The Secrets To Dropout's Crowd Control From The Comedians Who Personally Roasted Me

During season seven of Dropout's hit comedy show "Game Changer" — the show where the game changes every episode — the episode titled "Crowd Control" brought a brand-new twist: comedians Josh Johnson, Jeff Arcuri, and Gianmarco Soresi went head-to-head in a stand-up crowdwork showdown. The audience was armed with T-shirts displaying a weird fact or story about their lives, and it was the comedians' jobs to turn anecdotes like "ask me about my love life" into comedy gold. It was an instant fan favorite. Social media lit up, the very active Dropout subreddit lost its collective mind, and cries for a spin-off came fast and furious. What fans didn't realize was that "Crowd Control" was already in the can — a backdoor pilot staring right at them. Like "Play It By Ear," "Dirty Laundry," and the endlessly clippable "Make Some Noise," this was another "Game Changer" spin-off in the making.

But I knew all this because I'd been chosen to sit in the audience for an episode of "Crowd Control" months prior, featuring comedians Paul F. Tompkins, Jamie Loftus, and Gianmarco Soresi.

The "Game Changer" episode of "Crowd Control" paved the way for Jacquis Neal to step in as host of the full-fledged series. Neal's no stranger to the spotlight; he's a veteran comedian, writer, and actor, the host of the live game show "Comedian Clash," and a familiar face to Dropout fans. With razor-sharp timing, endless charisma, and an uncanny ability to own any room he walks into, Neal was the obvious choice, and his insight helped perfect the show's flow. "I was pretty adamant about doing 'Crowd Control' all the way straight through, like a real live show," he tells me. "I said, 'If we want this to feel like a comedy club and not just a TV taping, I can host it like a 90-minute set.'"

And that's exactly what it felt like: palpable energy, eruptions of laughter, and a wish that the show would never end. Now that the episode I participated in has finally aired, I caught up with Jacquis Neal and two-time "Crowd Control" champ Gianmarco Soresi to flip the script, put them in the hot seat, and dig into what really makes this show tick.

Directed by Jonah Ray Rodrigues ("Mystery Science Theater 3000"), the "Crowd Control" set was designed to capture the feel of a real comedy club, while one-way mirrors let cameras catch both the comics and the crowd without interrupting the show. Audience members sat at mini tables lit by little lamps like something out of the Kit Kat Club in "Cabaret." Normally, I'd be sipping a pricey, watered-down cocktail, but Dropout kept it responsible with water in rocks glasses. The setup was so immersive that I almost forgot to stay hyper-aware that any expression I made could end up on TV.

Before taping, we were asked to cover our shirts until our "secret reveals," meaning the audience, like the comedians, had no idea what stories were hiding among us. Even the host was kept in the dark. "I preferred it that way," Neal tells me. "I wanted to be surprised along with the comedians." Neal notes that some audience members brought props (like the duo from Ragmop & Goose, who arrived with puppets), and knowing that ahead of time could've let him guide the show differently. Still, he felt it was more important to keep things spontaneous: finding the off-the-cuff comedic magic in the moment.

Gianmarco Soresi, the reigning "Game Changer" champion, was thrilled to return. "Dropout is very protective of making everyone look good," Soresi says. "Sometimes people comment on my videos, like, 'Oh, he never misses!' And I'm like, 'Well, I don't caption the misses.' Believe you me, there are plenty." While the format brought some nerves the first go around, he says the structure of the show sets performers up for success. "I had real faith that the editors would treat me well, which they did," he says. Having been in the room myself, I can confirm: the editing is some serious sorcery on display.

If you watch episode 2 of season 1, Paul F. Tompkins asks what I do for a living, and the second I say "entertainment critic," he replies, "THANK YOU, BJ!" and moves on. In reality, there was a longer discussion after that moment where I was given the space to explain the nuance of being an entertainment journalist, media analyst, and critic, but defining what's on my LinkedIn profile doesn't make for good TV.

There's an art to crowd work, and for Soresi, incorporating t-shirt talking points is just one tool in his kit for creating the best possible moment. "One of the differences with doing a game show model versus regular crowd work is sometimes you'll have someone who's super willing to participate, sometimes it's someone shy, sometimes you have someone who wants to tell too much," he explains. "You just have to navigate whatever the circumstances are; some people are weird storytellers, and the joke is that's the way that they're telling it to you. You always have to be kind of flexible to lean in towards whatever feels funniest in the moment."

