Guy Mont Spelling Bee Is Pure Chaotic Comedy Gold

I stumbled across this weird little gem out of Australia and now I can’t stop watching it. Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee feels like someone took a classic spelling bee, dropped it into a time machine, and cranked the absurdity all the way up. Hosted by Guy Montgomery with his perfectly offbeat energy, and backed by the deadpan brilliance of Aaron Chen, the show asks a simple question. Are comedians actually smart, or just really good at pretending?

Every episode throws four comedians behind podiums and hands them words that feel borderline impossible. What follows is chaos in the best way. Misspellings fly, confidence crumbles, and somehow everyone commits like their reputation depends on it. That’s the hook. They take it seriously even when the whole thing is clearly ridiculous.

There’s something about the vibe that hits different. The 70s-inspired set, the brown suit, the orange glow, it all feels intentionally low-rent in a way that makes it even funnier. It’s like you’re watching a lost TV pilot from another era, except the jokes actually land. Guy plays it like a slightly unhinged retro host who’s always one step ahead, while Aaron Chen just quietly steals scenes with awkward pauses, strange costumes, and one-liners that come out of nowhere.

The lineup is stacked, too. You get names like Hannah Gadsby, Hamish Blake, Rove McManus, Denise Scott, Becky Lucas, Kirsty Webeck, Josh Thomas, Dave Hughes, Dilruk Jayasinha, Susie Youssef, and Lizzy Hoo rotating through, all chasing the most ridiculous prize on TV. A one-way ticket to come back and defend their title next episode.

And yeah, there’s a “winner stays on” gimmick that can get a little intense if someone leans too hard into winning, but honestly, that’s part of the charm. It never takes long before the show pulls things back into pure chaos.

Also, if Aaron Chen feels familiar, that’s because he popped up in Fisk, where that same awkward delivery hits just as hard.

This thing started in New Zealand and somehow got even weirder in Australia. It’s scrappy, fast, and packed with jokes to the point where it almost feels overstuffed. In the best way.

You can play along at home, laugh at people way funnier than you struggle with spelling, and just enjoy something that doesn’t feel overproduced or polished to death. It’s messy, it’s clever, and it knows exactly what it is.