“Totally Butterfingers”
Saturday night was one of the best nights I have ever had doing Improv.
I played the ComedySportz late show on “The Philadelphia Fighting” Amish with Jason Stockdale, Kristin Finger & Alli Soowal (who was also the Captain). Before the show began Alli asked me what I thought of playing “Game-O-Matic.” She knew I had never played it, and probably suspected I had never even heard of it. Once she explained it, I remembered reading about it, but I had never seen it played before. Basically, the members of the team line up and invent a game. The audience decides which game will be played.
So we are a game into the second half of the show when Alli tells The Ref (Don Montrey) we’d like to play Game-O-Matic. We line up and each of us suggests our game to the fans. Mine was a simple “switch game” called, “That’s Our Hasselhoff.” Where we would play out a scene and then replay the same scene replacing all of the characters with David Hasselhoff. Any other night, that would probably be the winner. However this night would see the game “Totally Butterfingers” played instead.
Jason suggested a game, where any time a player says the word “and,” they have to woof down an entire Butterfinger candy bar. Luckily we have snack in ample supply at the concession table. Don went down the line getting everyone to applaud for the game they wanted to see the most. The deafening roar when Don asked if the audience wanted to see “Totally Butterfingers” sent Eoin O’Shea, from The New Jersey Turnpikes, running to gather up the candy.
Kristin & Jason started the scene in an office. Kristin’s character had seen a mouse and was going to get tools to “eliminate” it. Jason wanted to know which tools exactly, forcing her into eventually saying “and.” She jammed the candy bar into her mouth. Jason continued the scene as Alli came in as the supervisor. Jason said “and” triggering further Butterfinger consumption. Alli, who I believe is the only one to accidentally say “and”, was in the mist of Totally eating when I stepped in to yell at all my co workers for their lack of production. I knew full well I was going to say the word“and”…but I waited. I wanted it to seem to the audience like I might not say it. I wanted the audience to think, “I think he’s going to make it.” Finally I gave a litany of issues occurring in the office which included the infamous word.
The laughter, cheers or general guffaw that rang through my ears, was one of the greatest highs I have ever experienced in my life.
As we continued the scene some of my Butterfinger, or as I call it “Butterfinger dust”, popped out of my mouth causing an abundance of laughter from the front row. At that point I decided to really try and talk which forced the BF Dust EVERYWHERE! I looked around and noticed Alli, Jason & Kristin were also regurgitating Butterfingers in exchange for laughter. Don called the game and luckily brought up a “Brown Bag” for us to rid ourselves of the candy still in our mouths.
While The New Jersey Turnpikes played the next game, I found myself emptying my water bottle trying to get the now candy cement out of my mouth.
We later learned poor Kristin had recently had work done on her teeth. This game was a complete NO NO for her, yet she suffered for her art like a pro!
As I think back two things come to the forefront of my mind, one, how amazing it was to know we had the audience right where we wanted them and two, that I NEVER want to eat another Butterfinger again.
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Come see ComedySportz, and be sure to stop by the snack table!
