Guy Montgomery’s journey from a mischievous dinner-table prankster to a carnival barker for chaos on television might, on the surface, appear unlikely. Yet, 36-year-old Montgomery credits his childhood antics—making his sister snort milk out of laughter and impersonating a “South African exchange student”—for honing the irreverent comedic instincts that drive his hit game show, Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee. What began as a Zoom-based diversion during the COVID-19 lockdown has blossomed into a second Australian season on the ABC, replete with celebrity guests, absurd spelling challenges, and unexpected fan devotion.
A New Zealand Upbringing: Cultivating a Unique Comedic Voice
Montgomery grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand, the son of a farmhouse owner and a social enthusiast who tolerated his dinner-time stunts for the entertainment value. “By the time I was 12, I was already running around, making people laugh or getting them exasperated,” Montgomery recalls. His early fascination with jokes—he memorized and recited an entire joke book on a four-hour bus ride—revealed a precocious talent for comedic timing. “I’d tell knock-knock jokes and end with, ‘I’ll tell you tomorrow!’ It was childish, but it taught me how to manipulate the audience’s expectations.”
After completing a bachelor’s degree, Montgomery realized he needed to refine raw talent into professional craft. Lacking the confidence to debut in his hometown clubs, he secured a work visa to Toronto, Canada, at age 22 and began performing on the local open-mic circuit by night while waitressing by day. “I was copying the cadence of Rhys Darby, one of my comedy heroes,” Montgomery admits. “You overlay these influences until your own voice emerges.” By working in fringe comedy festivals and writing joke after joke into a battered notebook, Montgomery replaced trial-and-error routines with a disciplined approach. He fine-tuned not only what to say, but how to say it, learning to link comedic rhythm with punchlines in a way that “felt authentic” rather than merely imitative.
Breakthrough in New Zealand: Winning the Billy T Award and Beyond
Returning to New Zealand in 2014, Montgomery’s polished act earned him the coveted Billy T Award—named after legendary Kiwi comedian Billy T James—which spotlights outstanding emerging standup talent. The award catapulted him into the nation’s comedy spotlight. Television hosting gigs followed, including on sketch programs such as 7 Days and Jono and Ben. It was during one of these hosting stints that Montgomery teamed up with fellow comedian Tim Batt to launch The Worst Idea of All Time podcast in 2014. In this cult-hit series, the pair watched and reviewed a single, often critically panned film every week for a year, culminating in a sold-out live show before a 350-strong New York City audience in 2016.
Montgomery’s signature game show idea germinated during New Zealand’s 2020 lockdown when the world sat confined to living rooms and Zoom calls. He began inviting comedian friends—such as Rose Matafeo and Ayo Edebiri—to join him on a weekly Zoom call, ostensibly to hold a virtual spelling bee. But the twist was that contestants, many of whom already struggled with basic orthography, also had to deliver jokes and banter in the process. Montgomery describes the format succinctly: “I wanted to channel the pomp of traditional spelling bees—complete with official-sounding definitions and elaborate prize structures—while letting elite-level improvisers crack jokes, deliberately mispronounce words, or veganize the English language.”
Within weeks, simple segments—“Spell ‘Agrimony’ while inventing a limerick about a fox wearing lederhosen”—went viral within comedy circles. The comedic friction that results when articulate performers scramble to spell “onomatopoeia” or “antidisestablishmentarianism” is heightened by Montgomery’s gleeful interruptions. “I’m both protagonist and antagonist,” he explains. “My role is to egg them on, derail them at will, and nudge the jokes into chaotic territory.” Viewing figures on YouTube soared into seven figures per episode, prompting a stage adaptation in Auckland in early 2021.
Transition to Television: Local Success and ABC Acquisition
Buoyed by festival accolades and sold-out live shows, Montgomery pitched Guy Mont Spelling Bee to Three, New Zealand’s commercial broadcaster, in late 2022. Three commissioned an eight-episode first season that aired to strong ratings and glowing reviews. Its polished yet DIY sensibility—handcrafted set pieces, oversized novelty bingo-style nose masks, and homemade champion belts—evoked nostalgia for 1990s game shows. Yet the casting of high-profile Kiwi and Australian comedians, including Jess McKay, Katherine Ryan, and Urzila Carlson, signaled that this was no low-budget plaything. “They saw the energy when we filmed live before a small studio audience—we were laughing so hard it was hard to hold the shot,” Montgomery says. “That sense of communal joy convinced them it belonged on national TV.”
