MADtv: Season Seven (2001-2002)

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The Season Seven cast of MADtv. (Standing, Left to Right) Stephnie Weir, Will Sasso, Alex Borstein and Michael McDonald. (Seated) Frank Caliendo, Andrew Daly, Mo Collins, Aries Spears and Debra Wilson. Not pictured: Kathryn Fiore, Taran Killam, Bobby Lee and Jill Michelle Meleán.

1 Season summary
2 Opening montage
3 Cast
- 3.1 Repertory players
- 3.2 Featured players
4 Episodes
5 Notes
6 DVD releases
7 External links

[edit] Season summary

With Nicole Sullivan gone from the cast, the only cast member to stay on the cast since day one was Debra Wilson. Changes to the cast included Andrew Daly and Stephnie Weir being boosted to repertory status, and new players included Frank Caliendo and Bobby Lee who, like Michael McDonald and Mo Collins, further changed the way MADtv would be seen. Frank Caliendo broke out big as he was called to do impersonations of many celebrities a la Saturday Night Live's Darrell Hammond. His claim to fame would be an offbeat impersonation of FOX football commentator John Madden, but he also impressed with impersonations of Richard Dreyfuss, Al Michaels, Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Rod Roddy, which eventually would make recurring appearances in future episodes.

Meanwhile, Bobby Lee would be the first Asian-American player on MADtv. Aside from delivering breezy slapstick antics, he cemented his fame with a hilarious impersonation of Connie Chung.

The woman's lib of MADtv would also be the main focus when MADtv hired two fresh-faced female players: Kathryn Fiore and Jill Michelle Meleán. Fiore's two characters was neurotic teen Kate Williams and sorority sister Taylor Rosenblatt, but she had a good arsenal of impersonations to go around, including Barbara Pierce Bush amongst others. Meleán, like Bobby Lee, was another new ethnic player who would not appear until late in the season, but she broke out with a dead-on impersonation of Drew Barrymore.

Last year's featured player-turned-repertory player Daly would frequently pop up as Politically Incorrect host Bill Maher, where cast members would play different celebrities.

A new - and soon to be frequent - sketch on MADtv appeared in the form of Real Mother****ing Talk, an urban parody of discussion shows a la Hardball with Chris Matthews and Politically Incorrect. Hosted by Dollar Bill Montgomery (as played by Aries Spears), guests on the show would be played by either rappers (Method Man, Redman) or comedians (Earthquake, Corey Holcumb).

This season was also the end of an era according to many fans. Repertory players Will Sasso and Alex Borstein have entertained audiences since they broke out in season three, but this season would be their last. Sasso was seen most this year as *NSYNC member Lance Bass (who would appear in an early episode), but did not disappoint whenever he portrayed his best impersonations, such as Louie Anderson, Robert De Niro, Kenny Rogers, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Steven Seagal. Borstein continued to entertain audiences as Miss Swan, and at the end of the season, she would move on to voice Lois Griffin in the hit animated comedy, Family Guy.

Guest-wise is where MADtv was memorable as well. One of its guests, Michelle Trachtenberg, starred in a parody of her show Buffy the Vampire Slayer with her favorite character, Alex Borstein's Ms. Swan. Trachtenberg's performance nabbed her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series.

Other guests included *NSYNC members Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, Todd Bridges (who appeared in season 5), wrestlers Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin (the WWE asked Will Sasso, who did rock-solid impersonations of wrestlers in the past, to appear in an episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown!, appearing alongside Chris Jericho and Stone Cold Steve Austin), Frankie Muniz, The Man Show hosts Adam Corolla and Jimmy Kimmel, Vivica A. Fox (who appeared on Season 4), the Insane Clown Posse, and a variety of hip-hop artists (including DMX, Ja Rule, Master P., Method Man, Redman, and the RZA).

[edit] Opening montage

The title sequence starts off with a completely black screen, and then, suddenly, the MADtv logo appears across the screen. The theme song, which is performed by the hip-hop group Heavy D & the Boyz, begins and an announcer announces "It's MADtv! Starring...," and then he introduces (alphabetically) the name of each repertory cast member, followed by the featured cast. As he does so, the screen splits into several different screens. Each screen shows a different color live action clip of that particular cast member performing a different character. Then a line cuts across the multiple screens and it turns into a still color photo of the cast member with his/her name appearing in caption over the photo. When the last cast member/guest is introduced, the music stops and the title sequence ends with the phrase "You are now watching MADtv..."

