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It’ll be a war of attrition on Aug. 21 when Kenny vs. Spenny brings their live event to the Vic Juba Community Theatre.
Kenny vs. Spenny was a Canadian TV show that aired from 2002 until 2010. If you’ve never seen the show, the premise revolves around two lifelong friends, Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice, A.K.A. Spenny, competing against each other in various competitions. At the end of each episode, it’s bragging rights for the winner and humiliation for the loser.
Despite the fact Hotz and Rice never thought the show would get picked up, it didn’t take long to become a Canadian cult classic.
Since the show wrapped in 2010, the guys have been actively touring over the last eight years. Clearly, the show has stood the test of time as shows continue to sell out.
“It baffles me why people like it so much, but they do, which is great,” said Rice. “They should come out to the show if they just want to have a crazy night of fun, laughter, and a bit of shock.
“I think what we do is very unique. Obviously, I’m biased, but I’m a comedy geek and know the landscape out there. I don’t know of anything that is close to what we do, and the fact we were on television gives us a leg-up.”
So, what should Border City residents expect to see on stage at the Vic Juba in August?
“I wouldn’t exactly call it stand-up, it’s more of a war of attrition that people seem to get behind. It’s funny, and at times, shocking, and it’s real. That’s the amazing thing, it’s not really much of an act anymore, it’s just me being me and him being him,” said Rice.
“People expect us to compete when we do the live show, and we don’t do that. It’s part stand-up, it’s part Jackass, it’s part war. It’s a battle between two best friends.”
If you’ve seen the show, you know Hotz poetically plays the role of the antagonist with Rice being the butt of almost every joke.
Although this doesn’t look like the most appealing role to play on national television, Rice made it his own and embraced it.
“I think the audience is usually behind Kenny more than me, which is something I’ve grown used to, so he does his pee-pee, poo-poo humour and they love it, and I castigate the audience for liking that kind of thing, and liking him. Somehow, through all of the turmoil and vitriol, it’s funny,” he said.
“It’s a weird thing for me because Kenny is a narcissist and he loves the attention and affection. I have a bit of a different story with the audience because so many of them are Kenny fans … I always hear ‘pay Wolfish,’ ‘Spenny sucks,’ and all that crap, but it’s fine and it really fuels my comedy, so it’s a mixed nut for me. At the end of the day, we do the shows and we get a lot of love, directly and indirectly. We absolutely love touring, and at this point, there’s no reason to do it other than for our love for it.”
The Meridian Source was originally told Kenny was unavailable for comment on the upcoming show due to being “at a cabin and out of cell reception,” but this apparently, was not the case, and Rice took the opportunity to get the verbal fists flying before the plane even left the tarmac.
“Kenny thinks he’s a huge star and he has a massive ego and he sees doing these little promotions as beneath him, even though he’s happy to take the money when we do the shows, so I get stuck doing it,” said Rice.
“That’s the truth of it, and that’s part of what I’m going to talk about when we’re on stage in Lloydminster, is what a weasel rat the guy is … people buy his bullshit, it’s incredible to me, and I’m there to expose it … and therein lies the dysfunction of our show.”
Kenny vs. Spenny takes the stage at the Vic Juba Community Theatre on Aug. 21 for an 8 p.m. show. For more information and tickets visit the theatre’s website or Facebook page.
