Gary Vider Wins 5th Annual 'Carolines Comedy Madness' Stand-up Tournament

Comedian Gary Vider topped a pool of 64 comedians to be named champion of the fifth annual "Carolines Comedy Madness" stand-up comedy tournament at famed comedy hotspot Carolines on Broadway last night.

Taking a page from the NCAA College Basketball Tournament's "March Madness," Carolines on Broadway presented its fifth annual "Carolines Comedy Madness," a five-round tournament in which 64 comedians go head to head with a panel of industry judges deciding who advances to the next rounds and ultimately will be crowned the tournament champion.

Sixty-four of New York's best young comedians were randomly pitted against one another in a series of one-on-one competitions. The first round of "Carolines Final Four" took place on March 4 when all of the 64 competitors each performed one minute of stand-up. 32 comedians advanced to the second round on March 11, where each performed two minutes of stand-up. The third round, which took place on March 18, featured the "Sweet Sixteen," where each performed for five minutes; and fourth round on March 25 featured the "Elite Eight," who each performed seven minutes of stand-up, with the "Final Four" advancing into the fifth and final round on April Fool's Day. "The Final Four" comedians - Vider, Sarah Tollemache, Ricky Velez and Jono Zalay - squared off last night, with each performing ten minutes of stand-up. The last two advancing comedians - Vider and Velez - then squared off with each performing fifteen minutes of stand-up, with Vider, the eventual winner being crowned.

"I'm thrilled to be this year's winner of Carolines March Madness," Vider said. "The competition brings together the best up and coming talent in New York City, and to now be included on a list with the past winners like Nate Bargatze, Dan Soder, Adam Newman, and Mark Normand is an absolute honor."

For winning the tournament, Vider will receive a cash prize and will also get to perform with a headlining comedian on a weekend at Carolines on Broadway and will perform in the 2014 New York Comedy Festival in New York.