Iliza Shlesinger is Latest Victim of 'Reality' TV

Is Iliza Shlesinger a rising star? Today on the Howard Stern show, Howard interviewed Iliza Shlesinger, the first female winner of the "Last Comic Standing," an NBC reality TV series.

Iliza Shlesinger, a 25-year-old comedienne, originally from Dallas Texas, is one of the latest "will she make it in the real world" stories to come out of "reality" T.V.

I had never heard Iliza's comedy until I was gathering information for this. Shortly after watching a few videos of Iliza's routine, I realized why it was that I had never heard her name before. While I know my criticism may seem harsh, please allow me to explain myself. Iliza Shlesinger is a great example of a home-town hero. The woman is talented. She is funny. Her jokes are good. But is Iliza's routine great? Is she ready for the big-time? Probably not.

I myself am a struggling artist, so these next few lines may come off a bit biased, but I have to believe someone out there will agree. In my opinion, Iliza Shlesinger is a victim whose career has been sabotaged. But Iliza is not alone. Iliza is a talented woman, and with years of handwork, touring to crowds of all different sizes, shapes, and attitudes, she could have had a promising career in comedy.

However, instead, she has been one of the millions who have bought into the idea that landing a spot on a reality T.V. show is a springboard to success. Unfortunately, she may have plunged her eventual career off of a cliff.

Being a stand up comedian, is being an artist. And the true artists of this world will tell you first hand, that success never comes easy. In reality, to achieve a legitimate career in comedy, you have to play for sparse crowds, open mic nights, house parties, and anywhere else in this world will give you a gig, before you ever make it onto a television set.

Paying your dues ensures that you have earned the right to step out onto the larger stages of television, movies, and headlining comedy tours, and unfortunately, it looks as if Iliza Shlesinger has many dues which she has not paid.

I hope to see great things in the future for this young, bright, female comedian, but sadly, the public rarely forgives you after your 15 minutes have been spent up. Hopefully, this time though, I will be proven wrong.