Wayne Brady is a famous comedian and actor who’s won multiple Emmy Awards and been nominated for a Grammy Award — and now he’s on BYUtv.
Brady’s show, “Wayne Brady’s Comedy IQ,” premiered on April 6 and shows the journey of a group of young, aspiring comedians as Brady challenges them to improve their skills and serves as their comedic mentor.
Mechelle Collins, co-owner of Intuitive Entertainment and executive producer of the show, said that Brady came to Intuitive Entertainment with the idea for the show after watching “The Rap Game,” a game show for teenage rappers. Brady had watched “The Rap Game” with his daughter and he liked how family-friendly the show was. The idea behind “Wayne Brady’s Comedy IQ” was to make something similar for comedians.
“This is a show that’s totally different, feels different and really engages kids in a very positive way so that they can watch with their families,” Collins said.
Collins said they decided to bring the show to BYU because, after looking around at different broadcasting companies, they felt that BYUtv resonated with the show’s family-centered vibe.
“I’m so grateful to BYUtv for giving me the chance to pass on my 30 years plus of comedy and
performing knowledge,” Brady said in a press release about the show. “It means so much to me to help the next generation of funny along. I get to give the comedy guidance I never had at that age!”
According to Collins, Brady relates well to the teenagers on his show because of the close relationship he has with his own daughter. She said his understanding of the kids’ world has helped to inform and inspire a lot of his creative decisions.
Participants in the show are eliminated throughout the 10 episodes. By the end of the season, a winner will be chosen who will get to perform with Brady on one of his tour dates and have a special guest appearance on BYU’s sketch comedy show “Studio C,” along with other prizes.
Collins said the show is about the journey and progress of the kids that participate.
“The entertainment industry is not always easy — it’s not always fun — but you get through it, and we see such a beautiful arc with the kids along the way because they put in the work and they put in the time and energy and they got to the other side of it,” Collins said.
