Northern grad, former reality TV star Rabenberg brings comedy act to town
By Kelda J.L. Pharris -
She's a Mobridge native and former Northern State University basketball player, TV reality star and life coach. Now Krista Rabenberg wants to make you laugh.
Rabenberg, 31, is bringing Las Vegas Laughs, with sketch comedian Steven Briggs, to the Best Western Ramkota Hotel, 1400 Eighth Ave. N.W. Shows are today and Saturday at 8 p.m.
Krista Rabenberg brings a comedy act to Aberdeen this weekend. She once played basketball for Northern State University and was on the show "My Giant Life." Courtesy photo
Comedian wasn't a career path Rabenberg took seriously right away, but it seemed to fit. The reality show wanted to run with it, and being a 6-foot, 6-inch tall woman, she had a lot of goofy things to talk about. Like crouching in bathroom stalls because she doesn't want to stand up and frighten anyone when her frame pops her head up over the doors, she said. Yes, it's a thing.
"(Comedy) is an escape for a lot of people for how crazy it is in the world right now," Rabenberg said by phone Thursday. "People need that coping method. I didn't take it seriously for a while. Once I took that perspective, I thought that I can really help people, just in a different way than I thought I would be."
Comedy is taking the front burner for Rabenberg right now. She has signed contracts with talent management companies in Canada and Las Vegas, where she is currently based. She said her Aberdeen shows are a test run with the potential for a tour through South Dakota, but nothing is on the calendar.
Previously she was on the reality series "My Giant Life." It focused on women who were exceptionally tall. Her roommate in the series was 6-foot-9. It was weird being the shorter person for one time in her life, Rabenberg said. All of those experiences, and a continuous supply from her private life, keep her material fresh.
A large part of her life while she was on "My Giant Life" played out on social media. She'd meet clients online who sought her as a life coach, which her line of work at the time. Because of her TV fame there was some unwanted attention from men who had "kinks" or "fetishes" about tall women, she said. Her decision to try standup comedy yielded better attention than her work as a life coach, she said.
Strangely enough, it has put her extensive education in psychology to good use, Rabenberg said.
Advance tickets are $15 for general admission, $25 for VIP with meet and greet at 6:30 p.m. They are available at bit.ly/2KGuSCA. General admission tickets are $20 at the door.