All Photos: Alan Mercer
A member of the entertainment industry for over 10 years, Tyson Faifer is an award winning stand-up comic who began his comedy career in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and now lives in Van Nuys California. Tyson discovered his love for comedy during college and is now taking his act on the road across the United States, sharing his unique point of view on the people, places, and things that enter his world.
He is the first comedian to ever compete on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior and you may recognize his face from every reality dating show known to man…most recently on ABC’s The Proposal.
Tyson’s act has been described as smart, witty, and a ball of energy, covering topics such as his love of the 90’s, growing up on the Mexican border, and his lack of responsibility. His first comedy special was recorded in 2017 for Ride TV.
Tyson’s witty and high energy act has been proven to leave audiences wanting more. He combines his love for fitness and the 90’s in his unique style that is loved by all audiences, young and old. This Texas native has performed at several prestigious comedy festivals across the state. He is the original winner of the East Texas Comedy Festival.
Tyson has been touring the country and is on his way to a city near you. In the meantime, you can still find him on reruns of WeTv’s Million Dollar Matchmaker, Fox’s Love Connection, The Steve Harvey Show, Ford Mustang Speed Dating Commercial, Judge Hatchett, and SoulPancake’s Date My Dog.
Alan Mercer: So, you have been doing stand up for ten years now Tyson. I can’t even imagine the courage that must take.
Tyson Faifer: December 2008 was the first time I did stand up. To get me to that point, I had started taking writing classes with Dean Lewis, who is a well-known comedian in Dallas. At the time, he had a morning radio show. Everything snowballed from this point.
AM: Then did you start doing open mic nights?
TF: Open mic nights, bar shows and club work and ten years later, here I am.
AM: Did you ever get discouraged at the beginning of your career?
TF: As a comedian, I guess we’re all a little delusional. We think we’re funny right away, but I have some old video and if I watch them, I cringe. At least I see progress. You go on stage and you bomb but you think you did OK. It’s a process that takes years so the more stage time you get, you become more advanced as a comedian and the next thing you know you’re crushing it every single set.
AM: How long before you noticed you were more crushing it than not?
TF: It took about three years for consistent work. I started as a regular opening act at the Hyena’s clubs and then the Improvs and then moved up to a feature act shortly after that. So, I became a feature act in less than five years after I started.
AM: Wow, you progressed fast!
TF: It was really quick.
AM: Where do you get the inspiration for your material?
TF: At this point, it’s still my life. I’m not a famous comic. People don’t know me from anything. I want to show them who I am. I talk about growing up on the border in El Paso.
AM: That’s interesting in and of itself.
TF: It gave me a different perspective growing up as a kind of minority by growing up in a Latino culture. I have a different point of view than say someone who grew up in the Midwest. I also talk about the strange place I’m at in my life right now. I’m almost forty and still single, never married, no kids, but I have a master’s degree and I’m a traveling, touring comic.
AM: What is your master’s degree in?
TF: I have a Master of Science. I did my undergrad in New Mexico State, marketing and communication, which I actually use a lot in my comedy world. Then I did a Master of Health Care Administration at UTA, which is a science degree. I have doctors in my family, so it fits. I graduated when I started comedy, so I’ve never used that degree.
AM: What did you do for work while going to school before comedy?
TF: I became self-employed working in the fitness industry as a personal trainer. I had a studio and sold it to buy a kids gymnastics business. That was in 2008 and I sold that business right before I moved to Los Angeles in 2016.
AM: I know you moved to LA and started doing some dating shows. What was that like?
TF: I have done a lot of reality TV. I am most known for American Ninja Warrior. Since my background was in fitness, I moved into that. It seemed like a natural progression. Beyond that, the dating shows love to kick me off right away. I was on ABC’s The Proposal which was on this past Summer. I did Millionaire Matchmaker, and the pilot for Fox TV’s The Love Connection. Andy Cohen loved my hair!
AM: Of course, he did!
TF: I did an episode of SoulPancake’s Date My Dog and that was a cool experience. I’ve been on the Steve Harvey Show’s dating segment a few times. Casting loves me. They love my look and my interview but then they start digging a little too much, they decide I might be a little too polished and funny. They google my name and see I’ve been on TV before, so that’s why they normally boot me really quick.
AM: I guess it still serves you to be on these shows.
TF: From my position, reality TV still helps me as a comedian. It gives me TV exposure and new friends and followers.
AM: You never pursue any dramatic acting roles?
TF: Not at this point. I’ve done quite a few commercials.
AM: What is your best-known commercial?
TF: I have two that people know me from. The first is the Ford Mustang Speed dating commercial. It went viral in 2015. It had ten million views in 24 hours. Right now, if you watch NFL you can see me in an Aaron Rodgers Bose commercial.
AM: Were you always into fitness as a kid?
TF: As a teenager I was a sponsored skateboarder in El Paso. When I got to college I started working out in the gym. I got in shape and that lead to a little bit of modeling and fitness competitions which lead to personal training. Then ten years after that I wanted something new and that’s when I found Ninja Warrior. That moved my workouts to a type of calisthenic workout so it’s mostly just body weight.
AM: So how did you get on Ninja Warrior?
TF: I applied for Season Six and I got picked. I ended up on a famous Kacy Catanzaro episode in Dallas. It’s the most popular American Ninja Warrior show of all time.
AM: I love the fact that you blend comedy and ninja warrior together.
TF: There’s not very many Ninja Comedians. There are only two comedians that have ever been on Ninja Warrior. I was the first and then PJ Walsh did it a couple years later. Just having the combination of telling jokes and a fitness background is pretty rare.
AM: Do you have anything to say to your fans and followers?
TF: Just find me on social media. I like stalkers! Track me down.
To learn more about Tyson Faifer visit his web site https://tysonfaifer.com/