[edit] Cast

[edit] Repertory players

[edit] Featured players

[edit] Episodes

The seventh season of MADtv aired from September 22, 2001 to May 18, 2002. There was a total of 25 episodes produced for that season. They were as follows:

Episode	Airing Date	Host/Guest(s)	Sketches	Other notes
#701	September 22, 2001	Dr. Joyce Brothers	A parody of "Lady Marmalade" features MADtv's recurring female characters. A woman (Mo Collins) goes out on a date with Gary Condit (Michael McDonald) in a parody of Blind Date and suffers Chandra Levy's fate after meeting Condit's wife (Stephnie Weir). Al Pacino (Frank Caliendo) and Robert De Niro (Will Sasso) co-star opposite Mariah Carey (Debra Wilson) in a parody of Glitter. Trina (Mo Collins) goes speed dating. Will Sasso and Alex Borstein interview celebrities at the red carpet premiere for Rock Star. On today's episode of Family Feud, depressed host Louie Anderson (Will Sasso) makes fun of the guest's names (Meiger, Migger; Kreiger, Cracker). A bride (Stephnie Weir) gets cold feet before a wedding.	Closing was re-filmed with Mo Collins at a later tape date, paying tribute to September 11th.
#702	September 29, 2001		The low-quality of MTV caused by lack of music videos and abundance of "reality" shows is revealed in a parody of Sugar Ray's "When It's Over". Celebrities such as Chris Tucker (Debra Wilson), Sisqó (Aries Spears), Rosie O'Donnell (Alex Borstein), and Kenny Rogers (Will Sasso) compete in a special Fear Factor. Welcome to a fan club for Craig Kilborn. Mike Tyson (Aries Spears) promotes his own grill. A man (Michael McDonald) impresses a woman's family by farting scented gas. Björk (Alex Borstein) stars in a K-Mart commercial. Whitney Houston (Debra Wilson) and Bobby Brown (Aries Spears) hosts a celebrity exhaustion telethon with special guests Angelina Jolie (Mo Collins) and Robin Williams (Frank Caliendo).
#703	October 6, 2001	Alien Ant Farm (musical guest)	Lance Bass (Will Sasso) hosts a talk show, with Rush Hour 2 stars Jackie Chan (Bobby Lee) and Chris Tucker (Debra Wilson) as guests. Rusty Miller (Michael McDonald) finds work as a concession stand employee, and accosts movie-theater patrons into seeing the movies he recommends. Senator Jesse Helms (Andrew Daly) causes problems on the set of a commercial. Tovah (Debra Wilson) doesn't like the fact that her Reality Check co-host Belma (Aries Spears) lost weight. Child prodigy Karen Goddard (Alex Borstein) is interviewed on Good Morning, Phoenix, until Dot (Stephnie Weir) joins in. A man (Michael McDonald) abuses his dim-witted brother, and his girlfriend (Stephnie Weir) is unlucky enough to watch a tape of these events.
#704	October 20, 2001	Lance Bass, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Joey Fatone	Denzel Washington (Aries Spears) tries comedy with Huge Mamma Fatso, but his preaching still dominates. Depressed Persian tow truck man Mofaz (Michael McDonald) shows his patriotsm. Liz Allen (Stephnie Weir) runs into a childhood bully (Mo Collins) who doesn't look to be in the best condition. Alex Borstein interviews the stars of On the Line, with Lance Bass and Will Sasso's Lance Bass answering questions as well. Walter Hemphill (Aries Spears) yearns to fight in the war. Katie (Kathryn Fiore) can't stand her "embarrassing" parents (Mo Collins, Michael McDonald), but it's her that's being embarrassing. On 20/20, Connie Chung (Bobby Lee) goes behind the scenes of the life of Aaron Spelling (Michael McDonald), and the secret to the success of his shows.
#705	November 10, 2001	David Carradine, Drew Barrymore, Penny Marshall	Morris Chestnut (Aries Spears) and Vivica A. Fox (Debra Wilson) star in another played-out urban romantic comedy, Gonna Git Some. The classic TV series Kung Fu gets remade into a major motion picture starring Steven Seagal (Will Sasso) and show's original lead David Carradine. Oprah Winfrey (Debra Wilson) interviews Kate Hudson (Kathryn Fiore) about the actress' new movie, based on the life of Jeannie Fanucci (Alex Borstein). Rusty Miller (Michael McDonald) interviews Riding in Cars with Boys director Penny Marshall and star Drew Barrymore. Bill Clinton (Will Sasso), Tobey Maguire (Taran Killam), Condoleezza Rice (Debra Wilson), and Al Michaels (Frank Caliendo) are guests on Politically Incorrect, in which guests discuss about Michael Jordan's return to basketball. A confrontation between Mo Collins and Stephnie Weir evolves into a sketch, much to the former's dismay.	Special 150th episode
