The clock is ticking, but Ralphie May's 15 minutes of fame seem far from up.
The heavyset comedian, who came in second to Dat Phan in the first season of NBC's “Last Comic Standing,” was one of several celebrities featured on VH1's weight-loss competition, “Celebrity Fit Club.”

He also has two reality shows in the works for VH1: “Baggin',” a comic-style game show, and “The Ralphie and Lahna Show.” The latter focuses on May and his fiancee Lahna Turner, a comedian that he met at an open-mic night in Texas seven years ago. “It's kind of like ‘Newlyweds,’ but smart and funny,” May says.

May's career took off when he was 18 and won a contest to open for his idol, Sam Kinison. But it was NBC's “Last Comic Standing” that really put the funnyman on the map.

And he has comedian Jay Mohr to thank.

“I met him at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, and Jay thought I was funny,” he says. “At the time, the big clubs around (Los Angeles) wouldn't headline me because I didn't have the TV credits to be a draw, and they couldn't feature me because I would blow their headliners off the stage.

“Jay goes, ‘Well, I can follow you.’ So he picked up his phone and got me 10 weeks of work.”

May went on to write for ESPN's “Mohr Sports” before landing a spot on the 2003 season of “Last Comic Standing,” which Mohr hosted and co-produced. He appeared on the show again last year, when NBC hosted a battle between seasons one and two. May filmed “Celebrity Fit Club” during a four-month period last year.

May, who lost more than 200 pounds after undergoing gastric bypass surgery in November 2003, says he lost an additional 68 pounds of fat and gained 34 pounds of muscle from doing the show.

“I've lost a lot of weight, and I'm dropping pants sizes and stuff,” he says.
The comedian says he's looking forward to returning to the East Valley, where he'll perform Thursday through Sunday at the Tempe Improv.

“I love coming to Tempe and to Phoenix in general,” he says. “A friend of mine just moved there. And I just took up golf, so I'll be in heaven.”

Ralphie May
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday
Where: Tempe Improv, 930 E. University Drive How much: $17-$20
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