Kenny vs. Spenny. Anyone watch?
06-11-04, 12:40 PM
#1
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Thread Starter
Kenny vs. Spenny. Anyone watch?
I caught Kenny vs. Spenny on the Game Show Network the other day, and I have to say I found it pretty damn funny.
For those that have not seen it, it is 2 childhood friends, kenny and Spencer (Spenny) that have competitions against each other each week. The first (of 2) episode I watched contained mini-competitions, like Who Can Pee the Longest, Who Can Put the Most Marshmellows in their Mouth and several others. Kenny seems to have a tendency to cheat and goof off while Spenny is uptight and serious about the compettitions.
For those that have not seen it, it is 2 childhood friends, kenny and Spencer (Spenny) that have competitions against each other each week. The first (of 2) episode I watched contained mini-competitions, like Who Can Pee the Longest, Who Can Put the Most Marshmellows in their Mouth and several others. Kenny seems to have a tendency to cheat and goof off while Spenny is uptight and serious about the compettitions.
06-15-04, 12:24 AM
#3
Banned
I was about to ask this same question a couple weeks back but figured I was the only one.
I started watching it about a month ago when my tivo recorded it for me. Good choice tivo, keep it up.
I want to see the one with the babies that have the chip in them that keeps a score of how it was raised. I can picture Kenny stealing Spenny's baby and beating it with a broom handle.
I started watching it about a month ago when my tivo recorded it for me. Good choice tivo, keep it up.
I want to see the one with the babies that have the chip in them that keeps a score of how it was raised. I can picture Kenny stealing Spenny's baby and beating it with a broom handle.
04-04-06, 03:02 PM
#6
DVD Talk Godfather
I searched and my last thread on KvS resulted in 0 replies. (And I thought you guys had good taste -ohbfrank).
Season 3 is going to tape in a bit and Season 2 is airing now. I also stumbled across "Ed vs. Spencer" on BBC America and thankfully found out it is an official spin-off of KvS. I think Kenny Hotz is even co-directing the first episode (which already aired).
Haven't seen this but I'd need to see all my current KvS episodes first.
Season 3 is going to tape in a bit and Season 2 is airing now. I also stumbled across "Ed vs. Spencer" on BBC America and thankfully found out it is an official spin-off of KvS. I think Kenny Hotz is even co-directing the first episode (which already aired).
Haven't seen this but I'd need to see all my current KvS episodes first.
04-04-06, 03:53 PM
#7
DVD Talk Legend
Here is an article that was in the National Post recently:
DOMINANT MALES
SHOWCASE’S KENNY AND SPENNY HAVE FRANCHISED THEIR ADOLESCENT HUMOUR AND ARE CONSULTING ON INTERNATIONAL TELEVISED VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES. IT’S GLOBAL ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT.
B Y SA M A N T H A GR I C E
National Post
Tonight, U.S. audiences tuning into BBC America will meet Ed Leigh and Spencer Claridge. These two best friends are the stars of Ed vs. Spencer, a show on which they compete against each other in ridiculous, disgusting and immature pissing matches. Ed vs. Spencer’s debut clash, which aired in the United States last Thursday, had them competing to see who could make himself the sickest.
Canadians may find this all eerily familiar. They may also wonder if Kenny and Spenny (Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice), our developmentally arrested, endlessly battling reality-television personalities and creators of the immensely popular Kenny vs. Spenny, know the English are ripping them off.
It turns out they do. Interest in the particular brand of juvenile outrageousness that flourishes within the confines of the male buddy relationship seems to be international. Not only is Kenny vs. Spenny finding rapt audiences in over 25 countries, including Iran, Iceland and Vatican City, but the Kenny vs. Spenny format — one wise-cracking, scheming goofball vs. one stressed-out, neurotic, responsible, moralistic hothead — has been licensed around the globe.
Thus, if you find yourself in front of a television in Colombia you can watch Juan vs. Roman, where the boys compete to see who can stay naked the longest. In Turkey, Cenk vs. Erdem face off in a rapping contest. In the German version of the show, now its second season, Elton vs. Simon find out who old people like more. In the Netherlands, Katja and Bridget are both porn stars. And there is the U.K. version, which carries the strange coincidence of finding another dude named Spencer. Shows have also been optioned in six more countries, and a Quebec version is in the works.
