Kenny and Spenny split up; injuries include bruised egos

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This article was published 27/11/2010 (5743 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On the set of Single White Spenny, a new scripted comedy starring Spencer Rice, the comedian is bemoaning the breakup from his friend and television partner, Kenny Hotz.

“Emotionally, it’s been difficult, but my relationship with Kenny has been strained very much because of the show,” says Rice of Kenny vs. Spenny, the seven-year-old comedy reality-TV series that concludes in a Christmas special airing on Showcase Dec. 23. “We haven’t been buddies in terms of spending time together for many, many years, and that reflects our age and the fact that we’re different people than when we were young.”

The differences between Hotz and Rice added fuel to the fire of their competitive show. Now broadcast in more than 150 countries, the series gave the comedians legions of fans and opened doors for them to work in the U.S. However, the program also found the two friends performing ever more ludicrous stunts and, in the end, years of humiliating each other on national television tore their friendship apart.

“Is he going to pull a Paul McCartney on me? What a douche,” says Hotz, at his home on the west side of Toronto. Like Rice, Hotz is also hard at work on a new comedy series, Kenny Hotz’s Triumph of the Will, which will première next year on Showcase. He speaks well of his old partner, but claims that Rice became too sensitive.

“I think he might’ve taken the show too personally, but I love Spenny,” says Hotz. “The show never would’ve existed if it wasn’t for Spenny. It turned out my best friend is the greatest second banana in the history of television.”

The show, one of the first in Canada to cash in on the reality-TV craze, was nominated for four Gemini awards and will conclude with its 88th episode. Rice says he feels relieved to be leaving the reality format behind.

“The worst thing that could happen for me is to be pigeonholed into a reality thing, and I’m not going to let that happen,” says Rice, whose new program is directed by Peter Wellington, director of Slings and Arrows, and co-stars Debra McGrath. “Even on the Christmas special, you can see where I’m going in… the scripted comedy stuff. On Kenny vs. Spenny, the bruises were real, and here it’s nice to use makeup.”

Both Hotz and Rice claim they might work together again, and Hotz even offered to look over Rice’s new scripts (Rice politely declined). There’s an offer on the table to make a Kenny vs. Spenny movie, and both men are enthusiastic about their Christmas show. Still, the competition between Kenny and Spenny will now become even more personal: The winner will be the one with the most successful new show.

“In Kenny vs. Spenny, my top objective was to steal the show from Spenny and make people want to smoke a cigarette when he’s on-camera,” Hotz says. “Now it’s the ultimate battle. It’s our shows that will be going out in the world to compete.”

— Postmedia News