Continuously interacting with the audience, comedian Ryan Reiss had one goal in mind as part of the university programming board’s Homecoming-week opener Oct. 15 — he wanted to make people laugh.
“At times he came off as a racist, egomaniacal, sexist, anti-Semitic, Nazi Mormon,” Brighton Changa, senior in pre-dentistry, said. “But overall he gave an above-average performance. He really hit the ground running and managed to get at least a couple of laughs from every person in the room.”
The 29-year-old was met with immediate laughter from the audience, as everyone settled into their seats. Reiss used his quick wit and unique way of engaging the audience to capture the attention of every seat in the house.
“Big surprise, I’ve never been here before,” Reiss said in his opening monologue.
The audience, which consisted of 126 students and staff, included a variety of races and upbringings. Reiss met this diverse and somewhat conservative crowd with raunchy and sometimes obscene acts that covered everything from drugs and religion to the basic race and gender stereotypes.
“I really enjoyed it,” Reiss said. “They were a great comedy audience.”
Reiss began his career as a comedian while attending college at New York University. He has been seen on television shows including the M & J Morning Show, Huckabee, CenterStage and FOX and Friends. In addition to his television appearances, Reiss has written and co-produced for MTV. He also served as a staff comedy writer for Spike TV.
“I’ve always wanted to be a comedian,” Reiss said in his closing comments to the audience. “If you guys want to give something a shot, then do it. There’s no better time in life to screw up than while you’re in college.”
