Here’s a fun fact about me. As a child, my dream was to participate in a spelling bee or appear on a television game show. (I applied to be a contestant on the early 2000s children’s game show “Download” and was unsuccessful, but I did receive a very nice autographed photo of Scott McRae.) So Guy Montgomery’s The Guy Mont Spelling Bee, a spelling-centric game show, was all my childhood dreams come true. truth. It’s also both great nostalgic fun and deeply infuriating in a way that the best game shows are.
Comedian presenter Guy Montgomery has been perfecting the art of spelling bees for some time, having started using Zoom and YouTube during the coronavirus lockdown. He then took it to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2022 and again the following year. The TV show was also aired in Montgomery’s home country of New Zealand, and this Australian version continues that series.
The 70s-inspired set design, from the show’s logo and orange walls to Montgomery’s brown suit, gives the show a retro feel while also giving it a wonderfully contemporary feel. Montgomery plays a wide-smiling, eccentric TV host reminiscent of James Marsden’s Corny Collins, charming but a little crazy. His answers to classic spelling bee questions like country of origin, definition, etc. are witty jokes that add to the fun (for example, his definition of “dry” is “completely dry”) to remove water from something until it is removed (like wearing a fedora on a first date). The show is fast and furious, with a similar atmosphere of banter and friendly competition as Spicks and Specks.
Each episode features four contestants. Most of them are Australian comedians, ranging from long-time big names like Will Anderson (debuted on ABC, Montgomery Jokes), Tom Gleeson and Tim Minchin to newer generation comedians like Demi Lardner and Uruvi. Majumdar and Jenny Tian. In the first round of each episode, participants take turns choosing from Coward’s Cup (Easy), Man’s Purse (Medium), or Bucket of Courage (Hard) and spelling the first word for 1-3 points. obtain. Then things get wild.
There’s Spell It Better, a round in which contestants come up with new spellings of words, and Impressions, in which a photo of a celebrity is shown and contestants spell out their own name while pretending to be that person (Minchin’s Fran Drescher really makes an eye for it). There is something to keep an eye on). . There are props. In one round, contestants must spell the names of the various hats. If you get it wrong, you have to wear that hat until the next correct answer (not the most pleasant experience for Bar Buttes).
Aaron Chen and Will Anderson. Photo: James Gorey
Every episode ends with a free-for-all buzz round. Contestants press the buzzer to spell out the theme word and earn or lose points for correct or incorrect answers. No matter how well they perform throughout the match, this is what decides the match and is usually hectic and exhausting. The winner will compete on the next episode, and the loser will be sent to the Dungeons Corner with a hat of shame.
Without a doubt, the star of the show is Montgomery’s right-hand man, Aaron Chen. The comedian’s deliberately awkward demeanor and deadpan one-liners, combined with a revolving door of costumes and personas, from Owen Wilson to a wordy police officer, result in a delightful absurdity.
Guy Mont Spelling Bee is a super fun game to play together at home, tapping into that elementary school energy we all have deep within us while adding a little wild craziness. In real life, she would never appear on a download show or be crowned with spelling bee glory, but now she could beat contestants on this show from the comfort of her bed. This is very nice. Oh my…
