Quick Links
- 1995 Smack-Off I
- 1996 Smack-Off II
- 1997 Smack-Off III
- 1998 Smack-Off IV
- 1999 Smack-Off V
- 2000 Smack-Off VI
- 2001 Smack-Off VII
- 2002 Smack-Off VIII
- 2003 Smack-Off IX
- 2004 Smack-Off X
- 2005 Smack-Off XI
- 2006 Smack-Off XII
- 2007 Smack-Off XIII
- 2008 Smack-Off XIV
- 2009 Smack-Off XV
- 2010 Smack-Off XVI
- 2011 Smack-Off XVII
Winners
- 1995 J.T. The Brick
- 1996 Jeffrey E. DiTolla Esq.
- 1997 Doc Mike DiTolla
- 1998 Steve Carbone
- 1999 Sean the Cablinasian
- 2000 Doc Mike DiTolla
- 2001 Silk in Huntington Beach
- 2002 Jeff in Richmond
- 2003 Sean the Cablinasian
- 2004 Iafrate
- 2005 Sean the Cablinasian
- 2006 Sean the Cablinasian
- 2007 Sean the Cablinasian
- 2008 Iafrate
- 2009 Brad in Corona
- 2010 Vic in NoCal
- 2011 Brad in Corona
Highest Rated Calls
- 4.21 Greg in Vegas
- 4.17 Sean the Cablinasian
- 4.16 Greg in Vegas
- 4.10 Jim in Fall River
- 4.08 Brad in Corona
- 4.08 Sean the Cablinasian
- 4.07 Sean the Cablinasian
- 4.04 Kerwin in Riverside
- 4.03 Jim in Fall River
Lowest Rated Calls
- 1.67 Nezrin
- 2.04 Sheryl in Austin
- 2.06 Ray Ray in Tampa
- 2.10 John in Syracuse
- 2.14 Gangsta Chick in Sacramento
- 2.17 Boatie in Pearland
- 2.19 Vinny Mac in Des Moines
- 2.19 Rusty in Houston
- 2.22 Quinn the Car Fixer
Alphabetical Listing of Callers
- A.J. in Tampa Bay
- Aaron in Boise
- Aaron the Parrot
- Adam in Pacific Beach
- Andre the Hairdresser in San Diego
- Bill in Knoxville
- Blair in Denver
- Boatie in Pearland
- Bob in Anaheim
- Bob in Omaha
- Bobby in Brooklyn
- Bobby in Providence
- Boone in Pasadena
- Boston Phinn
- Brad in Corona
- Brendan in Wilmington
- Casey in Vegas
- Cathy in Sacramento
- Cecelia in San Diego
- Chad in Dove Canyon
- Chad in Portland
- Chris from Cougar High
- Chris in Albuquerque
- Christian in Kansas City
- Chuck in Phoenix
- Corey in Ann Arbor
- D.J. in D.C.
- Dan from Cleveland
- Dan in D.C.
- Dave F. in Denver
- Dave in Irvine
- Dave in Placentia
- Dave in St. Louis
- Dean in Huntington Beach
- Doc Mike DiTolla
- Don in NoCal
- Dorian in Inglewood
- Ed in Stockton
- Eddie in Oklahoma City
- Efrem
- Erin in Ottawa
- Gabe in Stockton
- Gangsta Chick in Sacramento
- Gino in San Antonio
- Greg in Portland
- Greg in Sun Valley
- Greg in Vegas
- Greg the Cockroach
- Iafrate
- Irie Craig
- Israel in L.A.
- J.D. in Nashville
- J.T. the Brick
- James in Syracuse
- Jay in L.A.
- Jay in Youngstown
- Jay Mohr
- Jeff in Chapel Hill
- Jeff in Jacksonville
- Jeff in Miami
- Jeff in Richmond
- Jeff in Vancouver
- Jeff on a Carphone in Phoenix
- Jeffrey E. DiTolla
- Jim Harbaugh
- Jim in Crapchester
- Jim in Fall River
- Jim in Omaha
- Jim in San Diego
- Joanie in NoCal
- Joe in Lemon Grove
- Joe in New York City
- Joe in Orange County
- Joe in San Diego
- John in C-Town
- John in L.A.
