Chico Comedy Competition Recap: Best Dressed, Packed Rooms, and Big Laughs

What a weekend for stand-up comedy in Chico!

This past Friday and Saturday (August 21st & 22nd), the local comedy community came together for the Chico Comedy Competition—a two-night throwdown organized and hosted by the dynamic duo of Jared Carter and co-host Tron Javolta.

From packed venues to razor-sharp sets, it was a showcase of how much talent we have right here in town. Here’s a breakdown of how the whole weekend went down.

Night 1: The Preliminary Round at Unwined Kitchen & Bar

Friday night kicked off at Unwined Kitchen & Bar with 12 comedians stepping up to the mic to battle for a spot in the finals.

The energy in the room was electric from the start. The venue was absolutely packed with comedy fans ready to laugh. With 12 comics performing full sets, the show definitely turned into a marathon of a night—it ran pretty long, but the crowd hung in there with great enthusiasm and supported everyone on stage.

I was fortunate enough to take home the award for Best Dressed, but more importantly, I managed to secure a spot in the finals.

Out of the 12 performers, the top 7 comedians advanced to Saturday night’s finale:

• Rickey Dean
• Maggie Tallan
• Robyn Engel
• Frank Escalante
• Will Bell
• Amber Pace
• Alex Morgan

Night 2: The Finale at The Allies Pub

Saturday night moved the action over to The Allies Pub for the championship round. The crowd at The Allies Pub was a little more spread out than Friday night, but they were still super supportive and loud when it counted.

The lineup order for the evening was:

1. Alex Morgan
2. Frank Escalante
3. Robyn Engel
4. Will Bell
5. Amber Pace
6. Rickey Dean
7. Maggie Tallan

Every single comic came prepared and delivered their best sets. There wasn’t a weak link in the rotation—it felt like everyone found their groove.

After all the sets wrapped up, all seven of us returned to the stage for the moment of truth: the audience decibel vote. The crowd cheered at the top of their lungs for each performer to narrow it down to the final three: Frank Escalante, Maggie Tallan, and Amber Pace.

The Winners & The Podium

After one more intense round of applause, the final placements were announced:

• 🥉 3rd Place: Amber Pace — consistently sharp and hilarious as always.
• 🥈 2nd Place: Maggie Tallan — an incredible showing for a newcomer in the scene! It was awesome to see her place so high in a tough field.
• 🥇 1st Place & $100 Grand Prize Winner: Frank Escalante — absolutely well deserved. Frank crushed his set from start to finish and took home the win!

Final Thoughts

Big shoutout and thanks to Jared Carter and Tron Javolta for organizing, promoting, and hosting an awesome event. Putting on multi-night comedy competitions takes serious work, and they gave both the comedians and the audience a weekend to remember.

Seeing the Chico comedy scene pack out two different venues on back-to-back nights proves just how alive local live comedy is in our town.

Be sure to follow all the comedians linked above on Instagram, and keep an eye on my Upcoming Shows page to catch my next show!

If you’re looking to hit the stage yourself or catch free weekly comedy, check out the full Chico Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic Schedule. And to stay in the loop with show announcements, pop-up showcases, and local mic updates, join the Chico Comedy Scene Facebook Group or, join the Inner Circle email list to receive occasional email notifications about upcoming shows and events!