On "Game Changer," Soresi was positioned as the heel — a role that gave him plenty of room to run with on his return. "I challenge myself to not be safer," he says. "I try to be consistent." A vocal comedian who speaks truth to power on current events, Soresi draws an audience largely made up of marginalized folks, or, as he's joked, "very queer, theater kids, and children of divorce." When he's roasting someone with crowd work, he has to resist the urge to handhold, knowing how rough things are for many right now, and still aim for good-natured ribbing.

"Because it is a safe space and they know me, they know I'm not trying to hurt their feelings," Soresi says of his own stand-up shows. "And there's similar vibes with that at Dropout where I can be kind of a comedic jerk because we're all rooting for each other," he explains. "The comedian's job is always to push it a little, and if everyone in the room is comedy-adjacent or artistic-adjacent, then it's my job to still be the one walking the line. If the line has moved, I have to walk a new line for that space."

At this point, Soresi might as well be the pace car for the show. "The bounds of Dropout are so much kinder than any other comedy thing that I've done, and I still feel like they let me be the jerk that I want to be," he says with a laugh.

Jacquis Neal admits that before stepping onto "Make Some Noise," short-form improv wasn't exactly his jam, as long-form improv has always been more his speed. "The 'we're building this as it goes along' aspect of comedy is always a little more comfortable for me," he tells me. That's exactly the skillset you want in the host of a show that may have a finish line, but absolutely no roadmap.

In just the first three episodes, the audience has featured: Xandiloquence Bizarre, who makes hats out of dried cucumber; Maeve Andrews, a visual development artist who also voiced Jack-Jack in "The Incredibles" as an actual baby; and an incredible moment of observational humor when comedian Jenny Zigrino rightfully clocked an audience member who "poisoned themself by eating 60 apples" to be, quote, "a horse girl." No matter the chaos lobbed on stage, Neal keeps "Crowd Control" ... well, under control.

The show also doubles as a brilliant Trojan horse for introducing top-tier comedians to a built-in, rabid fanbase. After 15 years in this industry, I don't fangirl easily, but I'd be lying if I said getting paid to watch one of the best comedians performing today work his magic was the hardest part of the NDA I signed to keep a secret. Soresi debuted his first hour-long stand-up special, "Thief of Joy," on YouTube in September 2025, and it's hands-down one of the best of the year. Soresi delivers jokes like a machine gun with ADHD, so it's no surprise that on "Crowd Control," he's always the quickest draw in the room. 

"I'm happy for the people who know me for my crowd work and watch the special and go, 'Oh, my God, there's an hour of just jokes,' and I'm sure there are some people who hate crowd work," Soresi says. "But I assure them, 'Hey, if you come to the show, don't worry. There might be some moments, because I will always let myself go into crowd work when it feels viable, but you're going to get a full, prepared show."

As Soresi recently pointed out on an episode of his and Russell Daniels' podcast, "The Downside," with guest, comedian/writer/actor/Letterboxd legend/Dropout Favorite Demi Adejuyigbe, once you're on the platform, you've got a dedicated crop of people willing to come to your shows. If the Dropout subreddit is anything to go by (yes, I lurk and appreciate the kind souls who share my articles over there), Soresi's appearances have inspired countless fans to go on a deep dive of his stand-up work, his podcast, and his presence on social media. The same thing has been happening for all of the comics who've appeared on the show.

Stand-up comedy is happening in cities all over the country, but it's a "scene" that you have to be tapped into to know who is coming through and which venues are worth their salt. The monoculture is dead, and algorithms are not our friends, so it can feel overwhelming trying to find new comedy voices who exist outside of the mainstream. "Crowd Control" and Dropout help to bridge that gap, and the result is a devoted fanbase happy to financially support the artists that make them laugh while the world slowly deteriorates into preventative rubble. It's not unlike the way horror fans will show up to a convention to support an actor who starred in their favorite dirtball slasher from 1983, even if (or perhaps especially) if there's nothing else on their filmography. It's a passion that cannot be contained or truly explained, but it's real, and that's all that matters.

Fans are already fantasy casting who they want to see appear on future seasons of the show and debating what would be on their shirts if they were picked for the audience (mine was related to this, for those curious, since it didn't make the TV edit), but Soresi is prepared for anyone who dares come for his crown. "I mean, good luck," Soresi says through a smile. "I used to do six spots a night at some of the sh**tiest comedy clubs in the world that don't even exist anymore, so you'd better put in the time if you want to get in the ring with me."

PS: for the people wanting to know my full take on "Grease" that Jamie Loftus roasted me for on the show, I made a TikTok just for you.