"I thought I could make it through LOL: Australia without laughing, but I broke in the first five minutes."

By the end of the first episode of LOL: Last One Laughing Australia, I was biting the inside of my cheek so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a permanent scar.

You see, the stakes feel pretty high when you’re watching Amazon Prime Video’s LOL: Last One Laughing Australia, which features a group of Australia’s best comedians locked in a room together for six hours and tasked with making each other laugh. 

Whoever cracks a giggle, a chuckle or even just a brief snort-laugh is quickly sent packing by host Rebel Wilson and loses out on the chance to win the $100,000 prize money. 

In solidarity with the comedic crew (because some of them looked just a little bit panicked when the game first kicked off) I attempted to hold in my own laughter as long as I could… and let’s just say I wouldn’t be winning that prize money.

In my defence, the cast is not just made up of Australia’s wittiest and wry comedy performers, but by performers who all go back a long way. So, not only is their on-screen chemistry already particularly compelling to watch, but they also know exactly how to push each other’s buttons.

Take a look at the trailer for Amazon Prime Video’s LOL: Last One Laughing Australia.

LOL: Last One Laughing Australia stars comedians Dilruk Jayasinha, Frank Woodley, Nazeem Hussain, Anne Edmonds, Ed Kavalee, Becky Lucas, Joel Creasey, Nick Cody, Sam Simmons and Susie Youssef.

One by one, the comedians are ushered into the living-room-style set and for the first time, come face-to-face with who they are up against in the TV challenge.

Upon clapping eyes on the assembled crew, Joel Creasey labels it “the worst swingers party I’ve ever attended”, while Nazeem Hussain admits he signed up for the job before finding out exactly what it entailed.

Anne Edmonds (aka the iconic fashion expert Helen Bidou from ABC’s Get Krack!n) has a different strategy for winning: “nudity, crying and pingers.”

This really gives you a sense of the kind of comedy you’re in for. Nothing is off the table.

The comedians can wheel out any kind of comedy they want, from stand-up to improvisation to physical comedy, ensuring that their performances are nothing like what you’d find on a free-to-air channel.

The series was filmed non-stop over one day, so you can really see the hilarity and competitiveness peak to almost manic levels as the show progresses and the group whittles down. The last few comedians are left pacing around a small space, doing anything to force each other to laugh. For us viewers, we have the luxury of being able to laugh whenever we want – which is a lot.

Given the premise of the show, Rebel Wilson is an inspired choice of host. She walks the line between strongly reprimanding the comedians for their laughter violations, halting filming to issue yellow cards for warnings and red cards for elimination, while watching the action from her camera-filled room and herself descending into laughter.

The competitive edge to LOL: Last One Laughing Australia makes it riveting to watch, as a sense of panic quickly washes through the set every time Rebel slams her hand down on the buzzer and the comedians all freeze, wondering who the culprit could have been.

But the true delight of it is seeing these beloved Aussie comedians on screen together in a way we never have before. We're used to seeing them perform solo, paired up for quick TV spots or just chatting together on radio.

When was the last time you were able to watch all your favourite comedians locked in a room together, without a script or a strict TV time limit? Watching this rare comedy social experiment is like having a secret backstage pass to the best kind of green room.

You can try and make it through LOL: Last One Laughing Australia without laughing, but I think you'll be fighting a losing battle. 

LOL: Last One Laughing Australia's first two episodes are available to watch on Amazon Prime Video now. Two episodes will drop each week on Friday, June 26 and Friday, July 3.

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