Kenny Vs. Spenny Season 1
Being Canadian has never been cooler thanks to top notch acts like Broken Social Scene, The Arcade Fire and The Wolf Parade pushing out the embarrassingly horrible former ambassadors of the Canadian musical arts: Celine Dion and even worse, the Barenaked Ladies, paving the way for a new generation of cutting edge Canadian talent. Unfortunately, our television industry has been somewhat lagging behind in its progression towards quality entertainment. Tom Green exported to the states and suffered a severe backlash, and in my opinion, The Trailer Park Boys and Corner Gas are shit. Alright fine, I haven’t actually seen Corner Gas, but I’m sure it’s shit. Luckily, there are those rare occasions when a show is both Canadian and good. Thanks to Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice, we have one more example to add to the unfortunately short list.
Kenny Vs. Spenny is a gross out/prank/reality show in which two best friends, Kenny Hotz and Spencer (Spenny) Rice, engage in weekly competitions which result in the loser being forced to do a ‘Humiliation’. The premise is pretty simple and combined with the straight performances by its competitors, Kenny Vs. Spenny is probably one of the funniest and most entertaining Canadian television shows ever. A statement I can easily throw around without thinking twice.
The recent season one DVD release finds the two friends competing in such classic confrontations as who can stay awake the longest, who can go the longest without using their arms, and one of my favourites, who can put on the best concert. The latter finds Kenny and Spenny forming their own bands and writing a song to be performed in front of a panel of judges. Of course, Spenny’s honest approach to most of the challenges is met with Kenny’s deceptive bending of the rules and ultimately..SABOTAGE. Watching the two friends squabble over whether or not leaning is considered standing in the ‘who can stand the longest’ competition is as good as a Larry David stand up routine.
The show is billed as Canada’s first ‘reality sit-com’, which is pretty accurate. Although its shot on home video cameras and the competitions are genuine, some scripted moments seem to peek through at times. Luckily the situations are so hilarious and Kenny and Spenny are so convincing that if there are scripted moments, it’s pretty hard to separate them from the spontaneous elements of the show. Some may remember Hotz and Rice’s cult hit documentary ‘Pitch’, in which they filmed themselves at the Toronto International Film Festival, among other places, trying to sell a script called ‘The Dawn’, a mob-comedy about a Mafia Don who accidentally gets a sex change instead of a hernia operation. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, it’s hilarious and is included as a bonus feature on the third of the 3 disc set.
Strong concepts and great chemistry between Hotz and Rice (remarkably comparable to Vince Vaughan and Luke Wilson) make Kenny Vs. Spenny a must have for those people looking for great entertainment and a renewed sense of Canadian pride.
SCORE: 
Recommended If You Like: The Tom Green Show, Jackass, Punk’d, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Comments (24)
havent seen it in any stores. did you have to order it or was it carried at HMV?
Posted by Goon on December 11th, 2005We carried it. But we haven’t gotten any since.
Posted by Jay C. on December 11th, 2005thx jay nut only 4 stars, i’ll bet if spenny wasnt in the show i’d get 5!!!!!!
keep watching
your new pal
kenny!
kennyhotz.com
Posted by kenny on December 16th, 2005ooops i meant but not nut!
Posted by kenny on December 16th, 2005Hey Kenny,
Now that we’re pals, you should give me some advice on how to raise money to fund your own documentary.
P.S. I can’t seem to access your website.
Posted by Jay C. on December 18th, 2005i can… i couldnt on my comp in oakville but here in alberta on my parents comp in works…
Posted by Goon on December 18th, 2005try this jay
http://spaces.msn.com/members/kennyhotz/
Posted by Goon on December 18th, 2005or this:
Posted by Goon on December 18th, 2005http://www.kennyvsspenny.tv
This is the worst waste of time ever perpetrated on an unsupecting audience expecting?? That the Canadian taxpayer was asked to sponsor this bilge garbage is a travesty to us all. If these two gentlemen wish to film their own insanity they certainly have the rights but certainly not to use any of my hard earned tax dollars to help it in any way.
