Laughter is expected to fill the room this weekend as the final five compete in Last Laker Standing.

Spotlight Productions, a student-run programming board for campus entertainment, is sponsoring the fifth-annual Grand Valley State University Last Laker Standing comedy competition. The finals will take place at 9 p.m. Friday in the Grand River Room of Kirkhof Center. Doors will open at 8:30 p.m.

“Every year we get a bigger response with more and more students and faculty competing,” said senior Alyson Greenwell, comedy and speaker chair of Spotlight Productions. “It’s really going to be a great show—it’s unlike any other show at GVSU.”

Pete Dominick, warm up comedian for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report,” will host the show. Dominick also hosts XM Satellite Radio’s “Stand Up with Pete Dominick.”

The five finalists, chosen by the audience and judges, will compete for the top three places and prizes. The first prize is worth $500, second prize is $300 and third prize is $150.

“This competition gives (the students) a lot of exposure and lots of good prizes for the top three,” Greenwell said. “It’s just going to be awesome. This year, especially, the semi-finals were amazing.”

Comedians Jason Flannery, Greg Kort, Ryan McKernan, Greg Monahan and Laura Wizniuk have made it to the final stage of Last Laker Standing, and the finalists highly recommend the event.

“Students should come out to the Last Laker Standing because all of the cool kids will be there,” Kort said.

Greenwell added students might find some humor from unexpected characters.

“It’s really great – not only do students come together and support each other, but you laugh a ton,” Greenwell said. “You don’t expect a person in your class to be that funny.”

Auditions were held in mid-January. For more information on auditions and future competitions, e-mail [email protected].

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