#706	November 17, 2001	Todd Bridges, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Christopher Titus, Jessica Simpson (musical guest)	George W. Bush (Will Sasso) conducts a personal manhunt on Chris Kattan after seeing his new movie Corky Romano. Mark-Paul Gosselaar reprises his role as Det. John Clark in a spoof of his show NYPD Blue where he learns from Andy (Will Sasso) about the death of a fellow officer. Leona Campbell (Stephnie Weir) questions Miss Cleo (Debra Wilson) if she knew that 9/11 was going to happen. Todd Bridges guest stars alongside Michael Jackson (Aries Spears) in a parody of "You Rock My World", where the pop star claims that he still loves women. Jane Pauley (Alex Borstein) interviews a a paranoid TV executive (Christopher Titus) who is accused of stealing ideas for reality TV shows from a homeless man. Stuart Larkin (Michael McDonald) is jealous over a newborn baby that is getting more attention than him. Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst (Will Sasso) hosts an episode of MTV Spring Break where Jessica Simpson partakes in a spray-paint event and performs "A Little Bit."
#707	November 24, 2001	Michelle Trachtenberg, Blink 182	The members of NSYNC sing about irritable bowel syndrome in a parody of "Gone." Lorraine Swanson (Mo Collins) is a contestant on The Price is Right. Michelle Trachtenberg reprises her role as Dawn from Buffy the Vampire Slayer* in a parody of the show with Ms. Swan (Alex Borstein). An episode of The Weakest Link features very dim-bulb contestants - and a very annoying Robin Williams (Frank Caliendo) among other things. Blink 182 appears in a parody of Leave It to Beaver. Will Sasso and Alex Borstein interview celebrities at the premiere for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
#708	December 1, 2001	Brian McFayden	MTV VJ Brian McFayden hosts the latest Family Values Tour event where Kenny Rogers (Will Sasso) premieres a new band. Reverend Camden (Michael McDonald) hammers down family matters, the dog humps Annie (Mo Collins), and John Hamilton (Aries Spears) appears for a brief time, in a parody of 7th Heaven. Broadway talent Noah Slotnick (Frank Caliendo) and actress/model Amber Tamblyn (Kathryn Fiore) star in a new sitcom. Marvin Tikvah (Michael McDonald) buys a Miata for his daughter (Alex Borstein). Randy Newman (Will Sasso) records an album of American songs features duets with various singers. During a serious talk about 9/11, commercials of TV shows are played in the background. A store goes out of business, and the owner (Will Sasso) is broken up about it. A washed-up actress (Stephnie Weir) teaches drama class.
#709	December 8, 2001	Method Man, Redman, Triple H	WWE wrestler Triple H must butt heads with Stone Cold Steve Austin (Will Sasso) to appear on MADtv, joins George W. Bush (Will Sasso) in the fight against the terrorists, and plays a nerdy heavyweight going against an overconfident lightweight (Bobby Lee). A man's (Michael McDonald) refusal to shave and change his clothes makes him look like Osama bin Laden. Beyonce Knowles (Debra Wilson) hogs the spotlight in a parody of Destiny's Child's "Emotion." Michael Jordan (Aries Spears) is frequently hounded by news reporters whenever he messes up. Rappers Method Man and Redman appear on Real Mother**ing Talk. Fightin' Ron (Michael McDonald) goes into Anger Management.
