Student Life at Montclair (SLAM) is known for bringing great entertainment to the students of Montclair State University. Each semester, the organization sponsors a big event on campus, usually consisting of a concert or something similar. This year, SLAM decided to do something unprecedented, something this class of students had not experienced before.
For the first time ever, they welcomed comedians from the MTV/MTV2/VH1 hit series “Wild ‘N Out” for Montclair State’s own personalized version called “Comedy Series Vol. I.”
“This has been in the works since June,” Nicole Merendino, SLAM’s live entertainment chair, said. “I chose to work with a new production company this semester because I knew I definitely did not want to do M-Glow.”
Approaching its 15th season, “Wild ‘N Out” follows two improv teams built with traditional and social media comedians as they go head-to-head to win a championship belt.
Each show has two rounds of fan-favorite games followed by the battle round. The show has been hosted by Nick Cannon since its debut on MTV in 2005, becoming wildly successful and gaining many loyal fans waiting to see which celebrity guest would be featured on each episode.
The SLAM team poses for a group photo following the successful “SLAM Comedy Series Vol. 1” event, which is the first event of its kind at Montclair State Photo courtesy of Nicole Merendino
Given SLAM’s success last semester with booking hip-hop artist A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Merendino felt pressure to keep the momentum going. However, without proper transitional documents and a brand new production company, she felt like she was starting from scratch.
With the help of the Student Government Association’s President, Jherel Saunders-Dittimus, “Wild ‘N Out” comedians D.C. Young Fly, Rip Micheals, Karlous Miller along with GL Douglas, Omar Thompson and Brooklyn Mike, took over the stage of Memorial Auditorium.
Merendino poses with Wild ‘N Out cast member Karlous Miller, who performed in the “SLAM Comedy Series Vol. 1” event on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Photo courtesy of Nicole Merendino
“It was a risk I was willing to take, so when I was able to coordinate [Memorial Auditorium’s] availability, [University Police Department] coverage and the comedians’ availabilities, I was ecstatic,” Merendino said.
The comedians told jokes ranging from their experiences teaching, to their ethnicity.
“I treat kindergarten like jail,” GL Douglas told the audience.
They related to and had an interactive experience with the crowd.
At many points during each comedian’s set, they made specific jokes about members of the audience and highlighted people specifically. They referred to one student with buzzed blonde hair as a Q-Tip, and another student wearing Timberland boots as “work boots.”
This not only rendered a louder cry of laughter from the audience, but it showcased how truly witty and funny this group of talent was.
D.C. Young Fly even brought some brothers from a fraternity up on stage for a personal diss, but they came up short and he jokingly kicked them off the stage.
Although they were meant to be humorous, some of the jokes had advice to them.
“I’m very outspoken and every time they asked me, I’d tell them the truth,” one of the comedians joked.
They also were stunned that they were in a room full of college students. Obviously they knew they were coming to a college campus, but each comedian kept driving home the fact that being in college was a huge accomplishment that everyone should be proud of.
Merendino, the organizer of the “SLAM Comedy Series Vol. 1” event, poses with Wild ‘N Out member D.C.Young Fly. Photo courtesy of Nicole Merendino
While the jokes were the highlights of the night, D.C. Young Fly used the last 10-minutes of his set “to give his testimony.” He talked about how six years ago he was selling drugs on the streets. He even told a funny anecdote about how he went to jail because someone who beat him up pressed charges against him.
At that point in his life, an app called Vine was just starting out and he recalls his friends telling him that he should really put his jokes on there. He always shrugged them off because he did not think much of it. Eventually, he downloaded the app and started creating content.
Since that moment, his fame skyrocketed, landing him millions of followers across all social media platforms, earned him roles in multiple movies and television shows and secured him a recurring spot on “Wild ‘N Out.” It was a true testament to what taking every opportunity that is thrown at you can do for you.
While many felt they were given a good amount of time, others felt some could have been longer.
“Rip Micheals should have been longer,” Brittany Pierre-Louis, a junior exercise science major, said.
Nonetheless, Montclair State students had a great time at the wildly hilarious “Wild ‘N Out” show, and are looking forward to see what SLAM brings to campus next.
