Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee (Australian TV series)

Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee

Company type	Television program
Industry	Television entertainment
Founded	August 14, 2024 (2024-08-14)
Headquarters	Sydney , Australia
Area served	Australia
Key people	Guy Montgomery (creator and host), Aaron Chen (co-host)
Products	Television series
Parent	ABC Television, Kevin & Co.

Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee is an Australian comedic panel television program aired on ABC, created and hosted by Guy Montgomery alongside co-host Aaron Chen. The series is adapted from a New Zealand show bearing the same title. Its inaugural season, comprising eight episodes, debuted on 14 August 2024, with the entire season made available on ABC iview immediately upon release.

The format involves four comedians competing in various spelling challenges focused on words and names, crafted to both entertain and test their abilities. Victorious contestants return for future episodes, whereas those who lose don a dunce cap in the designated Dunce's Corner.

A second season followed in 2025.

Production

Guy Mont-Spelling Bee is a joint production between Kevin & Co. and ABC Television, representing Kevin & Co.'s second project beyond New Zealand borders after their work on Taskmaster Australia.

Filming for the first season occurred over four days, from 26 to 29 June 2024, at the ABC Ultimo Centre. The lineup includes prominent Australian figures such as Wil Anderson, Tony Armstrong, Concetta Caristo, Urzila Carlson (also featured in the original New Zealand version), Tom Gleeson, Peter Helliar, Geraldine Hickey, Nazeem Hussain, Demi Lardner, Zoë Coombs Marr, Luke McGregor, Tim Minchin, Rhys Nicholson, and Steph Tisdell.

Format

Each episode showcases four contestants, with the reigning champion positioned at the far right podium. The program begins with The Spelling Round and concludes with The Buzz Round. Sandwiched between these are three additional rounds plus a mini-game, during which Aaron Chen provides support.

The Spelling Round

Contestants choose words from three difficulty tiers: the Coward's Cup (simple, worth 1 point), the Person's Purse (intermediate, worth 2 points), or the Bucket of Bravery (difficult, worth 3 points). Points are awarded based on correct spelling relative to chosen difficulty.

Season 1

• Aaron'd the World: Aaron spins a globe to select a country; participants then spell a word associated with that nation.
• A Decent Proposal: Contestants pair up; each assigns one easy and one hard word for their partner to spell. If both are spelled correctly, each partner receives two points; if only one is correct, four points are awarded; zero points if neither is correct.
• Battle of the Codes: Contestants team up with athletes and receive football code-related words. The pairs deliberate on word difficulty but not spelling. Correct spelling allows advancement; errors lead to elimination and a brief segment titled "Chen's Den."
• Can You Spell What Aaron is Cooking?: Following a cooking demonstration by Aaron, contestants spell the name of the prepared dish.
• Do the D.A.N.C.E.: Participants either identify and spell a dance performed live for two points or request its name but must spell it during the performance for one point.
• Drinks: Contestants spell words related to their chosen beverages.
• Girt by C: Contestants select an Australian water body for Aaron to sample; they then spell a related word beginning and ending with 'C'.
• Hometown Hero: Participants spell words connected to their hometowns. The first episode also included a map of South Africa for Carlson.
• Horsing: A Round: Assigned horses advance as contestants correctly spell horse-related terms; incorrect answers halt progress. Contestants may bet on horses to earn up to five points at 2/1 odds.
• Impressions: Contestants impersonate celebrities while spelling their names; one point is awarded for accurate spelling and another for the impression.
• Money: Participants select an Australian currency denomination and spell an associated word.
• Spell the Crew Member's Name: Contestants identify and correctly spell full names of crew members.
• Spell the Crime, Do the Time: Participants spell crime-related words; incorrect spellers are "imprisoned" until all others are eliminated.
• Spell the Disaster: Contestants spell distress signals linked to historical disasters.
• Spell the Ethnicity: Participants spell ethnicities represented by models.
• Spell Your Own Adventure: Contestants pick choose-your-own-adventure books and spell words along selected paths until making an error or reaching a "perilous demise."
• The Hat Hat: Contestants wear a "silly hat" named by correctly spelling its name; those who err must keep their hats on until they succeed.
• The Spelling Spell: Magician Aaron presents words from his magic hat; contestants may opt for more difficult words to earn up to four points.
• Who Owns It?: Contestants spell words related to items disputed between Australians and New Zealanders, gaining points for correct spelling and identifying ownership.

Modified Rounds

• Feelings: Contestants identify an object by touch and then spell its name.
• Homophones: Contestants must correctly spell the appropriate word from a selection of homophones.
• Instruments: Contestants listen to the sound of a musical instrument and spell its name.
• Social Media: Montgomery displays previous social media posts; contestants either replicate them accurately, correct any typos, or spell associated terms.
• Spell it Better: Contestants create alternative, improved spellings for words provided by Montgomery.
• Spell the Audience Name: Contestants choose an audience member and spell their full legal name aloud.
• Wingdings: Contestants decode and spell a word presented in Wingdings font.

The Buzz Round

The Buzz Round is a fast-paced spelling challenge centered around a specific theme. The contestant in last place, or one selected among tied players, chooses one of four categories to begin. Participants buzz in to spell words worth one point each; incorrect answers result in the loss of one point. The length of this round varies by episode and concludes when the host announces, "Stop spelling!"

Conclusion of Episode

The contestant with the highest score receives a large novelty ticket granting them a spot in the following episode. In the event of a tie, sudden-death spelling determines the winner. Those with the lowest scores are cheered on as they move to the "Dunce's Corner," donning the dunce cap.

Season 1 (2024)

Debuted on 14 August 2024, broadcasting Wednesdays on ABC TV with all eight episodes available for streaming on ABC iview. National viewership ranged between 419,000 and 659,000.

Victors are shown in bold, while those finishing last appear in italics.

Season 2 (2025)

Filming for the second season took place at ABC Studio 22 in Sydney from 19 to 26 February 2025, producing ten episodes plus one special. The season premiered on 4 June at 8:35 pm, with all episodes released simultaneously on ABC iView.

Victors are shown in bold, while those finishing last appear in italics.

Reception

The first episode drew an average overnight national audience of 659,000 viewers, securing the top spot in its time slot. David Knox from TV Tonight awarded the program three-and-a-half stars out of five.

Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen of The Guardian offered a glowing review, granting five out of five stars and calling the show "an absolute d-e-l-i-g-h-t."