#710	December 15, 2001		President George W. Bush (Will Sasso) and General Colin Powell star in a parody of Jay-Z's "Girls, Girls, Girls." Santa's elves are worrisome that anthrax might be in envelopes, but one elf (Michael McDonald) hopes to prove them wrong. Kenny Rogers (Will Sasso) and his son Benny (Frank Caliendo) wish the audience a Merry Christmas. Trina (Mo Collins) may give birth to a newborn baby in a manger. Destiny's Child and MC Hammer (Aries Spears) send messages to the troops. Will Sasso and Alex Borstein interview celebrities on the red carpet at the VH1 My Music Awards. A woman (Debra Wilson) begs Jesus Christ (Michael McDonald) to spare her husband's life by taking her life instead.	Special Christmas episode
#711	January 12, 2002	Ja Rule (musical guest)	Reality Check hosts Tovah McQueen (Debra Wilson) and Belma Buttons (Aries Spears) interrupt a speech by United States Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (Will Sasso). Parodies of Alias and Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever." Musical guest Ja Rule stars in a sketch as a relative to psychic Miss Cleo (Debra Wilson). The Olsen twins (Kathryn Fiore) star as Hellen Keller in their own movie. On today's O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly (Michael McDonald) makes fun of Elizabeth Crane (Stephnie Weir), while marquees about how better O'Reilly is than Larry King scroll down the bottom of the screen. The life of Andrew Daly as "the unfunny guy on MADtv" is chronicled in his MTV Diary. A student (Stephnie Weir) blames her irresponsibility in class on her ability to become a werewolf.
#712	January 26, 2002	Usher (musical guest)	Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. (Aries Spears) further sells out his Oscar nomination in Snow Dogs. Prisoners can now try a new dating system if they are desperate for sex. An antiques road show held in the year 3005 takes a look at artifacts from today. Tovah (Debra Wilson) and Belma (Aries Spears) give Richard Simmons (Will Sasso), the co-host's personal trainer, a reality check. Employees bring up the past of one of their own (Aries Spears), who used to be a hip-hop artist. Director Chris Columbus (Michael McDonald) rushes filming his sequels to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Laughing scaredy-cat Mickey (Michael McDonald) goes into therapy.
#713	February 2, 2002	Amanda Bynes, Frankie Muniz, Andy Dick, Wu-Tang Clan (musical guest)	An episode of Happy Days filmed in Spanish. Ms. Swan (Alex Borstein) causes havoc at Starbucks. Big Fat Liar stars Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes appear on Inside the Actors Studio. Andy Dick appears as Daphne Aguilera.
#714	February 9, 2002	Chris Klein, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos	Babies can dress up like pop-star whores such as Britney Spears, Li'l Kim, Jennifer Lopez, and Christina Aguilera with new clothing line now available at Baby Gap. Valentine's Day episode of Wheel of Fortune has idiot celebrity couples such as Sarah Michelle Gellar (Kathryn Fiore) and Freddie Prinze Jr. (Michael McDonald), Will Smith (Aries Spears) and Jada Pinkett Smith (Debra Wilson), and Kenny Rogers and a waitress (Stephnie Weir). Stuart Larkin (Michael McDonald) makes a threatening video Valentine for his teacher (Stephnie Weir). Chris Klein plays an executive who plugs a non-electric notepad. The Kappa Kappa Kappa girls show highlights of their charity work. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Jason Alexander (Frank Caliendo) co-star alongside Arnold Schwarzeneggar (Will Sasso) in a musical adaptation of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. A man (Michael McDonald) accidentally kills his best friend's bird, then accidentally kills anyone who threatens to rat him out. MADtv execs accost the stars of Rollerball backstage to plug FOX show.
#715	February 16, 2002	Stone Cold Steve Austin, Martin Short	Malcolm X (Aries Spears) plugs a new brand of talcum powder for African-American males of every shade, from high yellow to pitch black. Stone Cold Steve Austin plays a neighbor of Fightin' Ron(Michael McDonald) neighbor, himself in an episode of Family Feud against Mike Tyson (Aries Spears), and Tony Little in a commercial for push-up bras. Today's Public Schoolhouse Rock talks about using interjections when dealing with overcrowded classrooms and outdated textbooks. Martin Short reprises his role as Jiminy Glick in another installment of Politically Incorrect, along with Roseanne Barr (Alex Borstein, Penny Marshall (Mo Collins), and Robert De Niro (Will Sasso). Ms. Swan (Alex Borstein) goes inside a gay bar, then belts out a variation of ABBA's "Dancing Queen".
