Kenny vs. Spenny
Encyclopedia
Kenny vs. Spenny is a Canadian comedy
reality
television series about Kenny Hotz
and Spencer Rice
, who face each other in various competitions. The loser of the episode must perform an act of humiliation, usually selected by the winner. Hotz and Rice helped create the series, and it was typically shot in their hometown of Toronto
, Ontario
, based mainly out of the house they share. As of November 2008, the show airs on CBC
, Global
and Showcase in Canada, on Comedy Central
in Germany
and the Netherlands
, on The Comedy Channel
in Australia
, on Sony Max in South Africa
, on FX
in Portugal
, on JIM
in Finland
and on Comedy Central
in Sweden
. In response to some viewers questioning the authenticity of the show, Kenny asserts that the series was completely unscripted, and was all real. The series concluded with an hour long Christmas special on December 23, 2010, at 9 pm ET/PT on Showcase.
The series was nominated for Gemini Award
s in 2005, 2006 and 2008 as the best Canadian comedy series, The Canadian Comedy Awards
in 2010 and 2011, and has received a Rose d'Or nomination in Switzerland for "best international comedy series".
The show has spawned several replicas of its format, including a family friendly French Canadian
version, called Frank vs Girard airs on VRAK.TV
. Also following the original format are Ed vs. Spencer
in the United Kingdom
, Juan vs. Roman in Latin America
, Cenk vs. Erdem in Turkey
, Elton vs. Simon in Germany
, Katja vs. Bridget and Dennis vs. Valerio in the Netherlands
.
Beyond their competitive styles the contrasting personalities of the two offer much of the humour of the show. Kenny is generally portrayed as an uncouth and charismatic joker with a bizarre scatological sense of humor. Spenny is a classic straight man, as he stated in one episode "I haven't had a belly laugh since 1987." He rarely laughs or makes jokes on camera. Instead, Spenny usually reacts with exasperation to Kenny's antics, which are often directed at him. Spenny's most common emotional reaction on the show is anger at some act which Kenny has committed. Occasionally, Kenny's pranks move beyond simple character assassination. In one instance he secretly gave Spenny several hits of LSD. In another he forged a letter to Spenny from the Ontario Ministry of Health, informing Spenny that he had been in contact with someone who was HIV positive.
The winner of the competition gets to assign a "humiliation", an embarrassing task, that the loser must perform; although, it is implied that the loser must agree to the choice of humiliation, in various episodes where the winner attempts to extend the humiliation beyond what was agreed upon.
The show is usually less focused on who will actually win the competition and more on how each competitor will go about trying to win. This is evidenced by the fact that the person who performs the humiliation is not always technically the loser based on the rules—they just do not know about the rules broken by the winner. On several occasions, Kenny has cheated and still been declared the winner. The show also rarely shows the aftermath of the competition, leaving it unknown how a competitor reacted upon finding out that his opponent cheated. However, in some episodes, the ending credits will have the voices of Kenny and Spenny commenting on an unfair loss.
As of the fourth season, Kenny and Spenny are both executive producers, and receive a credit separate from five other executive producers. Also, Matt Stone
and Trey Parker
, creators of the hit TV show South Park
, joined the show for the fourth season and were also given their own separate credit as executive producers for the ten episodes produced. Instrumental and electronica music is frequently used throughout episodes. Ride of the Valkyries
, Ravel's Boléro
, Sergei Prokofiev
's Montagues and Capulets and Peter and the Wolf
, Gioachino Rossini's La gazza ladra
, Henry Purcell
's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, Richard Strauss
's Also sprach Zarathustra, Black Sabbath
's Electric Funeral
, King Crimson
's The Court of the Crimson King
and music by Toronto electronica band Holy Fuck is very frequently used.
Typically, Kenny and Spenny each have their own production assistant, camera operator and sound engineer who film their independent exploits for each episode.