Posted by Bryant Smith on December 19th, 2005Please let me know of one worthy moment in any episode. Personally I cant see watching an episode all the way through. The bits and pieces I have seen were on how to drink yourself into oblivion and still have to cheat to beat a near dead drunk. So not learning anything other than how to drink and cheat and the prize is not being humiliated doing stuff some other kid now will think is knarlary or whatever.
When and if there is ever one redeaming quality that someone sees in the show, let me know as I just don’t think it is possible
B Smith.
Calgary.
after that letter now I have to see it..
Posted by Goon on December 19th, 2005got it today. great value for all this goodness…. it saddens me that so far Spenny hasn’t won as much… I was so disappointed he lost the sleep deprivation comp.
Posted by Goon on December 20th, 2005this is the god damn FUNNIEST show i have seen in a long time. i havent laughed at a show like this since ALF. i havent picked up the first season DVD set as of yet, but i will damn it.
Posted by Chopper aka Mikie on January 3rd, 2006I agree with Mikie, ALF is probably the funniest show ever to be on television.
Posted by Sean on January 3rd, 2006mikie is ghey
Posted by Chian on January 3rd, 2006HEY CHIAN, IM NOT GHEY, IM HAPPY!!! HEHEHE!
Posted by Chopper on January 13th, 2006check my site http://www.kennyhotz.com
Posted by kenny hotz on February 4th, 2006b. smith…whats your show like?
its so kenny to google himself.
Posted by Goon on February 5th, 2006http://www.bbcamerica.com/genre/comedy_games/ed_vs_spencer/ed_vs_spencer_about_the_show.jsp
BBC America is showing another version of the same thing – Ed vs Spencer. by the writeup it seems like they do a lot of the same challenges.
Posted by Goon on March 21st, 2006I’m pretty sure there’s a special feature on the dvd that shows clips from this or some other ‘international’ version of the show.
Posted by Jay C. on March 21st, 2006Man, are you all high or something? This show is a wack ass spin on Jackass. And it features 2 boring nerdy dudes doing half ass pranks and stunts. They are so scared of the stuff they do it is unwatchable. This is yet another horrible canadian television program….in a LONG line of them. It really surprises me that many people dig it, but then again what are they competing against on canadian television….Corner Gas?
I KNOW THERE ARE SOME TRUELY TALENTED AND FUNNY …in fact ,,,HILARIOUS CANADIANS OUT THERE ( ihappen to know a few)……why do these execs at comedy network and showtime always pic and develop these unoriginal unfunny shows? i mean shit like this and girls will be girls are complete garbage by unfunny people…
sorry about the long post …its just so goddamn wack and the person in the room happens to be watching it….
hey guys BOTH OF YOU ARE NOT FUNNY!!! AT ALL!!!
and nerdy to top it off
Posted by kotep on October 5th, 2006wow, you really dont get it at all.
the prank is not the purpose of the show, it is the motivation for them to succeed at their task because they ARE afraid of what the other might do.
if there was no humiliation it would just be ‘heres two guys challenging for nothing. watch them not try’ – that would be boring.
kenny vs spenny IS innovative which is exactly why there are imitation versions in other countries using the same format, right down to the graphics and exact same challenges.
the only thing in common with Jackass is its a subversive addition to the ‘reality tv’ genre.
Posted by Goon on October 6th, 2006this is the funniest show i have ever seen do i have to order it though or is ther another way to get it?
Posted by alex on October 19th, 2006Hey Kenny please please please in one of your upcoming shows sometime, please say the phrase “COOL BEANS!” lol its awesome
Posted by Brandon on November 17th, 2006In response to B Smith…the shows only redeaming value is that it makes thousands of people laught out loud
Posted by Carlos on August 29th, 2010Leave a Reply