“I don’t think Polka Dot Door ever pulled this shit off,” says Hotz over the phone from Los Angeles. “We basically copyrighted ‘vs.’ It’s so amazing. No other Canadians have ever done this,” he says of Kenny vs. Spenny’s new distinction of being the top-selling format series in Canadian history. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a Canadian show do well in an international market,” says Ira Levy, one of the show’s co-executive producers. “What’s amazing is as we’ve now done 39 shows and have a commitment from Showcase to do 13 new episodes, there is that much more material to give to various producers internationally who are doing the format.”
When the format is licensed to a new market, Kenny and Spenny offer their services as consultants to get the production up and running. While there is a Kenny vs. Spenny template to be followed, there is also flexibility for, say, Elton and Simon to make the show their own. “Ultimately, you need people brave and crazy enough to go into these competitions and I think it’s just unusual and probably sad and twisted that Kenny and Spenny have been doing this for their entire lives,” says Levy.
And who better to advise their international counterparts on the delicate nuances of beer-drinking contests? “We like to cast best friends or brothers, masculine relationships that have the same sort of dynamic personae that we do,” explains Hotz. “It’s actually pretty easy in the end. I mean, it’s hard to find guys who can emulate us, but the relationship part of it is pretty common between males. And there’s only one Spenny, thank God. The two places we cast Spenny are hospitals for the criminally insane and the morgue.”
According to Hotz, Ed and Spencer had a good handle on the ridiculousness required to pull off the format. On the other hand, Juan vs. Roman was almost an unmitigated disaster. “We start every format show with the ‘Who Can Stay Awake the Longest?’ episode so we can immediately see how committed the cast is,” explains Hotz, who boasts he and Spenny stayed up for an entire week (Spenny says Kenny is exaggerating). “And on the first day Spenny goes to the set and everyone’s asleep! The entire cast and crew are having a siesta. Both Spenny and I stayed up for seven days. I was friggin’ hallucinating.”
Both Hotz and Rice say they are proud their brand of stunted maturation has found global success. “We never thought we were going to end up on TV, never mind versions of us in foreign countries,” says Rice. “It’s absurd.”
Repeat episodes of Kenny vs. Spenny air Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase, and on Sundays at 9:30 p.m. until April 15. The stars will be hosting the Canadian Entertainment Network’s DVD Awards on April 25 in Toronto.
ON THE U.K.’S ED VS. SPENCER
Kenny “Ed is me, he’s the crazy one. Spencer is the adult, moralistic, stressed-out one. But they aren’t actually playing us. In a format show, they do have the choice whether they want to copy the show outright or do their own take. They are pretty unique guys and they do some crazy-ass shit. They definitely made me proud.”
Spenny “I didn’t know what was going on when I heard about Ed vs. Spencer. I thought they replaced Kenny and I started to celebrate. When they shot their first episode, ‘Who Can Get More Sick?,’ Kenny went out with his guy and I went out with my guy and we bonded ... in terms of ethics and world view. They seem to be less competitive. Kenny and I, whether we are on TV or not, we fight a lot. We bicker a lot. We’re like an old married couple.”
ON TURKEY’S CENK VS. ERDEM
Kenny “I’ve been to Turkey, but I didn’t go this time. There is no reason to go to Turkey because they do our show word for word. It’s surreal.”
Spenny “Turkey is doing the show verbatim. We were quite shocked to find that out. We didn’t consult with them and for all I know they don’t have a clue how we make our show. We don’t have any idea what’s going on over there, but Kenny and I were jaws to the floor when we saw shot for shot them doing our stuff. We did this one episode to see who can earn the most money and one of the things I did was paint and I see this guy painting and doing exactly as I did.” Was it a good rendition? “Sweetheart, come on, there’s only one Spenny.”
ON COLOMBIA’S JUAN VS. ROMAN
Kenny “They are huge stars from Big Brother Colombia. Spenny and I went to Bogota and co-directed the first episode [read about the sleeping incident, right]. It’s an incredible place, everyone just parties and has tons of cash. It was fun.
Spenny Juan was my guy and he said something funny. He had seen the shows and when he met me he started to realize that he was the Spenny character and he said, ‘I don’t want to be Spenny!’ ”
ON THE NETHERLANDS’ KATJA VS. BRIDGET
Kenny “You know, for some strange reason, I wanted to go to Amsterdam to help with that one, but unfortunately, Spenny and I have been so busy.
Spenny “How disappointed we were when we didn’t get to go consult on that one. Would have been nice. But I haven’t seen the show. We did speak with the producers and my recollection was the Dutch producer was arrogant. If that show makes it I’ll be surprised.”
