GOINGS ON: SAN FRANCISCO BEAT 

W. Kamau Bell won Season 3 of Celebrity Jeopardy in 2025. The Oakland comic was a semi-finalist in the S.F. Bay Area Comedy Competition.

S.F. Comedy Competition Alumni Return to Celebrity Jeopardy

“TO HELL WITH THE CHIPS” — Two of our alumni, W. Kamau Bell & Patton Oswalt, are smart enough to be repeat contestants on “Celebrity Jeopardy All-Stars.” In fact, Kamau won the event last year. In recognition of his achievement, he was invited directly into the semi-finals this year. This brought back memories of the key decision Anne and Jon Fox made about entering into partnership with Comedy Competition inventor, Frank Kidder.
 
In 1977, the Foxes had attended a Kidder workshop where Jon took a picture of the 1976 champ Bill Farley good enough to be printed in area newspapers. As they considered going partners with Kidder, the Foxes felt it vital that Farley defend his title. Farley was willing but felt he should be elevated directly into the finals.
 
The Foxes could live with the request but Kidder could not. “I’d rather kill it than see my creation compromised,” Kidder declared.
After much discussion with Anne, Jon called Bill and asked if the prize fund was increased from $500 to $1,000, would he compete from the beginning. To his ever lasting credit, Bill agreed.
 
Fifty years later, Jon wonders if he had suggested direct entry into the semis instead of the finals the way “Jeopardy” did with Kamau, would Bill & Frank have accepted such a compromise with the prize fund remaining the same. He thinks about stuff like that.
1989 San Francisco Bay Area Comedy Competition Finalist Henry Cho was recently inducted into The Grand Ole Opry. The first comic to be inducted since 1973

14th Annual Finalist Inducted into The Grand Ole Opry

The San Francisco Comedy Competition has long been a launching pad for major stand-up careers, and finalist Henry Cho is the latest example of a career still making headlines decades later. In 2023, Cho was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, a rare honor that also highlighted how infrequently stand-up comedians are formally recognized by the historic Nashville institution.

Cho first broke through as a finalist in the 1989 San Francisco Comedy Competition, where his clean, observational style and distinctive Southern perspective helped set him apart in one of the country’s most respected stand-up showcases. Since then, he has built a career spanning clubs, television, and theaters, with a strong following for his family-friendly comedy.

His Grand Ole Opry induction places him in a very small group of comedians ever officially added to the Opry membership. Notably, he and fellow comic Gary Mule Deer were inducted together, marking the first time since 1973 when Jerry Clower was added that a stand-up comedian joined the Opry’s ranks.

Cho’s connection to the Opry runs deep. He has performed there more than 100 times over his career, becoming a regular guest long before his formal induction. The recognition reflects both his longevity and the Opry’s longstanding, if understated, relationship with comedy as part of its broader entertainment tradition.