TV in the 2000s was an era of rebellion; it had a group of outcasts self-inflicting pain in Jackass, it had celebrity-insulting, foul-mouthed school kids in South Park, and it had two comedians who could only show each other love by degrading each other in Kenny vs. Spenny.
Being a show that viewers didn’t know was Canadian, as it’s based in Toronto, each episode follows the two housemates battle each other in strange challenges. Whoever wins the episode’s challenge gets to humiliate the loser in some sickening way, and though it may not seem like a show that focuses on minor details for viewers to discover, Kenny vs Spenny has a flurry of secrets.
Kenny’s Kenny Guevara Tee
In “Who Can Keep A Dump In Their Pants The Longest,” Kenny wears a t-shirt with a print of the famous Guerrillero Heroico image of the hero, which has since become iconic. But if viewers look a little closer, they’ll see it’s not Che at all, but Kenny Hotz superimposed on to the tee. It’s pretty apt for Kenny as he sees himself as something of a leader of a revolution, but a much more messed up one.
The Fake Penis
In “Who Can Handle More Torture,” Kenny, given his disgusting humor, attached a fake penis to a dummy, which Spenny then had to perform a sex act on. That fake penis must come from a production box of ludicrous props as it was the same prop that was used by Spenny in “First Guy To Get A Boner Loses.” The different uses of the fake penis by the entertainers really shows the dissimilitude between them, as Kenny uses it for a cheap laugh, but Spenny deceptively uses it to make Kenny believe that he had won the competition, so he would lower his guard.
Spenny Never Laughs In The Entire Series
Given the fact that Kenny vs. Spenny is a reality comedy series featuring two comedians trying to out prank each other, Spenny doesn’t laugh (except for one scene) in the whole six seasons of the show’s run. Though the pair are so used to throwing jabs at each other that outdo even Dr. Cox’s best insults, they set that aside for the episode “First Guy To Laugh Loses,” which was a resounding win for Spenny. In the episode, he explains that he hasn’t laughed since 1987, whether that was Spenny’s typically dry wit or the god’s honest truth is unclear, and it could very well be either.
Kenny Worked In The Gulf War
Though it might be extremely hard to believe, Kenny was a part of the Gulf War. In the episode “Who Is A Better Journalist,” it is revealed that Kenny used to be a photographer. There’s no way he’d ever make the list of best movie journalists, but if viewers watch carefully, they can see a photo of Kenny holding up too automatic weapons.
The photo is from 1991, proving that he was a part of the war. However, given Kenny’s history with editing images and making up grand lies about himself, who knows if it’s true.
The Bird Feces Humiliation
There are dozens of jokes from Kenny vs. Spenny that have aged poorly, but some are inexplicably gross. It makes viewers wonder why Kenny and Spenny are best friends when they make each other do such heinous acts. When Spenny wins in “Who Has The Biggest Balls,” he makes Kenny lick bird feces from a car window as a humiliation. What viewers may not have caught is that the van that Kenny licks is actually the production crew’s van, which makes their reaction to the humiliation all the more hilarious.
They Moved Houses In The Second Season
In “Who Can Drink The Most Beer,” the first episode of the second season, Kenny and Spenny are living in a different house, which has now become iconic in Toronto. Viewers might not have noticed the change of house as very little of the first property was shown in the first season, and it’s only upon rewatching the show that audiences might see the differences. Unsurprisingly, in the years since the show ended, Kenny has explained that the reason why they moved wasn’t by choice, but they were forced to after being evicted by the landlord.
Kenny’s Mask
In “Who Can Stay Blindfolded The Longest,” Kenny wears a Mexican wrestling mask, creating one of his several bizarre characters, Silencio. He uses the mask to torment Kenny instead of wearing his blindfold.
In the following episode, “Who Can Stay In A Van The Longest,” Spenny is giving away Kenny’s possessions outside, and one of the things that Spenny gives away is the mask that was used to torment him. Kenny and Spenny hate each other so much, and if they were in a movie, they would make the list of couples with absolutely no chemistry.
The Mime Performance
The episode “Who Is The Best Actor” is best known for the introduction of Helmut, the strange German character that Kenny created in what must have been a fever dream while listening to his rare vinyl records of Hitler's speeches. And though the episode proved that neither of the entertainers could turn in one of the best dramatic performances by a comedian, there is a nod to a Japanese theatrical style known as “Noh,” which is what the mime performance is based on.
Spenny’s Phobia
Though it’s obvious that there’s always been something not quite right about Spenny, and most of the time it has been pinned down to obsessive-compulsive disorder, but what people might have missed is that he is actually mysophobic, which is a fear of germs. This is mentioned in ing in an early episode of the series, “Who Is The Sanest,” and there’s evidence of it throughout the show’s entire run, as Spenny is seen obsessively cleaning in almost every episode.
The Giveaway That The Show Is Fake
Ever since the show’s inception, it has been the subject of speculation as to whether or not the episodes are staged, and though Kenny has been quick to shoot down any rumors of such things, there have been many clues that state otherwise. The smoking gun that proves the show was set up takes place in “Who Can Wear A Gorilla Suit The Longest,” where Kenny is seen to the far left of the screen watching two people in gorilla costumes, but it should be him in one of those costumes. This could just be there to mess with hawk-eyed viewers, which Kenny has been known to do, or it could be letting the cat out of the bag and confessing that KvS is nothing but a hoax.