Shortly after, Montgomery and co-writer Joseph Moore traveled to Sydney to reformat the show for the ABC, securing Australian comedian Aaron Chen as co-host. “The ABC wanted something fresh, lighthearted, and made by comedians, rather than corporate producers,” Montgomery explains. “We handed them a finished blueprint—no need to reinvent the wheel.” The ABC’s backing provided improved production values—professional lighting, a bespoke Spelling Bee set replete with oversized marquee letters, and a live studio audience—while preserving the show’s scrappy heart.
Format and Flow: How Each Episode Unravels
Each episode of Guy Mont Spelling Bee features four celebrity contestants—usually local comedians, podcasters, or media personalities—brought on stage in full game-show regalia. The spectacle begins with the “Definition Derby,” in which Montgomery reads an absurdly convoluted sentence containing the target word: “In the land of sheep-shearing rogues, might the unscrupulous sheepshearer subsist by spooning hyperbolically?” Contestants must pick out and spell “hypnotically” or whichever lexical monstrosity is tucked inside. As soon as a bell rings for the first incorrect attempt, Montgomery launches into mock outrage, dangling a razor-sharp gag that references the contestant’s most recent Netflix special or their participation in a morning radio segment.
After two rounds of incremental difficulty, the “Joke Spell Relay” tasks pairs of contestants: one must deliver a standup joke in 30 seconds, and immediately upon landing it—if the audience laughs—they have five seconds to spell the word associated with that joke. If they fail, the remaining pair can steal. The tension ratchets up as comedic chops vie against orthographic agility: an uproarious Kevin Hart-inspired riff on cauliflower followed by an attempt to spell “microwaveable” under duress.
The climax often arrives with the “Blindfold Bullshit Blitz,” in which contestants are blindfolded and placed at a typewriter equipped with only half the alphabet. Montgomery provides a deliberately misleading clue—“This famously fizzy letter is both savory and tautological, found on many tasteful, water-based libations”—and contestants must guess and spell “conscientious.” Cue manic flailing, Mont-ified one-liners, and audience howls. Ultimately, the winner takes home a trophy: a giant plastic googly eye affixed to a glittery foam die, symbolizing the game’s absurdity and Montgomery’s comedic style.
Celebrity Guests and Unscripted Mayhem
Season 2 in Australia has already welcomed a parade of familiar faces: Rove McManus, renowned for his own variety show in the 1990s; Hannah Gadsby, whose incisive humor on identity politics contrasts starkly with the show’s slapstick roots; Hamish Blake, a veteran of radio pranks and television banter; and Denise Scott, whose deadpan style provides a perfect foil for Montgomery’s manic energy. Each participant undergoes the same spelling gauntlet, but their differing comedic approaches reveal surprising dynamics. When Gadsby faced off against writer Nina Oyama, both cracked self-effacing quips while fumbling to spell “miscellaneous.” “It was beautiful chaos,” Montgomery recalls. “The intensity of the fandom—fans recommending which word we choose next—means each episode feels like a carnival of competitive friendship.”
Audience Reaction: From New Zealand Skepticism to Australian Obsession
In New Zealand, Montgomery says, “people didn’t care much” when he first filmed the show. It was a niche success among comedy aficionados who flocked to live recordings in Wellington and Auckland. Yet in Australia, the response has been dramatic: social media threads dissect episodes, Reddit boards list each contestant’s worst and best spelling flubs, and fan art of Montgomery in rainbow suspenders circulates on Instagram. “In Wellington, you could walk down the street and no one would bat an eye,” he notes. “In Sydney, people shout, ‘Spell does not rhyme with fell!’ from passersby. That first rush of being recognised on public transport gave me anxiety—until I remembered everyone here is essentially cheering for me. It’s a bit of fame, but a warm one.”
Producers have been astonished by the demographics. While game shows typically skew older, Guy Mont Spelling Bee draws families, hipsters in neon streetwear, and retirees—often grandparents attending with grandchildren. “It’s become the kind of show families binge together,” says Aaron Chen. “Kids love seeing their favorite TikTok star try to spell ‘idiosyncrasy,’ and their grandparents appreciate the absurd humor reminiscent of ’80s Saturday morning cartoons.”
