A reminder that Kenny Vs Spenny Vs Canada, the live touring version of the very popular CBC television show, will be at Burton Cummings Theatre this Sunday.
Kenny vs. Spenny was first aired on CBC Television in 2003 and went on to be nominated for a 8 Gemini awards.
The original pilot had been commissioned by USA Network, but never aired before the show was picked up by the CBC for 26 episodes.The series centered around Hotz and friend Spencer Rice as they competed against each other in competitions, the loser of which would perform a “humiliation”. The show was embroiled in a deliberate controversy with the British Columbia Human Rights Commission for Hotz’s actions in the episode Who Can Piss Off More People, where he paid to have a plane fly over Toronto dragging a banner that reads “Jesus Sucks”. Though he claimed his friend Jesus was getting married and it was not directed towards a religion. The show moved from CBC to Showcase television in Canada after the nationally run CBC censored 2 episodes of Kenny vs. Spenny, refusing to air them on their network. Censored episodes of the show aired in the United States on the Game Show Network before the show was officially relocated to the Comedy Central network, moving from Canada to the US.
The last episode, (“The Kenny vs. Spenny Christmas Special”), was aired in 2010. The series produced 89 original episodes, over six seasons. Each of the main characters of the show would go on to have their own shows the following year. Hotz also created the concept for the videogame Versusville to accompany the television show, which was nominated for a Canadian New Media Award for Excellence in Gaming.
In 2009 Maclean’s magazine named Kenny vs. Spenny the number eight pick in its list of the top ten Canadian television shows of the previous decade. The magazine said of the show and Kenny’s on air role that, “Many episodes feature the evil Kenny destroying his supposed friend through deceit, trickery and blatant cheating.” Hotz also produced the series Elton vs. Simon, a German remake of the series Kenny vs. Spenny that aired between 2004 and 2006. Kenny vs. Spenny show was broadcast in over 25 different countries and licensed globally, with remakes includingCenk vs. Erdem in Turkey, Juan vs. Roman in Colombia, Katja vs. Bridget in the Netherlands, and Ed vs. Spencer in the UK. This resulted in the show becoming the largest selling comedy format in Canadian television history. The show was named #8 among the top 10 Canadian television shows of the 21st century.
Tickets range from $48.74 – $59.49. [TICKETMASTER]
