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Dudes Get Paid to Goof Off in Recession

CollegeHumor.com brings sophomoric fun to MTV

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 7, 2009 4:09 PM CST

(Newser) – High above the streets of Manhattan, where recession fears and Madoff angst prevail, a horde of twentysomethings are filling an office with 40,000 plastic balls—or counting how many bags of Doritos a colleague can eat. Meet the folks behind CollegeHumor.com, the popular, if puerile, website whose TV spinoff bows tomorrow on MTV, the Washington Post reports.

“It's what 30 Rock would be if the actors on 30 Rock were actually writing and shooting 30 Rock in 30 Rock,” describes one writer/player. The 9-year-old website, which pioneered the viral video movement, averages 6 million unique visitors who expect hijinks. Says one staffer: “You feel like you’ve never worked this hard at having fun in your whole life.”

[Images (4)]

[Videos (2)]

This undated photo from CollegeHumor.com shows Paul Rudd, left, and Michael Showalter during a taping of "The Michael Showalter Showalter," a show where Showalter mock interviews guests. (AP Photo/CollegeHumor.com, Sam Reich)

CollegeHumor.com is the burgeoning comedy Web site where young writers and editors spend their days doing the ridiculous, capturing it on video and sharing it with an audience of millions online. (YouTube)

DARE to keep your best friend off drugs. See more at CollegeHumor.com/CHTV (YouTube)

Hillary Clinton graces collegehumor.com's home page. (Wikipedia)

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A clip from CollegeHumor.com (collegehumor)

A clip from "The College Humor Show" on MTV. (collegehumor)

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Dudes Get Paid to Goof Off in Recession