competition Battle is Coming to Television". The Interrobang. Orange Pop Media. March 31, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
4. "Zac Amico: 2016 RoastMasters NYC Champion!". The Interrobang. Orange Pop Media. November 4, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
5. 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. 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. 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. "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. 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. "Judges and Battles Announced for Roast Battle Season 3". The Interrobang. Orange Pop Media. July 23, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
14. 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. 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.