ATTA BOY. Charlie Roettger – a former Eau Claire open mic and comedy scene regular – won the 33rd annual Funniest Person in the Twin Cities contest earlier this month. Roettger, pictured performing at Oh Claire Improv in 2023, hopes the momentum from his big win goes far.

A familiar face recently made waves – and, apparently, lots of laughs – in a Minnesota competition. On Wednesday, Sept. 3, comedian Charlie Roettger snagged the top spot in the 33rd annual Funniest Person in the Twin Cities Contest. 

Hosted at Acme Comedy Club in Minneapolis, the annual contest – which has served as a springboard for a number of comedians – sees over 100 amateur comedians competing for the crown, with each performer getting a three-minute slot to prove their chops. Contestants are judged based on stage presence, creativity, and audience response.

Charlie headlined his first show over at The Plus (208 S. Barstow St., Eau Claire) in 2024 right before moving to the Twin Cities to further his pursuits, and has since been performing throughout the Twin Cities area open mic scene. 

"I owe so much of my success as an artist to Clear Water Comedy," Charlie told Volume One. 

Alternative Twin Cities publication Racket chatted with Charlie after his big win:

"Before he even cracked his first joke, he had already won the award for best hair thanks to his long, curly, strawberry-blonde locks. By the end of the night, Roettger had also been named the winner of Acme’s 33rd annual Funniest Person in the Twin Cities Contest. 

"Roettger popped right out of the gate, joking that he looks like “a person who could go missing.” For the next two and a half minutes, he managed to burn through jokes about his dad getting DUIs, his mom hating him (which is apparently not true; she jumped out of her seat when he was named the contest winner), and how testosterone and estrogen are having a battle for gender supremacy inside of his body." 

Notable alum of the Twin Cities contest include Nick Swardson (Comedy Central, The Benchwarmers, That's My Boy), Chad Daniels (Netflix, The Tonight Show), Pete Lee (Comedy Central, The Tonight Show), Mary Mack (Comedy Central, Solar Opposites), and Tim Harmston (Comedy Central, The Late Show With David Letterman).

He hopes the momentum from his win – and the $1,000 prize – will take him even further. Charlie said he hopes to return to the Chippewa Valley scene as a headliner next year. 

Keep up with Charlie Roettger online (@charlieroettger).