He is the
host of the highly successful shows "Cash Cab" and "Cash Cab:
After Dark" on the Discovery Channel.
He was singled out by publications such as Entertainment Weekly, who put
Ben on their MUST LIST in 2006, People magazine who said "All Hail Cash
Cab," and the New York Post. As a stand-up he has also been profiled in
publications such as the New York Times, Maxim, the Associated Press and other
reputable publications as well. In fact, "Cash Cab" has gained such a following that he received
a Daytime Emmy nomination last year for "Outstanding Game Show Host."
As far back as Ben can remember, he was always delivering
something. Whether it was flowers, sandwiches, pizza or people, he had over 68
odd jobs prior to and during his stint as an up and coming stand up comic. He
recalls driving passengers in his limo, dropping them off, and then hitting the
comedy clubs before coming back to pick them up and take them home. In fact,
some of his passengers were so enamored with him that they even came to watch
him perform! So, when Ben was offered the job as the host of "Cash
Cab," driving was a no brainer. And when he was told that he had to
successfully pass real taxi school to become a licensed cab driver in New York
City to take the job, Ben passed with flying colors.
Ben got his unlikely start as a stand-up comedian when he
was mistaken for a comic in the green room of The Comedy Store in Los Angeles
where he was hired to answer the phones. The booker seeing that the other
comics in the room could not get enough of Ben's humor booked him on the spot.
After a few years of performing in Los Angeles, Ben
moved back to New York and for two years consistently went to open-mic nights
to hone his craft and he hasn't stopped making people laugh since. Now with
over 10 years under his belt as a successful stand-up comedian, Ben continues
to perform all over New York City and has achieved international acclaim for
both the show "Cash Cab" and performing stand-up comedy all over the
world.
He has appeared at the Aspen Comedy Arts Festival in 2002
and again in 2004 while promoting the movie "Bad Meat." He has
performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2000 and again in 2004 as well as the
Masters show at the Montreal Just for Laughs festival in 2005. Ben was also a
"Star Search" semi-finalist in 2003 and was an audience favorite
where 16.2 million people saw him perform. Ben has also guest starred on
numerous television comedies and dramas such as: ABC's "The Knights of Prosperity" & "Hope
& Faith", NBC's "Law and
Order SVU," and Fox's "Mad TV," as well as a recurring role on
"One Life To Live." His
upcoming special "YouSpoof 2.0" will debut on the Discovery Channel
later in 2008.
Some television highlights of Ben's career include his own
Comedy Central Presents Special, and performances and interviews on shows such
as: "The Tonight show w/Jay Leno," the "Late Late Show with
Craig Kilborn," "Last Call with Carson Daly", "Comedy
Central's Premium Blend," "The World Stands Up," and "Tough
Crowd w/Colin Quinn." Film roles include a featured role in
"Spiderman 2," and the independent comedies; "Bad Meat,"
"Don't Shoot The Pharmacist" "They're Made Out of Meat " ,
"Meet Me at Rays," (also co-wrote/directed).
In addition to being the host of "Cash Cab," Ben
is also a trained tri-athlete, preparing for a ½ Iron Man competition in
October of 2008. This triathlon includes a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike trek
and a 13.1 mile run.
Ben Bailey is from New Jersey.
"Cash Cab" is in its third year and new episodes
began airing on March 3, 2008.
