Does anyone think the women who perform on "Whose Line is it Anyway" are funny?

Question

I think the men are all really funny, but the women don't seem to add very much to the show. Do you think any of them are good?

Who is your favorite male and female performer?

Answer 1

I've been fiddling around with psychology studies lately concerning females and sense of humour, and here's something interesting:

1. Humour is not considered a "feminine" trait (this makes sense if you think about it - how many Disney princesses crack jokes?)

2. Humour is not considered sexual (what's the classic "I'm sexy" pose of models? A serious pout - never a grin or laugh)

3. Females in the entertainment industry are strongly pressured to be sexy and feminine, because it sells better

And, of course, this doesn't just apply to TV. In real life, humour doesn't rank that high in a female's priorities - there's more emphasis on being sweet, pretty, feminine, gentle, sexy, etc.

So it isn't surprising that some of TV's funniest females are also the least feminine and least "sexy" - take Ellen Degeneres, who is wildly popular and hilarious, and is also a far cry from being a traditional sex symbol.

In general, I guess, females are raised to be feminine, and unfortunately, that's not a very good environment for developing amazing comedy skills. Funny just isn't sexy on women, apparently.

Check out this:

"Research to be published this week in a leading academic journal confirms what many female comics - and funny women - have long suspected: men are frightened by their brand of humour. While men might chuckle at the odd gag, when it comes to finding a long-term companion they do not want a partner who will fire a stream of witty repartee at them, according to the study carried out by academics at some of the world's top universities."

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article341715.ece

There's also a really good article about female comedy:

"The presence of a female comic elicits a much different audience reaction than that of her male counterpart...He is granted his due - assumed to be funny until he proves to be otherwise - while she starts from a different position - she must prove that she can be funny."

"The assumption is twofold: women and men find the same things funny, but women are incapable of effectively conveying jokes or humorous anecdotes.

To appreciate 'male' humour is a positive female trait -- a common tip in teen magazines is to laugh at the boys' jokes, let them know you have a sense of humour -- whereas the creation of 'female' humour is considered to be too aggressive for a 'lady.' Men are expected to be the initiators of humour, women the responders, concludes McGhee."

"Stand-up comedy is an aggressive act; to elicit laughter is to exert control, even power. To stand on a stage and initiate humour in an attempt to evoke laughter (and applause) is to reject the submissive, passive role determined for women by North American social conventions."

One comedian says: "A very, very big fear is that the audience is going to be looking at your body instead of listening to what you say. So you try to deny any kind of gender differences between you and those [male] comics in the show."

Have a look: http://thirdspace.ca/articles/druss.htm

That said, my favourite male on Who's Line is both Colin and Ryan teamed up - they have amazing chemistry. My favourite female comedian (not from Who's Line) is either Sarah Silverman, Margaret Cho, or Ellen Degeneres.

Anyway, nice question & happy laughing!

Answer 2

I agree, the women aren't quite as funny as the guys. The old BBC version is really funny too, not just the Drew Carey one. And the women on that one are the same- not as funny!

Answer 3

it rather is an fantastically wide question. Atheism actually ability 'devoid of god' and because maximum human acts of devastation have been contained in the call of one god or yet another, this might recommend that they are much less risky than those with a faith. in case you think of approximately it in a greater summary way, atheism promotes loose thinking and the choice to have faith what you like devoid of the predicament of somebody telling you what's right devoid of any info. in this way, many faiths actually sell lack of wisdom over wisdom. (The reasoning at the back of this lays with early society people attempting to style a potential society that applications properly mutually. faith is an fantastically useful thank you to try this, subsequently why there are maximum of similarities between them). So looking on what you mean by harm, in early human society atheism could have been greater unfavorable to the form of the human race yet in contemporary cases (the final one hundred fifty years or so) faith is dropping its place in contemporary society.

Answer 4

My favorite female performer was Kathy Greenwood. As for the males I don't have a favorite.

Answer 5

I have never found the women on there very funny! I am glad I am not the only one who thinks that!

I love that show it's hilarious!

Answer 6

maybe
i think drew carey is my favorite male
but I dont know about the female

Answer 7

the men on the show are wayyyyy better

Answer 8

Unfortuneately, that's how it is in life, also.

Answer 9

no they aren't