Hosted by Jeff Ross, the show consisted of one on one roast battles during which the comedians would insult each other comedically.

The winners of each battle were decided by a panel of guest judges that consisted of fellow comedians and other celebrities.

[1][2][3] The live show originated from a heated argument that occurred in The Comedy Store's parking lot in 2013 between two comedians over a stolen joke.

[3] Both the LA and NYC roast battle shows held bracket-style tournaments to determine the top regional roaster for each city, then the top LA and NYC roasters would compete for the title of Roastmaster, which included a championship belt similar to those awarded in professional combat sports.

[citation needed] Moses also broadcast audio recordings of the LA show as a podcast titled Verbal Violence.

[1] Since 2014 Ross has been adviser and lead judge of Roast Battle[5] In 2015 Ross brought the live show to the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal where it caught the attention of Jonas Larsen, a senior vice president at Comedy Central.

[3][6][10] There are three rules to the competition: The competitors must use only original material, no physical contact is allowed and the battle always ends with a hug.

[1][2][7] In the first two season there were regional events filmed at various comedy clubs across the United States in search of some or all of the sixteen contestants to compete in the main eight battle competition via a bracket-style tournament.

[8][13] The final episode also marked the first time that Ross took to the stage as a battler during the show; he battled with NBA player Blake Griffin.

Lil Rel Howery, Josh McDermitt, Fortune Feimster Filmed at the Laughing Skull Lounge in Atlanta, Georgia.