Chapter 21 Promotion The performance ended and the judges' comments began. First, the famous comedian Mr. Gong Hanlin said: "The two of you performed perfectly, with vulgarity and elegance, and brought us a wonderful crosstalk that is appreciated by both the refined and the popular!" They both bowed in thanks. Next was the president of the Capital Music Association, crosstalk artist Li Weijian: "I couldn't stop laughing. If I heard correctly, there was an impromptu joke in the two's performance. It was said by the supporting actor Gao Dongqiang!" "Yes, I felt the situation was appropriate at that time!" Gao Dongqiang nodded. "He dared to say something other than the script in the competition and caught the jokes on the spot. Just this calm attitude alone shows the demeanor of a master! Great!" Crosstalk artist Mr. Feng Xing also nodded frequently: "The two of them spoke at a fast pace, one sentence after another, and the jokes were thrown out like a machine gun. The key is that we can understand them and the jokes are thrown loudly, which is really good!" "It is said that it is difficult to come up with funny things in a literary comedy. The literary comedy work you two performed today also brought earth-shattering laughter!" "From a singer's perspective, Qi Long's singing is no worse than that of the actor who sang Liu Huoer earlier!" After waves of praise, the scores were announced.
By the semi-finals, there were more judges giving scores, and they started to remove the highest and lowest scores. The highest score was points scored by Mr. Gong Hanlin, and the lowest score was points scored by crosstalk actor Jia Lun. This person is also Qi Long's direct senior brother. Giving him a low score is also a way to avoid suspicion, as he will be removed anyway. In the end, the two had an average score of points, nearly one point higher than the previous pair of actors who sang very well. According to the situation of the first group, this score would ensure that they would be among the top three in the group. The two bowed and walked off the stage, then went to the waiting room to continue watching the show. The third pair of actors performed a crosstalk show called "The Bodyguard". There was a section about martial arts in the middle. Maybe they were too nervous and wanted to show off themselves, so they spoke too fast and some of the crosstalk was a little unclear, and they seemed to be stumped. Small theater audiences might laugh it off, but on a stage like this, it would be a big mistake. Unsurprisingly, this pair's score was at the bottom, only around points. According to the judges' scoring rules, the scores are generally above 95, so the score gap between the two does not look that big, which is good-looking. This couple did not even reach 96, and as long as the other two pairs of actors do not make bigger mistakes and finish their performance honestly, they will not be at the bottom. The last two pairs of actors also became visibly more relaxed. The first and fifth places in this group have basically been determined. As long as they can defeat Li Zhenwei, a player from Liuhuoer, their advancement is basically a foregone conclusion. As for Li Zhenwei, although he sings well, he is just a good singer. His crosstalk skills are not as good. The stage is so magical. If you are too nervous, you will easily make mistakes. If you are too relaxed, you will also make mistakes. When people come to participate in the crosstalk competition, not every actor can come up with new works like Qi Long. Most of their works have been performed in small theaters. The rules of the small theater are much looser than those of the competition. Many vulgar jokes can be said at will, but they need to be changed when they come to the competition. As a result, the fourth pair of actors, who were under less pressure, made mistakes and threw out the jokes from the small theater, resulting in dirty jokes appearing on the stage. The audience laughed, but the judges, especially those from the Chinese Folk Art Association, looked livid. If nothing unexpected happens, their crosstalk will be edited when it is broadcast, and we won’t see their dirty jokes. Their score is also very low, only higher than the third pair. If it is really just a show, they will definitely have to re-record this part. However, this was a competition and in order to ensure fairness, they had no chance to re-record and could only withdraw regretfully.
The fifth pair of actors seized the opportunity given by the master and finished their crosstalk calmly. It didn't make many people laugh, but they finished it smoothly and advanced to the third place. When all five pairs of crosstalk performers in their group finished their performances, the three pairs that advanced according to their scores returned to the stage and waved to everyone. This was the final ending scene of their show. Each episode features performances by five pairs of actors. In the subsequent recordings, they will no longer be in the waiting hall, but can sit in the promotion seats to listen to the crosstalk and observe their future opponents. The matches in the next two groups were pretty much what Qi Long had expected. He felt that most of the opponents with strong strength in the semi-finals had basically advanced, such as Zhang Pan, Liu Quanmiao, Lu Xinyu Hao, Gao Xiaopan and so on. The only two who were valued but did not advance were Jia Xuming and Zhang Kang. Their performances were okay, but there was a joke in the middle that crossed the line and was too sensitive, the kind that cannot even be written in a novel, so they were sent out with low scores. After all the actors finished their performances, the recording also ended. The recording lasted from one o'clock in the afternoon until almost the early morning, and finally it was over. As soon as he got home, Qi Long received a message from Sa Beining, who had just gained some credibility, inviting them to rehearse together the day after tomorrow at noon. He would then have about three hours of free time and could borrow a small conference room at CCTV. After making the agreement, Qi Long began to watch the variety show peacefully. This variety show "Extreme Challenge" becomes more and more interesting the more you watch it. Of course, the prerequisite is that it must be those six people. It will be boring if you change the people. It also has to be that everyone does not follow the script. That kind of unexpected variety show effect is funnier. When there are no guests, the six of us will pit each other, and if I, the main character, have a hard time, then no one else will have a good time. When the guests are about to arrive, the six of them will collectively pit the guests. Many guests are exhausted after recording an episode, and their eyes are lifeless, as if they have lost their souls. They were miserable, but the audience was really happy! While I was watching, Guo Degang sent another message, he was concerned about the results of the competition. You can't say whether you've advanced or not on a public platform because of a confidentiality agreement, but it's okay to tell your friends and family. Qi Long didn't say it explicitly, but just said four words: "Good luck!" After hearing this, Lao Guo understood: "Hahaha, okay, come to our house tomorrow. They said they would send crabs. I remember you loved eating crabs the most when you were a child!" "Ah? This..." Qi Long's mind flashed with the scene of being urged to get married by his sister-in-law. "Your sister-in-law is going to Tianjin to teach drum music, so she won't be home tomorrow!" "I will definitely come!" Qi Long agreed immediately. Guo Degang laughed: "Boy, if you pay more attention to your own affairs, people around you will stop pushing you, right?" The two brothers chatted briefly for a few more sentences before hanging up the phone. After watching the variety show for a while, Qi Long felt sleepy, so he took a shower and went to bed. In his dream, Qi Long dreamed that he participated in the show "Go Fighting" and became one of the victim guests of the show, being cheated in every way. This made Qi Long very dissatisfied when he woke up in the morning. If I participated in this program, it would definitely be the kind that cheats people! (End of this chapter)