. It is produced by Breakthrough Films and Television, and has been since its inception. After the first season, CBC
cancelled the show; however, Showcase picked up the series in late 2005. However, re-runs of the first two seasons still air on CBC during late night hours, and on CBC's new Bold station weekday afternoons. The show has aired in the past on GSN
in the United States, but now airs on Comedy Central. The series also airs internationally on TV 2 Zulu
in Denmark, JIM
in Finland, it also aired on the now defunct ZTV Norway
, Comedy Central in Sweden, FX
(repeats on Challenge) in the United Kingdom (no longer airing), The Comedy Channel
in Australia, FX
in Portugal, Comedy Central
in Germany, Comedy Central
in the Netherlands and The XtraHOT channel in Israel. Fox Entertainment Group
in Latin America has also distributed the episodes and can be seen on the Latin American versions of FOX channel and FX
.
It has also been confirmed that it was the series finale episode of Kenny vs. Spenny ending its 6 season run on December 23.
Beyond Home Entertainment has released the first 3 seasons on DVD in Region 4.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
reality
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
television series about Kenny Hotz
Kenny Hotz
Kenneth Joel "Kenny" Hotz is an award-winning Canadian writer, director, actor, producer and photographer. He is a former South Park consultant/writer, creator/director/co-star of the Showcase and Comedy Central television show Kenny vs...
and Spencer Rice
Spencer Rice
Spencer "Spenny" Nolan Rice is a Canadian writer, director, producer, and comedian. He was the co-star of Kenny vs. Spenny along with Kenny Hotz.-Personal life:...
, who face each other in various competitions. The loser of the episode must perform an act of humiliation, usually selected by the winner. Hotz and Rice helped create the series, and it was typically shot in their hometown of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, based mainly out of the house they share. As of November 2008, the show airs on CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
and Showcase in Canada, on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, on The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, on Sony Max in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, on FX
FX (Portugal)
FX is a Portuguese cable television channel. that broadcasts series and talk-shows targeted to a young adult audience, owned by News Corporation.-Television series:*The Goode Family*Californication*Sons of Anarchy*Miami Vice*X-Files*King of the Hill...
in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, on JIM
JIM
JIM is a Finnish national television channel that replaced Nelonen Plus on February 26, 2007....
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In response to some viewers questioning the authenticity of the show, Kenny asserts that the series was completely unscripted, and was all real. The series concluded with an hour long Christmas special on December 23, 2010, at 9 pm ET/PT on Showcase.
The series was nominated for Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
s in 2005, 2006 and 2008 as the best Canadian comedy series, The Canadian Comedy Awards
Canadian Comedy Awards
The Canadian Comedy Awards, founded by , are an annual awards ceremony celebrating notable English speaking Canadian comedians for achievements in Live, Radio, Film, Television and Internet media over the previous year...
in 2010 and 2011, and has received a Rose d'Or nomination in Switzerland for "best international comedy series".
The show has spawned several replicas of its format, including a family friendly French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
version, called Frank vs Girard airs on VRAK.TV
VRAK.TV
VRAK.TV is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel aimed at youth audiences. VRAK.TV is currently owned by Astral Media.-History:...
. Also following the original format are Ed vs. Spencer
Ed vs. Spencer
Ed vs. Spencer was a comedy reality TV series based on the Canadian show Kenny vs. Spenny. It ran for one series from 2004 to 2005 on Sky One in the UK.In the US, Ed vs...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Juan vs. Roman in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Cenk vs. Erdem in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Elton vs. Simon in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Katja vs. Bridget and Dennis vs. Valerio in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Overview
The main focus of the series, besides the nature of the competitions, stems from the contrasting personalities of Kenny and Spenny, which usually impact the way each approaches the competitions. Spenny almost always follows very strictly both the rules and his ethics. He not only follows the rules to the letter, but also what he perceives as the intention and spirit of the competition statement. Kenny's approach is typically more unorthodox; he is often willing to use any means necessary—including cheating—to win. Though he does not always break the rules, he is usually willing to bend them. Kenny sometimes admits to the belief that he would not win certain competitions without cheating. Spenny will often bear the brunt of Kenny's plans and pranks. Spenny is often paranoid and sometimes this causes him to sabotage his own efforts. Additionally, Kenny occasionally uses the paranoia to his advantage. Kenny has also occasionally used his position as executive producer to threaten crew members and force them to help him and/or not help Spenny.Beyond their competitive styles the contrasting personalities of the two offer much of the humour of the show. Kenny is generally portrayed as an uncouth and charismatic joker with a bizarre scatological sense of humor. Spenny is a classic straight man, as he stated in one episode "I haven't had a belly laugh since 1987." He rarely laughs or makes jokes on camera. Instead, Spenny usually reacts with exasperation to Kenny's antics, which are often directed at him. Spenny's most common emotional reaction on the show is anger at some act which Kenny has committed. Occasionally, Kenny's pranks move beyond simple character assassination. In one instance he secretly gave Spenny several hits of LSD. In another he forged a letter to Spenny from the Ontario Ministry of Health, informing Spenny that he had been in contact with someone who was HIV positive.
