Last Comic Standing: First Female Winner! 8/8/08

Los Angeles Comic -- The First Female Winner In The Show's Six-Season History – Wins $250,000 Grand Prize

Burank, California – August 8, 2008 – Iliza Shlesinger, a 25-year-old Los Angeles-based comic originally from Dallas, Texas, made television history last night by becoming the first female "Last Comic Standing" in the six-season history of NBC's Emmy-nominated series.

Shlesinger said, "I'm so excited because I put my heart and soul into this and I got more out of it than I could ever have imagined."

Shlesinger proved to be a tough competitor early on in the series, going head-to-head against other comics in the first two challenge episodes and emerging victorious both times. She was one of five comics left standing, along with Jeff Dye (Seattle, Washington), Louis Ramey (Queens, NY), Jim Tavare (London, England) and Marcus (West Jordan, Utah). Last night, America voted and chose Shlesinger to be the "Last Comic Standing" and win the $250,000 grand prize, including an exclusive talent deal with NBC, a brand new Honda Pilot, and a starring appearance in Jubilee! at Bally's Las Vegas. Marcus came in second place during the finale taped at the Paris Las Vegas.

Shlesinger grew up in Dallas, TX, where she performed with Comedy Sportz in Dallas before moving to Boston to study film at Emerson College. She has been a comedian for three years, and now lives in Los Angeles, where she is a regular at the Comedy Store and Improv comedy clubs around the country. In recent years she has won the Myspace "So You Think You're Funny" contest, has been featured on the G4, E! and The History Channel's "History of the Joke," and has traveled to foreign countries to entertain troops. Shlesinger also writes and stars in her own online news show on www.theStream.tv called "The Weakly News".