- John in Syracuse
- John Ondrasik
- Jonathan in Syracuse
- Jordan in Vista
- Josh in Grand Rapids
- Julie in Portland
- Justin in Boise
- Kent the Bonecutter in Clarksville
- Kerwin in Riverside
- Kevin in Providence
- Lamar in San Antonio
- Lance in La Costa
- Larry in Knoxville
- Larry in Orlando
- Larry the False Wanker in Riverside
- Lear in Annapolis
- Lisa in Green Bay
- Lisa in Indy
- Mac in San Antonio
- Manny in Oxnard
- Marcel in Calgary
- Mark in Boston
- Mark in Buffalo
- Matt in Denver
- Megan in Sacramento
- Mike in Indy
- Mike in Orlando
- Mike in Providence
- Mike in San Diego
- Mike in Wichita
- Mitch the Rat in Wichita
- Nezrin
- Oliver in St. Louis
- Oren in Denver
- Otis in Austin
- Paul in Sioux City
- Pete in Anchorage
- Peter in Sacramento
- Pointdexter in Houston
- Quinn in San Antonio
- Quinn the Car Fixer
- Rachel in Houston
- Raider Mike
- Randy in Indianapolis
- Ray Ray in Tampa
- Renee in Rochester
- Rich in Anaheim Hills
- Richard in West L.A.
- Rob in Tampa
- Robin in Boulder
- Ron in Huntsville
- Ron in San Diego
- Rupert in NoCal
- Rusty in Houston
- Scott in Hollywood
- Screaming Mike in Vegas
- Script Fu
- Scrooge
- Sean the Cablinasian
- Sean the Kiwi
- Sheryl in Austin
- Silk in Huntington Beach
- Smooth Joe in Hollywood
- Steve Carbone
- Steve Elkington
- Steve in Chicago
- Terrence in Sierra Madre
- Tim in Toronto
- Tim McKyer
- Tobin in Chapel Hill
- Tom in Green Bay
- Tom in Lincoln
- Tom Tolbert
- Tommy in Detroit
- Tracy in Torrance
- Trapper in Dana Point
- Tyrone
- Vic in NoCal
- Vinny Mac in Des Moines
- Voz in Omaha
- Wayne in Tucson
- Wesley in Loma Linda
- William in San Diego
- Willie in Kansas City
Introduction
The Smack-Off is without question the most highly anticipated day on the Jungle calendar. It's a day legends are born and calling careers are irreparably damaged. To paraphrase Bill Walton, it's a day for clones to compete for the ultimate prize.
I began listening to the Jim Rome Show in the summer of 1997 on 610 AM in Houston. I was sixteen at the time and the aggressive style of the show appealed to me instantly. When the 1998 Smack-Off rolled around I decided that I had to skip school and capture the event on cassette tape. I don't listen to the show that much anymore, but I still take a day off every year to observe and record the Smack-Off.
In 2006 I went through my annual Smack-Off preparation ritual of listening to an ever-growing catalog of Smack-Off tapes. As I listened, I realized that as The Jungle underwent its rapid expansion the number of listeners without a proper understanding of the great event grew as well. First launched on April 25, 2006, History of the Smack-Off is my tribute to the Smack-Off and its glorious history.
The site was originally hosted at Andrew.Moorehill.net. Beginning in March of 2011 the site has a new dedicated domain at Smackoff.net. As the five year anniversary of the site approaches, my interest in maintaining and improving this site has been renewed.
As it has been from day one, my goal is to present as much information as possible for each year's Smack-Off. I hope you find the site informative and entertaining.
The Idea
After a particularly bad day of calls, Romey was left searching for a way to keep the endless parade of bad callers from ruining his show. Producer Travis Rodgers and Jim kicked some ideas around and decided they could select the callers, but that it wasn't feasible to do so daily. The idea for an annual Smack-Off competition was born.
Listen to Jim tell the story
The Smack-Off is an invitation only event. Invitations are announced well in advance of the event for two reasons: to generate buzz and discussion, and to allow bubble callers to play their way in or out of the field. Past winners have a lifetime exemption (unless they get a radio show on a competing affiliate). The old school legends typically receive invites even if they have not been an active caller for many years. Normal callers must depend on their body of work to earn an invite.
Beginning in 2010, a Hack-Off was held prior to the Smack-Off. An invite to the Hack-Off can be earned by a single spectacular flame-out or by being persistently awful. The "winner" of the Hack-Off earns a birth in the main event and stands an excellent chance of entering the pantheon of terrible callers.
Past Winners
Smack-Off I
April 14th, 1995
The inaugural Smack-Off was won by J.T. the Brick, who parlayed the victory into his own radio show and currently works for Fox Sports Radio. Adam in Pacific Beach finished second while Jeffrey E. DiTolla finished third. This was also the year that Jason from Fullerton took time away from watching porn with nine other dudes to place a truly horrible Smack-Off call; a decade later he'd be known as Mr. Automatic.
Listen to Houston band 3-Day Weekend perform their ode to J-Stew, Mr. Automatic.
This was before my time in the Jungle so I need some help. If you have information or audio files (cassette or mp3), please send an e-mail via the contact link at the top of this page.
Full Text | Audio Files | Comments (1)
Smack-Off II
April 5th, 1996
An almost entirely Californian field of 31 callers competed for the second annual King of Smack crown. Defending champ J.T. the Brick did not participate. Even in 1996, still in the infancy of syndication and expansion, Silk was already playing the old school card in his Smack-Off calls.
Audio files for the 1996 Smack-Off are available courtesy of Doc Mike DiTolla who selflessly provided his cassette tapes.
1996 RESULTS
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Smack-Off III
April 4th, 1997
The third annual Smack-Off saw Doc Mike win his first crown and Iafrate finish in second, a position he would become very familiar with over the years. The Jungle began its rapid expansion during 1997, which led to two non-Californians finishing in the top ten. A record 41 callers competed, including debuts by Kerwin in Riverside, Greg in Vegas, and Gino in San Antonio.
1997 RESULTS
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Smack-Off IV
April 10th, 1998
The fourth annual Smack-Off was won in a controversial decision by the show's call screener, Steve Carbone. Though California was still heavily represented, syndication continued to diversify the caller pool. In his debut performance, Sean the Cablinasian represented Houston with a fourth place finish. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Jim Harbaugh had an altogether different experience in his debut call.
29 callers made it on the air, 8 of them went down in flames.
1998 RESULTS
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Smack-Off V
April 2nd, 1999
The fifth annual Smack-Off was won by Sean the Cablinasian in Houston, making him the first non-SoCal caller to become King of Smack.
The 1999 audio is available thanks to Bob in SoCal who sent me his tapes to replace the ones that I so carelessly lost years ago.
1999 RESULTS
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Smack-Off VI
April 28th, 2000
In an era of affiliate expansion the Jungle underwent a contraction as the length of the program was reduced from four hours to three. As a result, the sixth annual Smack-Off had a reduced field of only 17 participants. Doc Mike became the first two time winner of the Smack-Off, but a strong case could be made for The Cablinasian and Dan in D.C.
2000 RESULTS
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Smack-Off VII
May 4th, 2001
The seventh annual Smack-Off was won by longtime SoCal caller Silk in Huntington Beach. Silk had been a frequent subject of caller ridicule on the show. He was able to work his status as an alleged racist, hobo, 7-11 clerk into the call and cleverly played spun a winning effort.
Jim in Fall River made his legendary tandem call with a braying donkey and comedian Jay Mohr, a frequent caller and contributor, made his Smack-Off debut with a tenth place finish.
2001 set a modern era record for calls with 20 and for buzzers with 6.
2001 RESULTS
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Smack-Off VIII
April 19th, 2002
An otherwise outstanding eighth annual Smack-Off was marred forever by a Jeff in Richmond win. Jeff's win delayed the beginning of the Golden Age of the Smack-Off until 2003. 17 callers competed with only buzzer blast, issued on Don in NoCal's poor effort. This tied the record set in 1996 for fewest buzzers issued in one Smack-Off.
2002 RESULTS
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Smack-Off IX
June 21st, 2003
The ninth annual Smack-Off saw Sean the Cablinasian join Doc Mike DiTolla in the club of two-time winners. This Smack-Off set a record for fewest callers with only 14 participants, three of which received the buzzer and one more ejected amidst rising flames.
Smack-Off historians have determined that the Golden Age of the Smack-Off began in 2003. The Golden Age has been marked by incredibly deep and competitive fields that mix the enduring SoCal legends with early syndication giants and add an influx of talented new school callers.