Winning
The winner of the competition gets to assign a "humiliation", an embarrassing task, that the loser must perform; although, it is implied that the loser must agree to the choice of humiliation, in various episodes where the winner attempts to extend the humiliation beyond what was agreed upon.
The show is usually less focused on who will actually win the competition and more on how each competitor will go about trying to win. This is evidenced by the fact that the person who performs the humiliation is not always technically the loser based on the rules—they just do not know about the rules broken by the winner. On several occasions, Kenny has cheated and still been declared the winner. The show also rarely shows the aftermath of the competition, leaving it unknown how a competitor reacted upon finding out that his opponent cheated. However, in some episodes, the ending credits will have the voices of Kenny and Spenny commenting on an unfair loss.
Production
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
and Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
, creators of the hit TV show South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, joined the show for the fourth season and were also given their own separate credit as executive producers for the ten episodes produced. Instrumental and electronica music is frequently used throughout episodes. Ride of the Valkyries
Ride of the Valkyries
The Ride of the Valkyries is the popular term for the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen. The main theme of the Ride, the leitmotif labelled Walkürenritt, was first written down by the composer on 23 July 1851...
, Ravel's Boléro
Boléro
Boléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel . Originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian ballerina Ida Rubinstein, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is Ravel's most famous musical composition....
, Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
's Montagues and Capulets and Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf , Op. 67, is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra....
, Gioachino Rossini's La gazza ladra
La gazza ladra
La gazza ladra is a melodramma or opera semiseria in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was by Giovanni Gherardini after La pie voleuse by JMT Badouin d'Aubigny and Louis-Charles Caigniez....
, Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
's Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
's Also sprach Zarathustra, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
's Electric Funeral
Electric Funeral
"Electric Funeral" is the fifth song from Black Sabbath's second album Paranoid, released in 1970. The song deals with nuclear war and its aftermath...
, King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
's The Court of the Crimson King
The Court of the Crimson King
"The Court of the Crimson King" is the fifth and final track from the British progressive rock band King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King. It was also released as a single. It reached #80 on the US charts, and is the band's only charting single in the United...
and music by Toronto electronica band Holy Fuck is very frequently used.
Typically, Kenny and Spenny each have their own production assistant, camera operator and sound engineer who film their independent exploits for each episode.
Broadcasting
The show originally aired on CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. It is produced by Breakthrough Films and Television, and has been since its inception. After the first season, CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
cancelled the show; however, Showcase picked up the series in late 2005. However, re-runs of the first two seasons still air on CBC during late night hours, and on CBC's new Bold station weekday afternoons. The show has aired in the past on GSN
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
in the United States, but now airs on Comedy Central. The series also airs internationally on TV 2 Zulu
TV 2 Zulu
TV 2 Zulu is a Danish television station which started broadcasting on 15 October 2000. It is primarily aimed at viewers between 15 and 30 years of age....
in Denmark, JIM
JIM
JIM is a Finnish national television channel that replaced Nelonen Plus on February 26, 2007....
in Finland, it also aired on the now defunct ZTV Norway
ZTV Norway
ZTV was a Norwegian entertainment television channel. Its programming consisted of music videos, movies and sitcoms.The channel was launched in Norway for the first time in 1995. It was unsuccessful, however, and it closed down in 1996....
