''Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee'' is a New Zealand television comedy

panel show A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on ''The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...

Three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

created and presented by

Guy Montgomery Guy Montgomery is a comedian from New Zealand. He was the winner of the Billy T award in 2014. Early life Montgomery was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand. He then went on to study at Victoria University of Wellington. Television Mo ...

and co-hosted by Sanjay Patel. The show is loosely based on a

spelling bee A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty. To compete, contestants must memorize the spellings of words as written in dictionaries, and recite ...

: each episode, four comedians participate in a series of rounds, where the goal is almost always to spell words or names in rounds that are "designed to be infuriating to take part in and entertaining to watch". The winner of each episode competes again the following week, and the loser of each episode must wear a

dunce cap Dunce is a mild insult in English meaning "a person who is slow at learning or stupid". The etymology given by Richard Stanyhurst is that the word is derived from the name of the Scottish Scholastic theologian and philosopher John Duns Scotus. ...

in the Dunce's Corner. The first series of ''Guy Mont-Spelling Bee'' aired in 2023, and a second series has been ordered.

Background and production

Guy Montgomery, inspired by the

Scripps National Spelling Bee The Scripps National Spelling Bee (formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. The bee is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scri ...

, began hosting spelling bees with other comedians over

Zoom Zoom may refer to: Technology Computing * Zoom (software), videoconferencing application * Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display * Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...

and broadcast live on YouTube during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Following the success of those games, Montgomery developed the concept into a show at the

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...

, and then into a television series in 2023.

YouTube broadcasts

The first YouTube series of six broadcasts took place in 2020. The contestants were Tim Batt,

Tom Sainsbury Thomas Sainsbury (born 1982) is a New Zealand actor, writer, filmmaker, comedian, TV presenter and podcaster. Sainsbury began his acting and writing career in theatre. He became well known in New Zealand from 2017 for his short form comedy vide ...

Rose Matafeo Rose Catherine Lettitia Matafeo (; born 25 February 1992) is a New Zealand comedian, actress, and TV presenter. She was a writer and performer on the New Zealand late-night comedy sketch show ''Funny Girls''. In 2018, she won the Edinburgh Comed ...

Madeleine Sami Madeleine Nalini Sami is a New Zealand actress, director, comedian and musician. She started her acting career in theatre before moving to television, where she created, wrote, and starred in ''Super City''. She co-wrote, co-directed, and starr ...

, Paul Williams, Alice Snedden,

Jackie van Beek Jackie van Beek (born 10 May 1976) is a New Zealand film and television director, writer and actress. Early life Van Beek was born and raised in Wellington and attended Onslow College. She studied contemporary dance at the Wellington Performi ...

, Kura Forrester, Chris Parker,

Ayo Edebiri Ayo Edebiri ( ; born October 3, 1995) is an American comedian, writer, producer and actress. She appeared on Comedy Central's ''Up Next'' and co-hosts the podcast ''Iconography'' with Olivia Craighead. Edebiri is best known as a voice actor on '' ...

, Paul F. Tompkins, Blair Socci,

Joe Mande Joseph Mande (born March 16, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. Early life Mande was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Louis Mande, a lawyer, and Deborah Mande, a judge. He moved to St. Paul, Minnesota at the age of te ...

Aaron Chen Aaron Chen (born 1995) is a Chinese-Australian comedian from Sydney. Early life Aaron Chen was born in 1995. He went to North Sydney Boys High, where he started doing stand-up. Career In 2012, aged 15, Chen won Melbourne International Comed ...

Lily Sullivan Lily Sullivan is an Australian actress, known for her role as Coral in the 2012 film '' Mental'' and in the lead role of Miranda in the 2018 TV series '' Picnic At Hanging Rock''. Early life and education Sullivan's father is an importer of me ...

, Colin Burgess,

Jamie Loftus Jamie Bethany Loftus is a writer, stand up alternative comedian, animator, podcast co-host, and actor based in Los Angeles. She is known for her solo work, such as her one-woman shows ''I Lost My Virginity on August 15, 2010'' and ''Boss, Whom i ...

and

Amy Hoggart Amy Hoggart (born 14 April 1986) is a British-American stand-up comedian and actress, best known for starring in '' Almost Royal'', a faux-reality show on BBC America, and ''Full Frontal with Samantha Bee'', an American political satire show o ...

. A shorter, second series of contests were streamed in 2021, featuring

Laura Daniel Laura Daniel (born 1990) is an actress and comedian from New Zealand. She currently reports on television show ''Seven Sharp''. Previously, she has starred in the television series '' Funny Girls'' and ''Jono and Ben''. She has been in a relati ...

Urzila Carlson Urzila Carlson (born 15 February 1976) is a South African born New Zealand comedian and actress, known for her stand-up performances as well as her appearances on television programs in both New Zealand and Australia. Carlson is a regular panelli ...

David Correos David Correos (born 8 December 1992) is a comedian from New Zealand. He was the winner of the Billy T Award in 2016. Early life Correos's parents immigrated to Christchurch in the 1980s from the Philippines; he grew up in Woolston. During his ...

, Rebecca Lucas, Alexei Toliopoulos, Angella Dravid,

Brynley Stent Brynley Alexandra Stent (born 1989) is a New Zealand actor, comedian and scriptwriter. She appeared on the first season of the New Zealand adaptation of '' Taskmaster'' and played the character Kelly-Anne Johnson on long running New Zealand soap ...

, Concetta Caristo, Chris Parker, Alice Snedden, and Pax Assadi.