2003 RESULTS
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Smack-Off X
April 16th, 2004
The tenth annual Smack-Off picked up right where the ninth left off. The Cablinasian brought his flawless 'A' game as we've come to expect. Terrence made his best call ever. Trapper went old school with a flawless reworking of Jack Nicholson's "You can't handle the truth" monologue from A Few Good Men. Joe in Orange County made a solid sophomore effort. Greg in Vegas brought his Calvin Murphy, "it's a vagina, not a clown car" smack. Rookie caller Casey in Vegas was cruising until he lost his place on the page and ejected.
But Iafrate stole the show with Whitey's Dad
2004 RESULTS
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Smack-Off XI
May 6th, 2005
The eleventh annual Smack-Off was won by Sean the Cablinasian, making him the first three time winner of the contest. In her sophomore effort, Rachel in Houston earned the highest ranking ever by a woman. Iafrate earned his fourth silver medal while Jeff on a car phone in Phoenix managed to get buzzered in a Smack-Off for a record fourth time.
2005 RESULTS
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Smack-Off XII
May 5th, 2006
In a controversial decision, Sean the Cablinasian edged out Greg in Vegas for the twelfth annual Smack-Off crown. The Cablinasian became the first to ever successfully defend his title; he is also the only four time winner of the event. Newcomer Oren in Denver, who had made a name for himself by verbally assassinating Jeff in Richmond, started his first Smack-Off call well, but as he rambled on and on, Jim was forced to cut him off. Overall, this year's event was down in quality from the excellent level of recent years; perhaps the Golden Age of the Smack-Off has ended.
2006 RESULTS
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Smack-Off XIII
May 4th, 2007
The thirteenth annual Smack-Off ended with the coronation of King Sean the Cablinasian for the third consecutive year and for the fourth time in five years.
On the Wednesday leading up to the event, newcomer and "the next big thing in the Jungle" Vic in NoCal brazenly called his shot. Unfortunately Vic failed to show up on the big day.
2007 RESULTS
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Smack-Off XIV
April 25th, 2008
Defending champion Sean the Cablinasian was ruled ineligible.
prior to the fourteenth annual Smack-Off. Iafrate took advantage by winning his second King of Smack Crown, joining Doc Mike and the Cablinasian in the multiple wins club.
2008 RESULTS
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Smack-Off XV
May 8th, 2009
The fifthteenth annual Smack-Off finally saw the new guard step to the forefront of the Jungle landscape. The top three finishers were all relatively new to the show and all three ascended to Jungle stardom very quickly. Brad in Corona was able to fend of Mike in Indy and Vic in NoCal to win as a rookie.
2009 RESULTS
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Smack-Off XVI
April 23rd, 2010
The sixteenth annual Smack-Off was won by Vic in NoCal, who finally cashed one in after several disappointing Smack-Off efforts.
The first ever Hack-Off was held on April 16, 2010. The Hack-Off was a competition among the worst of the worst to earn an invitation to the Smack-Off. Vinny Mac won the Hack-Off and parlayed that into a Smack-Off call in which he was shaky, but he was able to avoid the buzzer.
2010 RESULTS
| RANK | CALLER |
| 1 | Vic in NoCal |
| 2 | Mike in Indy |
| 3 | Doc Mike DiTolla |
| 4 | Joe in Orange County |
| 5 | Iafrate |
| 6 | Jay Mohr |
| 7 | Terrence in Sierra Madre |
| 8 | Brad in Corona |
| 9 | Dan in D.C. |
| 10 | Trapper in Dana Point |
| Lisa in Indy | |
| Vinny Mac in Des Moines | |
| DNF | Greg in Vegas |
| DNF | Ray Ray in Tampa |
| DNF | Sheryl in Austin |
Full Text | Audio Files | Comments (0)
Smack-Off XVII
April 8th, 2011
The seventeenth annual Smack-Off was held on April 8th, 2011. Brad in Corona won, joining Sean the Cablinasian, Doc Mike DiTolla, and Iafrate in the two-time winners club.
The second annual Hack-Off was held on April 1st, 2011. Hack-Off winner Ray Ray in Tampa earned a berth in the Smack-Off field.
2011 RESULTS
| RANK | CALLER |
| 1 | Brad in Corona |
| 2 | Steve Carbone |
| 3 | Iafrate |
| 4 | Vic in NoCal |
| 5 | Dan in D.C. |
| 6 | Jay Mohr |
| 7 | Mike in Indy |
| 8 | Mike in San Diego |
| 9 | Israel in L.A. |
| 10 | Joe in Orange County |
| Jeff in Richmond | |
| Oren in Denver | |
| Trapper in Dana Point |
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