Saturday, August 09, 2008

Comedy Central's Kenny vs. Spenny: Volume One - Uncensored



Written by Puño Estupendo


Belief in someone's ability to take having no shame to an art form is what Kenny vs. Spenny basically brings to the table. Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice compete in what can only be described as the most ridiculous competitions a moron could think of. With episodes such as "First Guy To Get A Boner Loses" and "Who Can Eat More Meat?" this is slacker comedy at a pretty high level. Comedy Central's two-disc set of this quest for moronic glory, gives you eight previously aired episodes and two bonus ones. Having seen a lot of Kenny vs. Spenny on television and Youtube, I was kind of disappointed that the set didn't include more. Then again, a little bit of "Who Can Blow The Biggest Fart?" goes a long way so there's not really much to complain about.

The set-up for every episode is that Kenny and Spencer, each with their own camera crew in tow, come up with a contest for the both of them to compete in. Sharing a house they go about their strategies. Kenny finds some surprisingly genius ways of cheating, Spencer seems to be honestly shocked every time it happens, and then the loser has to submit to "humiliation."

Kenny's lack of shame is what really fuels the whole show. Nothing seems to embarrass him at all, and that's the freedom that something this stupid needs to make it work. And work it does; maybe not for the easily offended or squeamish, but it works. It's easy to see how a lot of viewers will fall into camps over whom to root for. Kenny is the over-the-top bastard of the two, but there are moments of evil genius that his cheating attains. Without spoiling anything, his cheat in "Who Can Be Tied To A Goat The Longest?" made me cheer at his brilliance.

Spencer, though trying to keep to some idea of taking the high road, has his moments as well. There are times when you want him to just beat Kenny's ass, and Kenny gets some close calls out of the deal, but it's a moment-by-moment thing as to who you want to see win. To top it off, the closing moment's "humiliation" usually hits a low note of its own and includes a scene of the loser having to make out with an old lady without skimping on the use of tongue.

I'm not really sure how much this will stand up to repeated viewing, but it made me laugh a lot and it's a huge joy to make some of my more easily unsettled friends watch. These episodes work great for small gatherings, and I think that's the funniest thing about these discs. It's funny when watching by yourself, but do everyone a favor and get a few people to watch them together.

No comments: