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Mind of Mencia is an American television comedy show on the cable channel Comedy Central. It is hosted by the comedian Carlos Mencia.
The first season ran from July 6, 2005 to September 28, 2005. The show is among Comedy Central's lineup, despite criticism that it has appropriated the format of the highly successful Chappelle's Show. This is parodied by the first opening sketch, which had mariachi players performing against a white background, at the Chappelle's Show opening. The first season of Mind of Mencia was released on DVD on March 21, 2006 to coincide with the premiere of the second season on March 22, 2006. The format is rather different, showing more of a Dennis Miller-type show. The show will have new episodes starting July 9th every Sunday at 10 p.m.
Despite the fact that he was born in Honduras and his name is actually Ned Holness, he is half-mexican and half-honduran so on the show Mind of Mencia Carlos Mencia often refers to himself with terms more commonly used to describe Mexican Americans, and often those terms are derogatory terms. An example of this can be found in the recent skit called "Wetback Mountain" wherein Mencia performed with Mexican American actor Mario Lopez in a parody of Brokeback Mountain. At the end of the skit, it was revealed that the two men did not form a bond based on a homosexual orientation but based on their Mexican American heritage. In this skit, both men refer to themselves as "beaners" and "wetbacks."
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Mencia says he initially resisted requests by his network to take a deal to do a stand-up comedy album on the Comedy Central label, but will now likely appear on one.
"It was stupid of me not to take it, but I knew I could do a little better releasing it myself or with a company that would give me a bigger piece of the pie," he said. He also said he is starting a concert tour backed by the TV network.
In July 13, 2006, Comedy Central Announced that Mind of Mencia would be back for a third season.
Criticism
Many in the television community have criticized Mencia's signature noise, "dee dee dee" which some have interpreted as an imitation of someone who is mentally retarded or an 'invalid.' He has responded that it is meant to mock someone who is not mentally disabled, but rather, someone so lacking in common sense that they should be considered disabled. This is characteristic of much of his style of humor.
Some claim that his attempts to be controversial on issues such as racism gravitates toward expressing his own views rather than the comedic aspects, which weakens the comedy.
Other performers, such as George Lopez and Joe Rogan, have accused Mencia of plagiarism. Mencia has attributed this criticism to jealousy, and points out that some of his more politically-incorrect humor is based on generic comedy staples that cannot be attributed to any single comedian.
Many fans of "Chappelle's Show" have also criticized Comedy Central for supporting "Mind of Mencia," saying it is a weak attempt at continuing Dave Chappele's off-color humor, and that while Mencia greatly promotes himself as controversial, his jokes are neither original nor particularly edgy.
Despite the Controversy, Mind of Mencia is Comedy Central's second highest rated program (behind South Park).
Trivia
- Carlos' cousin, Joseph Mencia (who is not an actor) appears in many episodes. Though Joseph is Carlos' cousin, both were raised together; hence Carlos referring him as his brother.
- In the first season, Joseph appeared in all except for four: episode numbers 101, and 105-107. Also, Joseph has appeared in the first four episodes of season two.
- Carlos' wife Amy has also appeared in several episodes. One sketch where Carlos is denigrating white women ends with Amy, who herself is white, dragging him off-camera.
- Carlos used his birth name of "Ned Holness" in episode 207's sketch "That's Fu*#ing Historical".
- Steve "Daddy" Trevino, a past writer for Mind of Mencia, does several "dirty works" tasks in several skits featured in season one. For example, he was the regular "gas attendant" and did the naked yoga.
- Near the end of the opening credits in season one, Carlos is reading a newspaper that reads "TV Host Breaks Out", In season two, the newspaper that he reads says "Season 2."
- Some episodes commonly feature a dwarf named Brad Williams.
DVD Releases
Season Releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 Uncensored | March 21 2006 | This 2 disc box set includes all 12 episodes from Season 1. Bonus features include commentary, behind the scenes featurette, deleted scenes. |
External links
"Mind of Mencia"