Considering the longstanding animosity between The Journal and Golden Words, heading to their Stand-Up Comedy Night at Clark Hall this past Tuesday was kind of a no-brainer. 

Wanting to see what kind of event our rival paper was putting on, we walked into enemy territory armed with a camera, laminated The Journal press badges and skeptical curiosity. 

Unfortunately, the photos that night were extremely inadequate since our actual photographers weren’t able to come and our press badges got some serious laughs at the door. 

Needless to say, the night wasn’t off to a great start.

Seating ourselves among the eager crowd of comedy-lovers, we weren’t sure what to expect or whether we’d genuinely enjoy ourselves. But from the first act on, we were pleasantly surprised. The entire event kept us laughing — and these weren’t just light giggles, but full-on belly laughs. 

What was most surprising about the event was the fact it was seriously packed, reaching capacity with a long line still curving around the building all the way to the bookstore entrance. Who knew that a dozen 20-somethings could draw such a crowd on a Tuesday night during midterms?

The crowd was upbeat and the drinks were flowing, adding to the overall ambiance of the night — something right out of a typical college movie scene.

Each set ran for about five minutes, to keep the overflowing crowd engaged and entertained. Despite this, some of the sets stirred unexpectedly cringey reactions,  including awkward silences when the performers got a little too politically incorrect. 

There was an ongoing theme of jokes about Jewish people, weed and sex. And as if things weren’t awkward enough, a casual comparison of sex with a sheep versus a Chihuahua, complete with miming, made the night even more uncomfortable thanks to some eye contact with the responsible comedian. 

While giving the overall event a solid 15:85 ratio of inappropriate to funny — a respectable passing grade — some jokes simply fell flat. This was either because they were straight-up not funny, or because many don’t find topics like bestiality as humourous as others.  

Despite the minor lull caused by these offbeat themes, a parodied look at one engineering student’s reverse Good Will Hunting situation — going from engineering to janitor instead of vice versa — inspired some moments of serious laughter. 

One particular performer was, to us, the highlight of the evening. Her jokes about her Asian heritage, her engineering grievances and her social awkwardness all had the audience cheering and laughing throughout her segment. 

Despite the minor hiccups, we definitely understood why the event drew in such a strong crowd. The performers that night had quality material, great timing and delivery, relatable jokes — about everything from using dating apps to school struggles — and really knew how to engage with the crowd. Kudos to Golden Words.

Even though they’re our sworn enemies, we’ll admit they held an awesome event. 

It’s only Golden Words’ second stand-up comedy event, but we seriously hope there will be more to come.