Inventive new 'game show' wins points for creativity
Dan Valenziano
Issue date: 3/12/04 Section: The Verge
I loathe almost all reality shows.
Every now and again, I'll watch the first couple episodes of American Idol just to see how terribly bad some people are at singing without even knowing it. Oh shut up, I know you do it too.
Reality shows represent almost all that is wrong with our country today - but one new show is different.
"Kenny vs. Spenny" is a show about two unlikely best friends doing what they normally do only there are cameras filming the "stars."
The show focuses on Kenny Holtz and Spencer "Spenny" Rice, two twenty-something guys living in Toronto, Canada. I think I like the production because it is more of a documentary than a reality series. Kenny and Spenny are bitter rivals. They would probably make better enemies than friends, but then what fun would that be. The premise of the show is that the two participate in a series of competitions, usually one per episode.
I guess I can relate to this because my older brother, who also happens to be my best friend, and I were born only a year and half apart. We fought about everything. We fought about who was better at water skiing. We fought about who could eat more. We fought about who could jump the highest, yell the loudest, throw a ball the farthest and everything else you can think of. After each competition, I would walk away thinking I was superior, as I'm sure he did. The great thing about "Kenny vs. Spenny" is that there is a clearly defined winner for each competition - but the funny part is not who wins, it is how the game is played.
Kenny is a classic underachiever who will stop at nothing, cut every corner and employ every person and object he can to help him win each competition. He is a liar, he is a cheat, he is a slob and he is hilarious. Nothing gives him greater pleasure than torturing his best friend.
Spenny is exactly the opposite. He plays the game straight-up. He's a driven-kind-of guy with a steady job and a nervous, neurotic personality.
Every now and again, I'll watch the first couple episodes of American Idol just to see how terribly bad some people are at singing without even knowing it. Oh shut up, I know you do it too.
Reality shows represent almost all that is wrong with our country today - but one new show is different.
"Kenny vs. Spenny" is a show about two unlikely best friends doing what they normally do only there are cameras filming the "stars."
The show focuses on Kenny Holtz and Spencer "Spenny" Rice, two twenty-something guys living in Toronto, Canada. I think I like the production because it is more of a documentary than a reality series. Kenny and Spenny are bitter rivals. They would probably make better enemies than friends, but then what fun would that be. The premise of the show is that the two participate in a series of competitions, usually one per episode.
I guess I can relate to this because my older brother, who also happens to be my best friend, and I were born only a year and half apart. We fought about everything. We fought about who was better at water skiing. We fought about who could eat more. We fought about who could jump the highest, yell the loudest, throw a ball the farthest and everything else you can think of. After each competition, I would walk away thinking I was superior, as I'm sure he did. The great thing about "Kenny vs. Spenny" is that there is a clearly defined winner for each competition - but the funny part is not who wins, it is how the game is played.
Kenny is a classic underachiever who will stop at nothing, cut every corner and employ every person and object he can to help him win each competition. He is a liar, he is a cheat, he is a slob and he is hilarious. Nothing gives him greater pleasure than torturing his best friend.
Spenny is exactly the opposite. He plays the game straight-up. He's a driven-kind-of guy with a steady job and a nervous, neurotic personality.
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