POSTPONED: Pizza Throwdown + NYLaughs Fundraiser

January 25

3:00pm -6:00pm

The Stand @ 116 East 16th Street

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DUE TO A LOOMING SNOWSTORM, THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. NEW DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

SAFETY FIRST, PIZZA SECOND. 

Calling all comedy lovers with good taste! This winter, we’re trading the season of giving for the season of laughing—and we’re starting with pizza. Pizza Throwdown is a FUN-raiser where three food-savvy comedians compete for topping triumph while delivering live stand-up, big laughs, and serious flavor. The audience eats, laughs, votes, and helps crown a winner. It’s competitive. It’s chaotic. It’s for a very good cause.

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Proceeds from Pizza Throwdown help fund NYLaughsfest in June 2026, our free, citywide comedy festival designed to bring joy, community, and laughter to New Yorkers when they need it most. Come hungry, leave laughing, and know that every bite helps us build a summer of free comedy for NYC.

The Stand, 116 East 16th Street

Contact us at hello@nylaughs.org or 917-727-5233 with questions

Tax-deductible to the full extent by law 

 

Ticket information available via The Stand here:

https://www.tixr.com/groups/thestandnyc/events/nylaughs-presents-pizza-throwdown-for-charity-170053

Lineup

Alexis Guerreros Host

Alexis is what happens when a sharp stand-up brain, a lifelong love of soccer, and a dangerous knowledge of pizza collide in one person. Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey by a single Cuban mother who could land a punch and a punchline, Alexis turned surviving into storytelling and storytelling into a career. He’s a fixture of New York City comedy, performing nightly across the city’s top clubs and festivals nationwide. Alexis is also the co-host of the podcast The Cooligans with Christian Polanco, where they combine comedy, culture, and soccer. They hosted NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani to discuss the USMNT, leadership, and emceeing his Cost of Living Classic soccer event, all while navigating the occasional campaign logo controversy.

Corey B Competitor+ Performer

Corey Bonalewicz, aka COREY B, is a New York–based comedian, content creator, and former radio personality with over a decade behind the mic—and a massive online following to match. After launching his radio career in New Orleans and hosting shows in Chicago and New York, Corey found viral fame through his wildly creative, unfiltered food content. Known for making cooking playful, accessible, and joyfully chaotic, he has amassed over 23 million followers across social platforms through his hit series Corey B. Cookin, serving up unexpected food hacks, trend-forward recipes, and seafood favorites. Whether he’s cracking jokes or cracking eggs, Corey B knows how to keep audiences laughing…and hungry.

Ophira Eisenberg Competitor+ Performer

Ophira Eisenberg is an accomplished comedian, author, and host known for her razor-sharp wit and vibrant stage presence. As the engaging host of NPR’s comedy trivia show “Ask Me Another” for 9-years, she interviewed and played silly games with hundreds of celebrities including Sir Patrick Stewart, Awkwafina, Rosie Perez, Yo-Yo Ma, Bob The Drag Queen, Nick Kroll, Chelsea Handler, Jim Gaffigan, Michael C. Hall, and so many others. As a comic and a parent to a 6-year-old, Ophira is the host of the new comedy podcast Parenting Is A Joke co-produced by iHeart Radio and Pretty Good Friends Productions. She has appeared on Comedy Central, This Week at The Comedy Cellar, Kevin Hart’s LOL Network, HBO’s Girls, Gotham Live, The Late Late Show, The Today Show, and VH-1. The New York Times called her a skilled comedian and storyteller with “bleakly stylish” humor. She was also selected as one of New York Magazine’s “Top 10 Comics that Funny People Find Funny,” and hailed by Forbes.com as one of the most engaging comics working today.

Jourdain Fisher Competitor+ Performer

Jourdain is a hilarious comedian, writer, and actor…and a food-forward creative known online as Gangsta Chef, where he cooks everything from cornbread to cookies with swagger and soul. A North Carolina native now based in NYC, Jourdain started stand-up at just 17, choosing punchlines over his family’s funeral home business (a career pivot we all appreciate). He’s performed on Comedy Central and made a show-stopping debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, earning a standing ovation so loud it landed him a job as a staff writer. His credits include Netflix, and BET, with honors as a Just For Laughs New Face and Stand Up NBC finalist. Offstage and in the kitchen Jourdain commands a massive online audience, with 800K+ on IG and over 1 million views on his recipes alone, proving he can bring the heat whether it’s comedy or cuisine.

Fabrizio Brienza Judge

Fabrizio is an Italian-born actor, model, and New York City nightlife icon known for his unmistakable European accent, sharp style, and strong opinions on all things Italian. He began his career modeling for luxury houses including Valentino and Armani before transitioning into acting. Now a popular internet personality with 370K+ Instagram followers, Fabrizio is a go-to voice for Italian food culture, fashion, and NYC cool, bringing equal parts credibility and charisma wherever he shows up.

Chef Stephen Cusato Judge

Stephen learns with his eyes and cooks with his heart. The creator and host of Not Another Cooking Show, he has built a devoted following of 1.37M on YouTube and 290K on TikTok, creating content for home cooks who love food, but don’t need another soulless recipe video. A born-and-bred New Yorker with strong opinions about the U.S. food scene (and even stronger feelings about burgers), Stephen combines culinary know-how, creativity, and technical skill to make each dish and every video an art form. His standout recipes, from smash burgers to cult-favorite key lime pie, showcase his passion for flavor, seasonal cooking, and storytelling, while his cinematic approach sets him apart in a crowded content space. Whether debating the best fast-food burger, perfecting steak seasoning, or geeking out over camera angles, Stephen proves that great cooking and great content comes from care, curiosity, and conviction.