HOWIE MANDEL MENTORS COMICS AS THEY PREPARE FOR A HILARIOUS IMPROV COMEDY CHALLENGE AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ON "LAST COMIC STANDING" JULY 17

Plus, Two Comics Have To Pull Out All the Stops to Win Over Deadlocked Judges Roseanne Barr, Keenen Ivory Wayans and Russell Peters in the Most Exciting Comic Showdown So Far This Season

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - July 14, 2014 -- The final seven comics compete in a hilarious stand-up comedy challenge at Universal Studios Hollywood -- taking over as Tour guides on the behind-the-scenes Studio Tour -- after being mentored by famed funnyman Howie Mandel ("America's Got Talent") on a must-see episode of NBC's "Last Comic Standing" airing Thursday, July 17 (10-11 p.m. ET).

In this second-to-last challenge round, it's down to the final seven comics - Nikki Carr (Bronx, NY), Rocky LaPorte (Chicago, IL), Joe Machi (State College, PA), Monroe Martin (Philadelphia, PA), Karlous Miller (Oxford, MS), Lachlan Patterson (Vancouver, B.C.) and Rod Man (Villa Rica, GA). Host JB Smoove surprises the comics with news that Howie Mandel, an expert improviser, is going to get them ready for a special challenge at Universal Studios Hollywood.

After meeting with Mandel individually for mentoring, the final seven are ready for their fiercely funny and competitive improv challenge entertaining theme park guests. One by one, they take over as Studio Tour guides on the world-famous Studio Tour as it navigates the world's largest movie and television production studio.

Through iconic stops on the tour, including the legendary Bates Motel from "Psycho" with Norman Bates, the plane crash sets from "War of the Worlds" and "Jaws Lake," where the great white shark lurks beneath the water, the comics have to think quickly on their feet to keep the Studio Tour guests entertained and informed along the way. In the end, the guests determine who kept them laughing the most, and reward the funniest comic with immunity and the chance to remain in the competition for at least one more week.

Then it's time for the most exciting showdown ever on "Last Comic Standing" when two clever comics must take extreme measures to help deadlocked judges Roseanne Barr, Keenen Ivory Wayans and Russell Peters decide which comedian is the funniest - and which one is headed home.

Page Hurwitz and Wanda Sykes, producing partners at Push It Productions, are executive producers along with Javier Winnik. "Last Comic Standing" is produced by Universal Television and Push It Productions.

Please visit the official show site at: http://www.nbc.com/last-comic-standing

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