Live shows

After the streaming broadcasts, Montgomery took the spelling bee to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2022, performing four shows across April. The guests for each show were Becky Lucas, Urzila Carlson, Chris Parker, and Suren Jayemanne; Melanie Bracewell, Sam Campbell, Phil Wang, and Rhys Nicholson; Emma Holland,

David O'Doherty David Nicholas O'Doherty (; born 18 December 1975) is an Irish comedian, author, musician, actor and playwright and son of renowned jazz pianist Jim Doherty. His stand-up has won many international awards including the if.comedy award in 2008 a ...

, Luke Heggie, and

Fern Brady Fern Marie Brady (born 26 May 1986) is a Scottish comedian, podcaster, and writer. Before becoming a stand-up comedian Brady worked as a journalist. She achieved fame as a stand-up comedian by entering stand-up competitions such as at the Edin ...

; and Danielle Walker and Vidya Rajan. ''Guy Mont-Spelling Bee'' returned to the MICF in 2023, with five shows. The guests this year were Tim Batt, Josie Long, Patrick Golamco, and Patti Harrison; Anne Edmonds, Mark Watson, Jason Leong, and Frankie McNair; Ed Gamble, Courtney Dawson, Tim Key, and Chloe Petts;

Kitty Flanagan Kitty Flanagan (born 1968) is an Australian comedian, writer and actress who works in Australia and the United Kingdom. She has also performed in France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Japan and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and ...

, Urzila Carlson,

Sam Pang Samuel Pang (born 3 November 1973) is an Australian comedian, radio and television presenter, writer and producer. Pang co-hosts '' Chrissie, Sam & Browny'' on Nova 100 with Chrissie Swan and Jonathan Brown and co-hosts ''The Front Bar'' with Mi ...

, and

Ed Kavalee Edward Robert Kavalee (born 30 June 1979) is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, podcaster radio and television presenter. He is a recurring panellist on Network 10's ''Have You Been Paying Attention?'' with Sam Pang and co-hosts ''Hughesy, ...

; and Michael Hing, Rosie Jones, Geraldine Hickey, and Guy Williams. The next month, in May 2023, ''Guy Mont-Spelling Bee'' premiered in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. A bee was held in August 2023 in Auckland, featuring Abby Howells, Courtney Dawson, Joe Daymond, and David Correos.

Television

''Guy Mont-Spelling Bee'' was developed into a television series by Montgomery together with comedian Joseph Moore and the production company Kevin & Co. Financial support comes from

NZ On Air NZ On Air (NZOA; mi, Irirangi te Motu), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works. The commission oper ...

. Montgomery also serves as the showrunner. The "retro" feel of the show is intentional, as Montgomery wanted the set to feel "timeless" by using physical props and as few screens as possible. Sacha Young was the stylist for the production. Additionally, Montgomery notes that the "hokey" title of the show "sets the tone for the experience". Series1 was filmed in November 2022 in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, and was broadcast for eight weeks starting in February 2023 in the 7:30p.m. timeslot on Three. On 10July 2023, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a second eight-episode series.

Format

Every episode begins with The Spelling Round, a standard spelling bee round in which the contestants select a word from three containers with varying levels of spelling difficulty ranging from 13 points: the Coward's Cup, the Person's Purse, or the Bucket of Bravery. Other rounds include: * Celebrities: Guests spell a celebrity's name given their picture. * Choose A Letter: Guests pick a letter, and then must spell a given animal name without using that letter. * Feelings: Guests must identify an item by touch and then spell it. * Flags: Guests pick words from a board covered in

world flags This gallery of sovereign state flags shows the national or state flags of sovereign states that appear on the list of sovereign states. For other flags, please see flags of active autonomist and secessionist movements, flags of extinct states a ...

. * Hard Words For a 13 Year Old: Guests are each joined by a 13-year-old, who may win a prize. * High School Photo: Guests bring in photos from their time in high school and Montgomery picks a winner; "hardly even a game at all." * Homophones: Guests must spell the correct word from

homophone A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...

s. * Household Adjectives: Guests pick household items and then must spell a given adjective related to the item. * How Many Letters: Guests guess how many letters are in a jar. * Instruments: Guests hear a

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

and must spell it. * Invent A Word: Guests must create the best new word for a given concept. * Object Round: Guests spell a given word using physical objects. * Punctuation: Guests are shown

punctuation mark Punctuation (or sometimes interpunction) is the use of spacing, conventional signs (called punctuation marks), and certain typographical devices as aids to the understanding and correct reading of written text, whether read silently or aloud. An ...

s and must spell them. * Social Media: Montgomery confronts guests with past

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

posts, and they must recreate or rectify typos, or spell a given related word. * Spell It Better: Guests invent a new and improved spelling for an existing word. * Spell It On A Calculator: Guests must use a calculator to spell a given word. * Spell Like a Six Year Old: Guests must match the spelling of a 6-year-old child. * Spell The Animal: Montgomery wears a series of animal masks which inspire the words that the guests must spell. * Spell The Audience Name: Guests choose a member of the audience and then must spell their full name. * Spell The Colour: Guests pick words to spell from a multi-coloured board. * Wingdings: Guests must translate a word displayed in

Wingdings Wingdings is a series of dingbat fonts that render letters as a variety of symbols. They were originally developed in 1990 by Microsoft by combining glyphs from Lucida Icons, Arrows, and Stars licensed from Charles Bigelow and Kris Holmes. Cert ...

. Each episode ends with The Buzz Round, a themed, timed, fast-paced round in which contestants hit a buzzer first for the chance to spell each word; they lose a point if the spelling is incorrect.

Episodes

Series 1 (2023)

:Winners in bold, dunces in ''italics''.

References

{{reflist English-language television shows 2020s New Zealand television series New Zealand panel games Television shows funded by NZ on Air 2023 New Zealand television series debuts