Iliza Shlesinger
Encyclopedia
Iliza Vie Shlesinger is an American comedian
, winner of NBC
's Last Comic Standing
in the series' sixth season and current host of the syndicated dating show Excused
.
, Texas
, where she attended the private Greenhill School and participated on the school's Improv Team. She is Jewish. Shlesinger performed with ComedySportz
Dallas. She attended the University of Kansas
for her freshman year. She then transferred to Emerson College
in Boston
and majored in Film. There she was a member of the campus' second favorite comedy sketch group, Jimmy’s Traveling All Stars, and refined her writing and editing skills. After graduating from college, she moved to Los Angeles
to pursue stand-up. She was one of the most popular members of the "Whiteboy Comedy" group of stand-up comedians in Los Angeles which brought her to the stage at the Improv in Hollywood.
Girl of the Week. Her television credits include E! Network's Forbes
Celebrity 100, TV Guide
’s America’s Next Top Producer, Byron Allen
’s Comics Unleashed
, and History Channel’s History of a Joke. She has written for Heavy.com and had her own show on GOTV
’s mobile network. Schlesinger is a contributor to "Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black," a History Channel holiday special.
's Last Comic Standing
in the series' sixth season. She was twice selected by other comedians to compete in the head-to-head eliminations and won both times. She appeared in The Last Comic Standing Tour.
, a syndicated American reality-based dating competition series.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, winner of NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network Comedy...
in the series' sixth season and current host of the syndicated dating show Excused
Excused
Excused is a American dating reality-based competition series that debuted in first-run syndication in the United States and Canada on September 12, 2011...
.
Background
Shlesinger is from DallasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where she attended the private Greenhill School and participated on the school's Improv Team. She is Jewish. Shlesinger performed with ComedySportz
ComedySportz
ComedySportz is an improvisational comedy organization started in 1984 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by a group of local comedians including Dick Chudnow, Bob Orvis, Brian Green and many others.-Format:...
Dallas. She attended the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
for her freshman year. She then transferred to Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and majored in Film. There she was a member of the campus' second favorite comedy sketch group, Jimmy’s Traveling All Stars, and refined her writing and editing skills. After graduating from college, she moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to pursue stand-up. She was one of the most popular members of the "Whiteboy Comedy" group of stand-up comedians in Los Angeles which brought her to the stage at the Improv in Hollywood.
Career
Shlesinger hosts The Weakly News on TheStream.tv. In 2007, Shlesinger won Myspace’s So You Think You're Funny contest and has been featured as the G4 network’s MyspaceMyspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
Girl of the Week. Her television credits include E! Network's Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
Celebrity 100, TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
’s America’s Next Top Producer, Byron Allen
Byron Allen
Byron Allen is an American comedian. He is the head of Entertainment Studios, a broadcast syndication company responsible for producing and distributing several television shows pertaining to stand-up comedy and the entertainment industry. Allen also hosts some of the shows himself.-Early...
’s Comics Unleashed
Comics Unleashed
Comics Unleashed is a half-hour comedic talk show produced by the Entertainment Studios production company and hosted by Byron Allen, with John Cramer as announcer and ' providing music support. The show features a panel of four guest comedians performing their standup bits thinly disguised as a...
, and History Channel’s History of a Joke. She has written for Heavy.com and had her own show on GOTV
GOTV
GOTV may refer to:* Get out the vote, the final phase of a political campaign* GoTV Networks, a mobile content company* Gathering of the Vibes, a music festival* GoTV, an Austrian music channel...
’s mobile network. Schlesinger is a contributor to "Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black," a History Channel holiday special.
Last Comic Standing
Shlesinger became the first female and also the youngest winner of NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing 6
The 6th season of Last Comic Standing began airing in May 2008. This competitive reality show on NBC was hosted by Bill Bellamy and a new co-host, Fearne Cotton...
in the series' sixth season. She was twice selected by other comedians to compete in the head-to-head eliminations and won both times. She appeared in The Last Comic Standing Tour.
Excused
Shlesinger is currently the host of ExcusedExcused
Excused is a American dating reality-based competition series that debuted in first-run syndication in the United States and Canada on September 12, 2011...
, a syndicated American reality-based dating competition series.