DOMINANT MALES
SHOWCASE’S KENNY AND SPENNY HAVE FRANCHISED THEIR ADOLESCENT HUMOUR AND ARE CONSULTING ON INTERNATIONAL TELEVISED VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES. IT’S GLOBAL ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT.
B Y SA M A N T H A GR I C E
National Post
Tonight, U.S. audiences tuning into BBC America will meet Ed Leigh and Spencer Claridge. These two best friends are the stars of Ed vs. Spencer, a show on which they compete against each other in ridiculous, disgusting and immature pissing matches. Ed vs. Spencer’s debut clash, which aired in the United States last Thursday, had them competing to see who could make himself the sickest.
Canadians may find this all eerily familiar. They may also wonder if Kenny and Spenny (Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice), our developmentally arrested, endlessly battling reality-television personalities and creators of the immensely popular Kenny vs. Spenny, know the English are ripping them off.
It turns out they do. Interest in the particular brand of juvenile outrageousness that flourishes within the confines of the male buddy relationship seems to be international. Not only is Kenny vs. Spenny finding rapt audiences in over 25 countries, including Iran, Iceland and Vatican City, but the Kenny vs. Spenny format — one wise-cracking, scheming goofball vs. one stressed-out, neurotic, responsible, moralistic hothead — has been licensed around the globe.
Thus, if you find yourself in front of a television in Colombia you can watch Juan vs. Roman, where the boys compete to see who can stay naked the longest. In Turkey, Cenk vs. Erdem face off in a rapping contest. In the German version of the show, now its second season, Elton vs. Simon find out who old people like more. In the Netherlands, Katja and Bridget are both porn stars. And there is the U.K. version, which carries the strange coincidence of finding another dude named Spencer. Shows have also been optioned in six more countries, and a Quebec version is in the works.
“I don’t think Polka Dot Door ever pulled this shit off,” says Hotz over the phone from Los Angeles. “We basically copyrighted ‘vs.’ It’s so amazing. No other Canadians have ever done this,” he says of Kenny vs. Spenny’s new distinction of being the top-selling format series in Canadian history. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a Canadian show do well in an international market,” says Ira Levy, one of the show’s co-executive producers. “What’s amazing is as we’ve now done 39 shows and have a commitment from Showcase to do 13 new episodes, there is that much more material to give to various producers internationally who are doing the format.”
When the format is licensed to a new market, Kenny and Spenny offer their services as consultants to get the production up and running. While there is a Kenny vs. Spenny template to be followed, there is also flexibility for, say, Elton and Simon to make the show their own. “Ultimately, you need people brave and crazy enough to go into these competitions and I think it’s just unusual and probably sad and twisted that Kenny and Spenny have been doing this for their entire lives,” says Levy.
And who better to advise their international counterparts on the delicate nuances of beer-drinking contests? “We like to cast best friends or brothers, masculine relationships that have the same sort of dynamic personae that we do,” explains Hotz. “It’s actually pretty easy in the end. I mean, it’s hard to find guys who can emulate us, but the relationship part of it is pretty common between males. And there’s only one Spenny, thank God. The two places we cast Spenny are hospitals for the criminally insane and the morgue.”
According to Hotz, Ed and Spencer had a good handle on the ridiculousness required to pull off the format. On the other hand, Juan vs. Roman was almost an unmitigated disaster. “We start every format show with the ‘Who Can Stay Awake the Longest?’ episode so we can immediately see how committed the cast is,” explains Hotz, who boasts he and Spenny stayed up for an entire week (Spenny says Kenny is exaggerating). “And on the first day Spenny goes to the set and everyone’s asleep! The entire cast and crew are having a siesta. Both Spenny and I stayed up for seven days. I was friggin’ hallucinating.”
Both Hotz and Rice say they are proud their brand of stunted maturation has found global success. “We never thought we were going to end up on TV, never mind versions of us in foreign countries,” says Rice. “It’s absurd.”
Repeat episodes of Kenny vs. Spenny air Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Showcase, and on Sundays at 9:30 p.m. until April 15. The stars will be hosting the Canadian Entertainment Network’s DVD Awards on April 25 in Toronto.
ON THE U.K.’S ED VS. SPENCER
Kenny “Ed is me, he’s the crazy one. Spencer is the adult, moralistic, stressed-out one. But they aren’t actually playing us. In a format show, they do have the choice whether they want to copy the show outright or do their own take. They are pretty unique guys and they do some crazy-ass shit. They definitely made me proud.”