#716	February 23, 2002	Adam Carolla, DMX, Melissa Joan Hart, Jimmy Kimmel	New Barbie dolls are modeled after the salacious antics of "Girls Gone Wild". Movies Crossroads and A Walk to Remember merge together in a brand new film starring Britney Spears (Melissa Joan Hart) and Mandy Moore (Kathryn Fiore). Dot (Stephnie Weir) is a guest on Oprah. Rapper DMX stars in a sketch where he gets advice from his mother (Aries Spears). Stuart Larkin (Michael McDonald) gets a new bicycle for his birthday. Adam Corolla and Jimmy Kimmel play figure skating color commentators whose raunchy, tongue-in-cheek language upsets Michelle Kwan (Bobby Lee). A vodka commercial's promise not to glamorize alcohol for teenage audiences is broken with constant drinking from minors and an *NSYNC contest. Melissa Joan Hart and other famous sorcerers are summoned by George W. Bush (Will Sasso) to solve the world's problems.
#717	March 16, 2002	Shakira, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderrama	A contestant (Mo Collins) is at the mercy of a probing machine on a dangerous game show. Check out a special episode of Friends, where the cast have to deal with a black girl (Debra Wilson). The Calling's Alex Band (Taran Killam), Creed's Scott Stapp (Will Sasso), Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder (Michael McDonald), and Ray Charles (Aries Spears) accuse each other of stealing their singing style in a video parody of "Wherever You Will Go." That 70's Show stars Danny Masterson and Wilmer Valderrama play Jon and Ponch respectively in a parody of CHiPs. Public Schoolhouse Rock centers on the usage of nouns in an inner city school setting. Angela Wright (Stephnie Weir) records a documentary on how male construction workers sexually harrass female passers-by. Rusty Miller (Michael McDonald) interviews musical guest Shakira. Al Pacino (Frank Caliendo) and Robert De Niro (Will Sasso) hold up a line in an ice cream shop.
#718	March 23, 2006	Corey Holcumb, Earthquake, Tara Reid	The search for the bling is on in Lord of the Blings, starring hip-hop/R&B artists Lil' Kim (Debra Wilson), Bill Cosby (Aries Spears), Ice Cube (Corey Holcumb), Jay-Z (Earthquake), Sisqo (Aries Spears), Missy Elliott (Aries Spears). Parody of R. Kelly's (Aries Spears) video, "The World's Greatest" focuses on his love for underage girls. Comedians Corey Holcumb and Earthquake discuss the events on Enron, as well as potential Oscar nominees on Real Mother**ing Talk. Tara Reid stars as a homeless single mother on a game show with celebrities Drew Carey (Will Sasso), Reba McEntire (Stephnie Weir), and Carrot Top (Andrew Daly), then as herself on Inside the Actors Studio, where James Lipton (Will Sasso) gets hit in the head with a stage light. Robert De Niro (Will Sasso) and Joe Pesci (Frank Caliendo) use violence to promote their products.
#719	April 6, 2006	Greg the Bunny, Insane Clown Posse, Master P.	The Kappa Kappa Kappa sorority sisters throw a spring festival. Robin Williams (Frank Caliendo) and Whoopi Goldberg (Debra Wilson) star in a heart-tugging motion picture called Nicky Noodles. MADtv becomes a Saturday morning cartoon. Insane Clown Posse and Master P. join in duets of "Love of My Life." with Michael McLoud (Will Sasso) and Jasmine Wayne-Wayne (Alex Borstein). Greg the Bunny and Dorothy Lanier (Stephnie Weir) audition for a commercial. Jenny Jones (Mo Collins) offers to makeover a sexy stripper (Kathryn Fiore).
#720	April 13, 2006		Another sitcom titled Beach Town Bums has its leads (Alex Borstein, Will Sasso) switch gender glands. Two princesses (Mo Collins, Stephnie Weir) fight for the love of Prince William (Taran Killam) in a UFC-style cage match. A bald-headed couple (Michael McDonald, Stephnie Weir) entertain themselves outside a rowdy party. Dorothy Lanier (Stephnie Weir) goes out on a date. Wayne Brady (Aries Spears) sings a song about cotton. Lorraine (Mo Collins) goes to a Mardi Gras event. A couple (Alex Borstein, Will Sasso) spot two familiar MADtv stars at a restaurant. Bunifa (Debra Wilson) causes havoc at an airport.
