A Geeky Guy's Guide to Smartpants on Dropout.tv

During the pandemic, people had to get creative with how they would socialize with friends and entertain themselves. In some parts of the world, it was far easier than others. In the U.S. we have access to just about as much technology as we want so this made it far easier to continue socializing. Apparently one of the things people started doing was putting together slideshows on topics and then presenting them to their friends over Google Meet or other video meeting services. I never got into this as I was busy playing Jackbox Games, online trivia, and poker.

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But luckily some very funny people did. Inspired by this trend, last year a new show popped up on the streaming service Dropout.tv. This show, called Smartypants, revolves around three comedians or comic writers creating a slide show on any topic that they like and then presenting to a room full of other comics and writer. It is hosted by one of my favorite people on Dropout, Rekha Shankar, who usually plays it straight... until they Q & A portion starts and then she has a ton of fun and cracks some great jokes.

Although the presenters can talk about literally anything they want, the format usually stays the same. They put together a slideshow (think a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation) were they pretend to be educating the audience about their chosen topic. In reality, it is just an excuse to be hilarious.

This show gives a huge, wide open platform for some very funny people. There are no rules, just create something funny based on a topic of your choice. This means that if you are a fan of Dropout, you are going to get to see some of your favorite cast members get to really shine.

Some of the best so far have been:

Vic Michaelis , who is just so weird, unique and hilarious, trying to prove that vegetables do not exist.

Jacob Wysocki arguing which cryptid (urban legend monster like Bigfoot) would be the best to get high with.

One of the most surprising ones was Grant O'Brien, who is by far the dirtiest, most raunchy person on Dropout, doing a wholesome one about the best roller coasters.

The one that gave the best advice was Jess McKenna explaining why every group of friends needs a food captain to pick restaurants and order appetizers. She actually sold me on this one.

The absolute best one is Zach Reino's presentation "No Thank You The Ocean" which explains how horrendous the ocean really is. I don't think I stopped laughing the entire time.

The show is very simple. Each episode is only about 30 minutes long so it is great for people with short attention spans like me. After each presentation, the other comedians and writers get to ask questions which lead to some of the funniest parts of the show. If you have a chance, you should check it out for yourself.

Has anybody seen this show? Did anyone partake in this fad?

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