Spenny “I didn’t know what was going on when I heard about Ed vs. Spencer. I thought they replaced Kenny and I started to celebrate. When they shot their first episode, ‘Who Can Get More Sick?,’ Kenny went out with his guy and I went out with my guy and we bonded ... in terms of ethics and world view. They seem to be less competitive. Kenny and I, whether we are on TV or not, we fight a lot. We bicker a lot. We’re like an old married couple.”
ON TURKEY’S CENK VS. ERDEM
Kenny “I’ve been to Turkey, but I didn’t go this time. There is no reason to go to Turkey because they do our show word for word. It’s surreal.”
Spenny “Turkey is doing the show verbatim. We were quite shocked to find that out. We didn’t consult with them and for all I know they don’t have a clue how we make our show. We don’t have any idea what’s going on over there, but Kenny and I were jaws to the floor when we saw shot for shot them doing our stuff. We did this one episode to see who can earn the most money and one of the things I did was paint and I see this guy painting and doing exactly as I did.” Was it a good rendition? “Sweetheart, come on, there’s only one Spenny.”
ON COLOMBIA’S JUAN VS. ROMAN
Kenny “They are huge stars from Big Brother Colombia. Spenny and I went to Bogota and co-directed the first episode [read about the sleeping incident, right]. It’s an incredible place, everyone just parties and has tons of cash. It was fun.
Spenny Juan was my guy and he said something funny. He had seen the shows and when he met me he started to realize that he was the Spenny character and he said, ‘I don’t want to be Spenny!’ ”
ON THE NETHERLANDS’ KATJA VS. BRIDGET
Kenny “You know, for some strange reason, I wanted to go to Amsterdam to help with that one, but unfortunately, Spenny and I have been so busy.
Spenny “How disappointed we were when we didn’t get to go consult on that one. Would have been nice. But I haven’t seen the show. We did speak with the producers and my recollection was the Dutch producer was arrogant. If that show makes it I’ll be surprised.”
11-15-07, 10:16 AM
#9
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by movieking
In Turkey, Cenk vs. Erdem face off in a rapping contest.
I read this wrong at first pass. I read one less 'p'.I love me some KvS, but I haven't seen one in a while. I may try to catch it more on Comedy Central now. I find it interesting that Matt & Trey are apparently co-producing it as well now. I can't imagine that was necessary other than to put their names on it for advertising.
11-15-07, 01:54 PM
#13
DVD Talk Godfather
I saw a commerical for this during South Park the other night. It looked funny but didn't stay up to watch it.
Is this going to be on regularly on TV? Or will i have to dig a bit to find airings?
Is this going to be on regularly on TV? Or will i have to dig a bit to find airings?
11-15-07, 04:08 PM
#15
DVD Talk Special Edition
My friend loves this show, but I found it totally fake. It's obvious the the winners and situations are setup beforehand. Nobody is dumb enough to constantly let someone screw them over and cheat week after week.
11-15-07, 04:17 PM
#16
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
I found the farting episode to be one of the worst TV shows I've ever seen. I really don't understand how something like that even gets made. I understand that it's supposed to be childish and basically was a 20 minute long fart joke, it just wasn't a very entertaining one.
Maybe the other episodes are better?
Maybe the other episodes are better?
11-15-07, 05:12 PM
#17
yes, the previous episodes are MUCH better than this last one. I agree, watching people fart for 30 minutes isn't that funny.
but the previous episodes are a lot more involved, and Kenny's schemes are great.
but the previous episodes are a lot more involved, and Kenny's schemes are great.
12-12-07, 11:50 PM
#18
DVD Talk Legend
This is, by far, the stupidest piece of crap show I have ever seen. It's phenomenally unfunny. To say any more about it would give it some form of merit, and it deserves none.
12-13-07, 08:18 AM
#20
the "who can survive without use of their arms" episode was an older one. you could see Kenny's scheming a lot better.
the 3 new ones have been more gross-out humor. farts, Kenny vomiting constantly in the meat-eating episode. I've been disappointed with the new eps.
the 3 new ones have been more gross-out humor. farts, Kenny vomiting constantly in the meat-eating episode. I've been disappointed with the new eps.
12-13-07, 09:57 AM
#21
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by The_Infidel
This is, by far, the stupidest piece of crap show I have ever seen. It's phenomenally unfunny. To say any more about it would give it some form of merit, and it deserves none.
12-14-07, 01:14 PM
#25
DVD Talk Gold Edition
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I have seen one episode of it, the one where they were seeing who could eat the most meat. It was pretty damn funny and am looking to catch some more episodes.
