Hannibal Buress is the "Funniest Person in Chicago," if a roomful of comedy fans at the Lakeshore Theater and Time Out Chicago are to be believed. According to TOC, Lakeshore Theater owner Chris Ritter told Hannibal: "You’ve been on the Lakeshore stage more than any other performer, and it’s obvious why that is."

Second place finisher Ken Barnard shared these thoughts with The Bastion: "The Funniest Person in Chicago contest was a great showcase of local comedic talent here in the Windy City. It was wonderful to see such a varied group of comics all represent our city so well. As a contestant, it was a pleasure to have the chance to perform for both the judges - some of the more influential forces in the Chicago comedy scene – and a great Lakeshore audience. I was very pleased with my second place finish, which included dough, a DVD of 'There’s Something About Mary,' and some loose candy. The cool thing about coming in second is that when Hannibal is out of town, I’ll be the funniest person in Chicago."

Third place contender Dan Telfer shared these post-show thoughts on his blog: "...holy shit what a fun show to do. Giant, enthusiastic crowds are a tough commodity to come by, and I just tried to squeeze out every drop of enthusiasm I had for them. I think it paid off. And I couldn't have taken third place to two more insanely talented people, with my pal Ken Barnard in 2nd and one-foot-in-New-York-already Hannibal Buress taking 1st. In fact there were so many badass finalists I had not counted on finishing in the top 3 at all, so I am beyond gratified this morning. Plus 3rd place got $100, and I was never told beforehand money was involved, so that was a nice freaking surprise."

Fellow Blewt-ian Steve Gadlin sat on the judging panel, and wrote about the experience briefly in his blog: "Last night I sat on the judging panel for Time Out Chicago's "Chicago's Funniest Person" competition. I was up there with Beth Kligerman, talent scout for Second City, Steve Heisler, comedy editor for Time Out Chicago, and Chris Ritter, owner of the Lake Shore Theater. Time Out hooked us up pretty well! We had hip and expensive bottles of water that looked like science projects, and a Time Out bag of goodies. I felt like I was a presenter at the Oscars. Well, maybe the Golden Globes."

It was a fun night of stand-up in a cool new venue, for sure, but the question of contests still remains: are they necessary? Good fun? Or are they divisive and mean-spirited? A good way to make some extra dough (when possible)? Do some people flat out refuse to participate in them? Are all shows and events essentially contests? Any thoughts on this?

Photos by Gena Bailey.