2018 Coaches 

The charm of SOPHIE HUGHES allows her to say and do things she shouldn't be able to get away with. Her good looks have helped her to achieve regular work as a voice actor. She has performed at Limestone Comedy Fest, 208 Comedy Fest, and Politically Re-Active with W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu.

You may remember LEIL CARDOZA from his stand-up debut at the Madison Elementary sixth grade talent show in 1991. His father made him practice for hours before that show, standing in the garage with a stop watch, and making him start over every time he said 'um'. Leil is looking forward to passing on the trauma of this first comedic experience to his contestant.

MONTANA BURKE is a writer and comedian from Boise, Idaho known for his unique takes on everyday topics, belligerent rants, and creative use of non-sequiturs. While attending Washington State University Montana directed and wrote for two television shows for Cable 8 Productions. In 2015 Montana started doing stand-up comedy and now regularly performs at Liquid Laughs Comedy Club in Boise.

Comedy found BETH NORTON in Vermont in 2014 where she was working as a coat check during the semi-finals of a stand-up competition at the bar where Phish got its start. Soon after she made it to the semi-final round of that same competition. Beth moved to Boise late in 2016 and now features in local showcases all over the Treasure Valley. In 2018 she performed at Treefort Music Festival’s ComedyFort.

BEN HESS was born upside down and backwards. And so goes his comedy. With his cavalier style, he relates his unique life experiences by providing new and odd perspectives. Whether musing on elevator werewolves or espousing the realities of mental health, Ben's all-inclusive approach will leave you thinking. And if not thinking, at least he'll leave you laughing.

MERRY COLE is a comic with a flair for combining everyday topics with her quick wit, unique rhetoric and just the right amount of edge. She first came onto the comedy scene in 2014 when she entered Boise’s Funniest Person, and as a novice who had never before taken the stage, she walked away with second place. Since then she has performed all over Idaho, and the Northwest.

ERIC COLE was born fully formed, as he sprang to life from the inside of a fish tank, so It's easy to see where he gets his irreverent, nonsensical sense of humor. He's made 'em laugh from Idaho to Reno and back again, hosted the shit out of the main stage at the 2017 Idaho Laugh Fest and is Boise’s own roastmaster general.

JASON WARD is a comedian, scientist, and author from Boise, Idaho. A frequent stage presence at Liquid Laughs, he has also performed in Idaho Laugh Festival, 208 Comedy Festival, and ComedyFort, and has been a coach in Boise’s Funniest Person for the past 4 years. His 2017 contestant, Melanie Hopkins, won the competition. Jason has opened for Bob and Tom Radio’s favorite comics Auggie Smith and Costaki Economopoulos and will be opening for Jay Mohr in August 2018. When not delighting audiences as a stand-up comedian, Jason is a full-time student of Physics and Biomedical Engineering at Boise State University, where he works as an undergraduate research fellow developing microenvironment materials for stem cell differentiation and other skills unnecessary for comedy.

According to a former classmate, KC HUNT has had sad eyes since the fourth grade. KC's sarcastic mix of observational and absurdist humor touches on subjects from the mundane to the profane, connecting with diverse audiences while still challenging their assumptions. All with a look on his face like his mustache smells funny. In 2016, KC’s contestant was Boise’s Funniest Runner-Up.

HAILEE LENHART-WEES is what you call a multitalented person. Along with being a stand up Stand Up, she is a Theatre connoisseur. Hailee spends most of her time trying to think of what would make people the most uncomfortable. Her philosophy is “If people are scared, they laugh, so make them laugh anyway you can.” Hailee was a finalist in Boise's Funniest Person 2016.

Alternate Coach DUSTIN CHALIFOUX does not walk the thin line between genius and insanity, he is the thin line between genius and insanity. With an in your face, blast of the bizarre free flowing style Dustin has been bringing thought provoking laughter to audiences throughout the Mid and Northwest for the past several years.

​2018 JUDGES - sEMI-fINALS

Teen mom turned meth addict turned comedian, JESSA REED tells raw and candid stories about about her past and her new life as a homeschooling housewife trying to blend in with the normal people. Her honesty is shocking, inspirational and not for the faint of heart. She is co-host of the popular podcast "Mormon and The Meth-Head."

Check out Jessa on  Comedy Central's This Is Not Happening...

AARON WOODALL'S unique perspective has been entertaining sold-out comedy clubs and half-empty bars across the West for the last six years. In 2015, Aaron made his national television debut when he performed on “Laughs” on Fox.  In 2016 he was a host of the hidden camera pranks show “Random Acts” on BYUtv, until they replaced him with someone better in Season 2.
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He has competed in several prestigious festivals including the Big Sky Comedy Fest, Inside Jokes Los Angeles, The Rocky Mountain Laugh Off, where he was a finalist, The World Series of Comedy, where he was a quarter-finalist, and NYC’s Devil Cup, where he was a finalist. He’s never won anything. He is co-host of the popular podcast "Mormon and The Meth-Head."

Listen to Mormon and the Meth-Head HERE!

2018 JUDGES - ROUND ONE 

MATTIO MARTINEZ comes to Boise from Los Angeles, where he has opened for comics such as Ali Wong, Theo Vaughn, Iliza Shlesinger, was one of the top three finalist at the 2017 Ventura Comedy Festival. He is an award winning filmmaker with writing credits that include BBC, ABC, Sony, has written stand up for Jeff Garlan and Chelsea Handler, and has performed at top comedy clubs such as the Comedy Store, the Laugh Factory, and the Hollywood Improv.

DYLAN HAAS is no fun, does not like fun things and has no imagination.
Dylan is the co-founder and co-director of the 208 Comedy Fest as well as the co-director of Comedyfort, the funniest part of Treefort. He is the president of Almost There productions but is better known as everyone’s favorite step dad.

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AMY ATKINS, former ​Editor-in-Chief of the Boise Weekly, ​ describes herself as a "writer, maker of jewelry, listener of music, watcher of TV, reader of books, surfer of Internet, and lover of hitchhiking cats and all things pink." She's a passionate consumer and reviewer of entertainment, and has lent her excellent judging and commentary skills to all six years of Boise’s Funniest Person. Amy will be judging every round of BFP 2018. Thanks, Amy!

2018 HOST - Austin von Johnson

Austin's stand up comedy career began with being a semi-finalist in 2017's Boise's Funniest Person competition. From there, he quickly became one of Boise's favorite hosts and feature comedians. He's performed for the Campfire Theatre Festival, the Boise Ad Federation, and multiple venues around the Treasure Valley. 

Austin has also performed in improv shows all over the Pacific Northwest including Sun Valley Film Festival, Campfire Theatre Festival, The Egyptian Theatre, The Orpheum Theatre, Liquid Laughs, and more! He's performed as part of Open World Comedy, Recycled Minds Comedy, and Zip Zap Zop and is the founder of The Idaho Improv Collective, a private improv networking organization.

Austin has an enviable comedian's day job as an accomplished actor with credits ranging from drama, to horror, to comedy. He primarily works out of Boise and travels all over the country for film and commercial bookings. He is known for his work in Friday the 13th: Mythos, About Andy, Hero, Netflix and Kill, Make it Count, and more!

Boise's Funniest Person is THRILLED to have Austin back on our stage!