Pros and amateurs alike ready to launch their best lines in Helium series

By Jason Pomietlasz

The summer solstice is almost upon us and that means kayaking in the canal, patio drinking and the “Buffalo’s Funniest Person” contest. 

In fact, the first of the preliminary rounds of “Buffalo’s Funniest” takes place tonight (June 10) at 7 p.m..

Established in 2013, Helium’s first full year in Buffalo, the contest attracts around 80 people who think they have the punchlines and panache to earn the title of “Buffalo’s Funniest.” This year’s line-up, like past years, includes veterans and rookies of the comedy open mic scene and also assorted office cut-ups and general smart alecks who think they have what it takes to win.

The contest has three rounds. For the preliminary round, the audience decides the top three finishers who will advance to the next round. The semi-finals and finals use judges consisting of past winners, agents and bookers. Each contestant is rated on original material, stage presence and audience reaction on a scale of 1-6 (one being the best, six the worst and lowest score wins). In the case of a tie, the judges will select the top three. 

Helium’s general manager Shawn Eckert, who has been with the club since 2012 said “for this contest I am very intrigued at who could possibly win. Every year there are a few comics that usually stick out as far as potential champions but this year is a true crap shoot! Any one of the comics could catch lighting in a bottle and win this year’s contest. It has happened a few times over the years but the 2025 contest is truly anyone’s to win!”

Performers must have 4 1/2 to 6 minutes of original material for the preliminary round, 6 1/2 to 8 minutes for the semifinals, and 8 1/2 to 10 minutes for the championships.

“The Buffalo’s Funniest contest is like Christmas for comics!” said Liz Reaves, the only female winner, “It’s always fun to watch the mixture of talent that tries their luck to be crowned Buffalo’s Funniest. In the same night you could have someone who has more than five years experience under their belt and the next person was told by their family that they’re funny and should give it a shot. I’m proud to hold the title of the only female comic to hold the title but I’m eagerly awaiting another funny lady to join me. Good luck to everyone participating this year and I look forward to watching everyone.”

The first-round shows will be June 10, 12, 17, 24, 25 and July 1. For this year’s full line-up click here: https://buffalo.heliumcomedy.com/pages/funniest-lineups-2025. Dates have not been announced yet for the semis and finals.

PAST WINNERS: 

• 2013-Josh Potter
• 2014- Rick Matthews
• 2015-Brian Herberger
• 2016- Kevin Thomas Jr
• 2017- Jameel Key
• 2018- Clayton Williams
• 2019- Chris Plumer
• 2020- Covid
• 2021- Liz Reaves
• 2022- Jake Samson
• 2023- Ryan Fay
• 2024- Gary Wallace