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They aren’t the originals, but three of the four comics striving to be the next famous Redneck or Cable Guy offer a few good laughs for butt and marriage humor.

I loved the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Larry the Cable Guy and Redneck Jeff Foxworthy were brilliant with their down-home country charm. The hilarious drunken slurs of Ron White kept me laughing constantly. And Bill Engvall offered up his own brand of humor that keeps audiences interested.

The new generation isn’t quite as savvy as the original cast (much like SNL), but most offered decent laughs and showed that, with a little more experience, they will make a good living, if not become household names like their predecessors.

The Next Generation DVD is broken up into segments. Bill Engvall starts off the night, and introduces each new comedian. Here is what I thought of them:

Jamie Kaler sucked. Period. He was the opening act and failed to one laugh from me. When I started the DVD, I thought, Oh. My. Gosh. Is it going to be this bad all the way through? I’m sure his deadpan banter appeals to some, but it fell flat with me.

The other three comedians were pretty good. Juston McKinney offered up some funny stories about his marriage and penis. John Caparulo - who has the voice of a codgety old man - showed that the art of tying a set together from beginning to end with a single running joke is still the best way to net and keep audience interest. I love how he takes an everyday thing (Coke or Pepsi, sir?) and creates a hilarious bit that sticks with you every time you see a machine in a restaurant. Reno Collier had some funny gay jokes and I especially loved the butt and soap joke. (Trust me. Just watch and listen.)

If I heard them correctly, each man is married except for Kaler. I wonder if that had anything to do with his two-dimensional routine. The other men could fall back on fuller lives and scenarios with wives to create a three-dimensional act with some good laughs.

The DVD includes extra interviews with each comic, and a semi-serious sitdown with Engvall and the men about their performances and what it takes to produce. I was shocked when I heard John Caparulo’s voice. I thought he was putting it on for his act, but that IS HIS VOICE. That made his act even funnier.

They aren’t the original Blue Collar capers, but three of the four next generation comics offer something fans of the genre will enjoy.

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