Navigating Sudden Popularity: Montgomery’s Personal Reflections
With rapid success in Australia came an unexpected side effect: self-doubt. “After the first episode aired, I panicked: what if we’re a one-season wonder?” Montgomery confesses. He found himself obsessively checking viewer ratings and Twitter mentions. For a comedian who once worked as an orange bull at agricultural fairs, the exposure felt surreal. He often jokes that he now “flew first class to Brisbane just to keep the show name in the headlines.” Yet the real work, he says, is internal: “I learned through therapy to not measure my self-worth by how often someone asks to take a photo with me. I’m just glad people find it funny. If it vanishes—if no one cares in a year—well, that’s showbiz life. But for now, it’s a gift.”
Montgomery’s partner, New Zealand actor Chelsie Preston Crayford, has provided rock-solid support amid growing fame. “She reminds me that if I start believing my own hype, I become insufferable—and I owe it to the show not to let that happen,” he laughs.
Cultural Impact: Beyond Comedy to Collective Catharsis
At its core, Guy Mont Spelling Bee taps into an innate human pleasure: the collision of knowledge and entertainment. Audiences delight in watching articulate comics become hopeless spellers under comedic duress. As one fan put it on Reddit: “It’s like Jeopardy! meets a clown car.” Yet the show also serves as a release valve for contemporary stress. In an era of polarized politics, economic uncertainty, and global pandemics, watching gifted individuals fail at an innocuous task—while quipping through it—offers collective catharsis. Montgomery sees this as the show’s deeper appeal: “In life, we’re all constantly under pressure to perform. Here, we celebrate failure as a form of triumph. That’s both uplifting and comforting.”
Media commentators have noted that Guy Mont Spelling Bee differs from purely nostalgia-driven revivals such as retro game shows or ’90s talk shows. Montgomery’s format, though indebted to classic spelling bees, injects surreal humor and unscripted unpredictability—qualities that resonate with younger viewers accustomed to TikTok duets and unexpected viral moments. “It’s a form of community building,” notes comedic critic Sarah Bell. “We gather around this deliciously silly experiment to remind ourselves that imperfection can be hilarious and that laughter is communal.”
Looking Ahead: Season 2 Highlights and Future Prospects
Season 2 of Guy Mont Spelling Bee premieres on 4 June on ABC TV and iView. Guests lined up include Birbiglia, an American comedian whose deadpan style contrasts sharply with Montgomery’s manic approach; Australian broadcaster Wil Anderson; and the iconic AK70 rap duo Jim Jefferies. New segments promise even greater absurdity: “Reverse Spelling Marshals,” where contestants ride office chairs while spelling aloud; and “Silent Bee,” a challenge requiring pantomime clues to guess the word. In addition, Montgomery and Moore are developing a traveling stage version entitled Spelling Bee Live! slated for a cross-Australia tour later this year, with stops in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and eventually Christchurch.
READ MORE: Ncuti Gatwa’s Tenure and Departure
Beyond the immediate Australian-New Zealand corridor, streaming platforms have expressed interest in acquiring global rights. “A subtitled version in Europe or Asia could work,” Montgomery speculates. “Spelling words out loud is universal—and watching pros flop is universally funny.” He and Moore have drafted adaptations for U.S. late-night television and a potential animated spin-off featuring caricatures of contestants trapped in a giant dictionary.
Conclusion: Embracing the Joy of Irritation and Laughter
Guy Montgomery’s pathway from self-described “annoying child” to creator of a cross-Tasman hit underscores the evolving landscape of comedy. His success with Guy Mont Spelling Bee reveals that, in a fragmented media environment, audiences crave communal, low-stakes humor that transcends age and background. Montgomery’s talent lies in orchestrating mayhem under the guise of a quaint spelling contest, proving that structured chaos can unite viewers. As he aptly observes, “My job is to make people laugh even as they cringe at my relentless teasing. If I can deliver that for another season—or ten—I’m content.”
With Season 2 now underway, fans can expect more letter-by-letter mayhem, off-the-cuff roasts, and the same “irritating but enjoyable” spirit that has cemented Guy Mont Spelling Bee as a cultural phenomenon. As Montgomery himself puts it: “I want my show to feel like opening a dusty board game in your parents’ living room—except everyone’s dressed in spangled headgear and cracking jokes about how ‘onomatopoeia’ is actually pronounced. If that doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will.”
Season 2 of Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee premieres on ABC TV and iView on 4 June 2025. Guy Montgomery embarks on an Australian comedy tour through June and July 2025; tickets available via official channels.
