Episode 34 - Say Yes To Unhinged Improv Wrestling with MADELAINE & ALEX FIRST COAST COMEDY

Episode 34 - Say Yes To Unhinged Improv Wrestling with MADELAINE & ALEX FIRST COAST COMEDY🎤🤼‍♂️Get ready to tap in! In this episode of Psst! Did You Hear That?, hosts Flo Funny and Imre Mehesz (Emory) sit down with the power couple behind First Coast Comedy, Madelaine and Alex Grindeland. From professional wrestling rings to the improv stage, this conversation is as unhinged and hilarious as you’d expect from Jacksonville's premier improvisers.From AEW Dark to the Comedy Stage 💥Before they were running a comedy empire, Madelaine was making waves in the pro wrestling world. She even wrestled Julia Hart for AEW Dark. She shared a brutal (and visually painful) story about being thrown into metal stairs—and how the adrenaline of the crowd makes you forget the pain until the next morning.Alex had his own "hard knocks" lesson in wrestling, specifically regarding the importance of exhaling during a double powerbomb. He quickly realized that while wrestling is fun, comedy is a lot less dangerous for the ribcage.The Big Win: Madelaine won her first championship in Orlando just a week before finding out she was pregnant with her daughter.The Meeting: Appropriately, the two met at an audition for a wrestling-themed improv show called Glimmer.The Road to First Coast Comedy 🎭The paths that led Madelaine and Alex to comedy are anything but ordinary:Alex’s Origin Story: Alex’s journey started in kindergarten when a learning disability (dyslexia) led him to a specialized fine arts school. Instead of gym class, he had dance class, and by high school, he was competing in improv leagues like a varsity sport.Madelaine’s Life on the Road: Madelaine spent her childhood touring the US in a van with her musician mother, growing up on stages and in coffee shops. She finally turned to improv in 2018 to bring more laughter into her life after a rough breakup.Making the Audience Feel Smart: Full Disclosure 🧠✨One of the highlights of the episode is the discussion of their favorite show format: Full Disclosure.In this show, a comedian tells real-life stories, and the improvisers pull "premises" to bring those stories to life in unexpected ways. Alex explains that the goal isn't just to mimic the story, but to find a hilarious connection—like turning a family dynamic into a scene about gorillas at a zoo—that makes the audience feel smart for catching the link.Socialshttps://firstcoastcomedy.com/https://www.instagram.com/flo.funny/https://IMstandup.com