If this is true, we’ve about had it with Last Comic Standing.

Follow the link above for a description of next Tuesday’s episode in which “a ‘Heckle Challenge’ pits comics against each other and raises the stakes.” (We saw a glimpse of this during the tease Tuesday night. We were hoping that it was just an illusion.)

Apparently, it’s all too true– comics heckling comics. Nice. Just what we all need to make our live performances just a tad more difficult for us and supremely annoying for a significant portion of the live audience: Heckling lessons, courtesy of the dunderheads who produce Last Comic Standing.

(We’re pretty sure the episode description is the real deal, as it seems to have been lifted directly from an NBC press release.)

We were concerned on Tuesday night. And we quote us:

If delivering in the clubs is not the LCS producers’ top priority, then we’re obviously out of touch with what they’re trying to achieve.

NBC quite possibly will end up conferring star status upon a gang of comics who will be wholly incapable of delivering in the clubs. And on top of that, they will promote the notion that heckling is fun, is expected and a natural part of the live standup experience (something is hasn’t been since perhaps the late 60s). A formula for disaster.

We read somewhere that NBC had hired producers and writers from other reality shows to punch up Season IV of LCS. Actually, they were hired starting in Season II and their expertise seems to be in reality television… and when it comes to standup comedy, they seem to jarringly insensitive. This approach may make for “fireworks in the house,” but for the followup– live performances in theaters across the continent by your Season IV comedy idols– it may make for some looong nights. Pretty counter-productive. There is a reason American Idol sends their top contestants out on the road for live extravaganzas– it promotes the hell out their product– the show– and it makes for an even larger juggernaut of viewers in following seasons.

For some near-hilarity, check out the “Producers’ Blog” on the NBC site:

Ultimately we are there to pick a group of people who have the potential to become stars of comedy, and who will be entertaining to watch as they compete for the title.

The audience in the theater chose Josh Blue from the first group and Gabriel Iglesias from the second (both would have been on our list too-– they killed). That left 8 berths to fill. But comedy is about as subjective as you can get, and while everyone, talent scouts, producers, and network representatives agreed on maybe 4 of the 8, fierce debate ensued about the rest. Eventually, someone suggested that we bring 12. Although there were disagreements about the 12 also, these proved to be resolvable. Thus was the problem solved and the “twist” created.

We suppose we should expect nothing more. It’s network television, Jake.