
When Nate Bargatze first described his joke to CNN, the idea of awarding money for speech length seemed funny. He planned to keep the awards show moving quickly and donate the money to charity. However, the joke quickly became tiresome. Bargatze’s premise was that awards show speeches are often self-centered and long-winded, which is common. But in reality, these speeches are usually heartfelt, nervous, and full of gratitude. It felt odd to watch people tearfully thank loved ones while a timer counted down the money being ‘lost’. Several first-time nominees and winners, including Tramell Tillman, Jeff Hiller, Hannah Einbinder, and Owen Cooper, had to adjust their acceptance speeches to fit the joke. Even John Oliver, a multiple Emmy winner, used his stage time to playfully scold Bargatze. Throughout the show, Bargatze repeatedly reminded the audience about the accumulating money, but the joke didn’t develop or become more complex. He just kept repeating the same idea, which hurt the flow of the show. Ironically, Bargatze was often the slowest speaker on stage.