In perhaps the most dramatic finish of a round in the history of the Seattle International Comedy Competition, Pacific Northwest comic Rodney Sherwood ended a six-year hiatus from the stage in grand style by placing first at the last show in the semi-finals of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition to nab a spot in the finals occurring this week.

Sherwood will now vie against Mike Baldwin from Kansas City, Mrs. Hughes from Pismo Beach, CA, Patrick Keane from L.A. and Rick Kunkler from Seattle for a $5,000 first prize, a recording contract and glory amongst their peers. The finals get underway Tuesday night at a private show in the Washington Athletic Club.

Then it will be on to Wednesday night at the Vashon Theatre, Friday at Mt. Baker Theatre in Bellingham and Saturday at the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton before the winner is announced at the Comedy Underground in Seattle on Sunday. Tickets are still available to all these remaining shows and can be purchased at http://www.seattlecomedycompetition.com

Early in the semi-finals, which began in Seattle before appearing to Edmonds, Olympia, Skagit, Kelso and Tacoma, it became apparent there was only one spot in the finals still up for grabs. For the remainder of the week, Sherwood and Sam Demaris from Houston eyed each other from the stage wings before going out and giving their all to see which one of them would move on.

In front of a sold-out crowd at Theatre on the Square in Tacoma on Sunday, Demaris went up second and rocked the house with a routine that included the chronicling of the adventures of a black man in Idaho and Montana. "I've got it," he whispered as the evening progressed.

But later in the show, Sherwood had a strong set as well. Dressed in a suit and wearing thick glasses, with his wife watching from the audience, he offered up an amazingly energetic performance with the catch phrase, "Come on!" His set included the chronicling of the adventures of a Puget Sound man journeying into eastern Washington.

Still, when it was announced that Demaris had placed fourth for the night and that newcomer Xung Lam from Seattle had surprisingly come in third, emcee Jim Short glanced over and saw a visibly crestfallen Sherwood.

It was certainly understandable. The names Baldwin and Hughes had yet to be announced and they had been coming in one-two pretty much all week long. Then, "placing second tonight, Mike Baldwin." It was the only time all week Baldwin had not taken first. Could it be?

Short relished the moment before bringing Sherwood onstage. It was a Hollywood ending but it's not over yet. Backstage, with tears in his eyes, Demaris accepted a well-paying gig at a California casino from producer Jon Fox as a consolation prize.

Performing in the Finals:

Mike Baldwin	Mrs Hughes	Patrick Keane
Rick Kunkler	Rodney Sherwood

Finals: The Top 5 Comics
Tue Nov 22	Washington Athletic Club - Seattle
Wed Nov 23	Vashon Theater - Vashon
Fri Nov 25	Mount Baker Theatre - Bellingham
Sat Nov 26	Admiral Theatre - Bremerton
Sat Nov 27	Comedy Underground - Seattle

For more information on comedians, venues and nightly updates, visit: http://www.seattlecomedycompetition.com