#721	April 20, 2002	Melina Kanakaredes	Melina Kanakaredes dreams that she's stuck doing parodies of her show Providence. Walter (Aries Spears) and Amber Hemphill (Mo Collins) are contestants on Change of Heart. A man (Will Sasso) thinks his friend (Bobby Lee) can get rid of a stain off his silk because he's Asian. Kate (Kathryn Fiore) whines and complains on her family camping trip. Potheads laugh uncontrollably and discuss news topics for a news show. A defendant (Michael McDonald) uses raunchy words to clear his guilty plate.
#722	April 27, 2002	Preston Lacy, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Wee Man, Tenacious D (musical guest)	Britney Spears (Jill Michelle Meleán) sings a variation of her hit song "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet a Woman." Oprah Winfrey (Debra Wilson), Kelsey Grammer (Frank Caliendo), Bill Clinton (Will Sasso), and Drew Barrymore (Jill Michelle Meleán) discuss marriage on this week's installment of Politically Incorrect. Dot (Stephnie Weir) looks for her glove in a laundromat. Kenny Rogers (Will Sasso) joins the cast of Jackass in a parody of their show.
#723	May 4, 2002		Mofaz (Michael McDonald) makes other thearpy patients feel better about themselves. A yoga teacher (Michael McDonald) shows off some creepy techniques. James Gandolfini (Will Sasso) goes on a rampage when he is unable to leave the stage.
#724	May 11, 2002	Vivica A. Fox	A parody of JAG features unintentional innuendo. Women from the present get transported to the past and fight beasts in a new campy show, Glamazon Huntresses. Bunifa (Debra Wilson) is a contestant on Dismissed. Vivica A. Fox plays a former CBS executive hired at UPN who criticizes writers for coming up with a sitcom rife with African American stereotypes. Neighbors square off against each other and record incriminating evidence in a commercial parody for Sony. Jenny Jones (Mo Collins) hosts a less disgraceful show by interviewing Laura Bush (Stephnie Weir), until an audience member (Debra Wilson) talks trash. Two guys (Bobby Lee, Will Sasso) act gay to pick up chicks, but the plan backfires when the girls don't take the bait.
#725	May 18, 2002	Method Man, RZA, Teri Garr, Eve Plumb	A patient (Will Sasso) suffers from pixelation when he gets naked at the doctor's. Rod Roddy (Frank Caliendo) is the new announcer for The Lance Bass Show. Ms. Campbell (Stephnie Weir) doesn't make anything easier on the woman (Mo Collins) who ran her over. Wayne Brady (Aries Spears) welcomes Richard Dreyfuss (Frank Caliendo) to his show. Celebrities and Wu-Tang Clan members Method Man and RZA talk about Marvin Tikvah (Michael McDonald) on an E! True Hollywood Story. Trina (Mo Collins) discovers a shocking secret about her new husband (Michael McDonald)	Season finale

[edit] Notes

This season was a milestone in that at its conclusion, one saw the departures of three significant cast members: Will Sasso, Alex Borstein, and Andrew Daly. Borstein would join the cast of Family Guy. Both Sasso and Borstein would make several guest appearances on the show in later seasons. Daly would go on to become a correspondent for The Showbiz Show with David Spade.
This was the first season for Frank Caliendo, who has become one of MADtv's greatest celebrity impressionists.
This season also produced its first Asian cast member, Bobby Lee and its first Hispanic woman cast member, Jill Michelle Meleán, both of which were promoted from feature players to repertory status for the following season. The other two featured players, Taran Killam and Kathryn Fiore left at the end of this season. Although Killam's contract was not renewed, Fiore, who was suppose to become a repertory player for the following season, chose not to return and she pursued other career objectives.