, Comedy Central in Sweden, FX
FX (UK)
FX is a television channel in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, owned by Fox, launched in 12 January 2004. It was originally branded as FX289 in reference to its Sky EPG number. It was rebranded to FX in May 2005 as the channel moved in the Sky EPG.FX targets a demographic between 25...
(repeats on Challenge) in the United Kingdom (no longer airing), The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel is an Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television.-History:...
in Australia, FX
FX (Portugal)
FX is a Portuguese cable television channel. that broadcasts series and talk-shows targeted to a young adult audience, owned by News Corporation.-Television series:*The Goode Family*Californication*Sons of Anarchy*Miami Vice*X-Files*King of the Hill...
in Portugal, Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in Germany, Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
in the Netherlands and The XtraHOT channel in Israel. Fox Entertainment Group
Fox Entertainment Group
The Fox Entertainment Group is an American entertainment industry company that owns film studios and terrestrial, cable, and direct broadcast satellite television properties...
in Latin America has also distributed the episodes and can be seen on the Latin American versions of FOX channel and FX
FX Networks
FX is the name of a number of related pay television channels owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group...
.
Christmas Special
A Kenny vs. Spenny Christmas Special aired 23 December 2010 at 9 pm eastern time on Showcase.It has also been confirmed that it was the series finale episode of Kenny vs. Spenny ending its 6 season run on December 23.
DVD releases
Video Service Corp has released all 6 seasons of Kenny vs. Spenny on DVD in Region 1 (Canada only).Beyond Home Entertainment has released the first 3 seasons on DVD in Region 4.
| DVD Name | # of Episodes | Release dates | Bonus Features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 4 | |||
| Kenny vs Spenny: Season One | 24 | November 22, 2005 | August 5, 2009 | Kenny & Spenny commentary over two episodes, biographies, clips from international versions, Pitch Pitch (film) A pitch is a concise verbal presentation of an idea for a film or TV series generally made by a screenwriter or director to a producer or studio executive in the hope of attracting development finance to pay for the writing of a screenplay."Pitch" is a contraction of the phrase "sales pitch"... . |
| Kenny vs Spenny: Season Two | 13 | November 21, 2006 | December 9, 2009 | Season two promo, two commentaries with Kenny and Spenny, deleted scenes, season three preview. |
| Kenny vs Spenny: Season Three | 13 | November 13, 2007 | April 7, 2010 | Kenny's never-before-seen version of "Who Can Make a Better Porno?", two commentaries with Kenny & Spenny, crew commentary, deleted scenes. |
| Comedy Central's Kenny vs. Spenny – Volume One: Uncensored (Season Four) | 10 | August 12, 2008 | TBA | Deleted Scenes, additional scenes, commentary tracks, Kenny answers fan mail, Kenny and Spenny reflect on past competitions, Kenny and Spenny's hot mix, Who can pick the biggest booger?, Kenny and Spenny: Men on the Street. |
| Kenny vs Spenny: Season Four | 10 | August 26, 2008 | TBA | Pilot Episode: Who Can Gain The Most Weight?, Alternate Versions of: First Guy to Stop Singing Loses and Who Can Make the Best Viral Video?, Bonus Footage, Deleted Scenes |
| Kenny vs Spenny: Season Five | 10 | November 24, 2009 | TBA | Deleted Scenes, commentary with the crew, commentary with Kenny and Spenny, commentary with Kenny and Spenny and the crew. |
| Kenny vs Spenny: Season Six | 13 | September 7, 2010 | TBA | Outtakes, photo gallery |
| Kenny vs. Spenny Christmas Special | 1 | TBA | TBA | |
Statistics
External links
- Kenny vs. Spenny official website
- Kenny vs Spenny wiki
- Kenny vs. Spenny episode guide on Tv.com
- Kenny Vs Spenny Interview on The Hour with George StroumboulopoulosGeorge StroumboulopoulosGeorge Mark Paul Stroumboulopoulos is a Canadian television and radio personality, best known as the host of CBC Television's George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight and being a VJ for Canadian music television channel MuchMusic...
- Kenny & Spenny questionnaire December 2007
- Dose article
- NY Mag article