Making people laugh comes naturally for Guy Montgomery – after all, he is one of Aotearoa’s most successful comedians. But while you wouldn’t have any issues describing him as funny, practical? Not so much. So, perfect for Celebrity Treasure Island then.
“I used to have a stand-up joke where I’d say I add no practical value in any given situation,” Guy tells Woman’s Day. “But I’ve reached this far in life, so I’ll hopefully be able to provide some morale!”
Treasure Island troubleshooter – we’ve got this, team!
What Guy might lack when it comes to practicality, he makes up for in biting the bullet and giving things a go – like taking on the role of parent when he met his dream girl, Cousins actress Chelsie Preston Crayford and her gorgeous daughter Olive. Guy was living in New York but back in Auckland for work, when a chance meeting changed the course of his life.
“I came back for some work at the comedy festival and I met my partner after an improv show at the Basement Theatre called Snort,” recalls Guy. “We were just chatting and getting along really well, and I thought, ‘OK’. I asked her out on a date, but I was living in New York and she was a young parent who had a two-year-old daughter.
“I suppose we both had the idea that there was a delightful impossibility of this being a long-term relationship, so we both let our guards down and that is how, of course, you fall in love with someone.
“Then I went back to New York and we kept talking. After she came to visit, we decided to make a go of the relationship. We did long-distance for around two years, then at the end of 2019, I moved home.”
Chin
Now Guy has been thrust into the world of fatherhood alongside Chelsie and now seven-year-old Olive – and the funnyman wouldn’t have it any other way.
He explains, “Parenthood is so interesting because not everyone necessarily imagines it for themselves… but it has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I love Olive as though she’s my own daughter. I love parenting with Chelsie. We’ve got a great relationship with Olive’s other set of parents too.”
It’s a delightful calm for the previous globe-trotter, who first got his start in comedy not in New Zealand, but Canada.
“I didn’t want to be not funny to people I knew, so I moved where I didn’t know anyone,” he laughs.
“I sort of thought I was funny and my friends were starting to get their full-time careers. I thought, ‘I’m going to get left for dust here’, so I decided to give stand-up a very serious effort. I moved to Canada – as you do – and I did open-mic nights every night in Toronto. I’d do a minimum of 10 gigs a week.”
It was in Toronto that Guy began refining his schtick – helped along by the Kiwi twang, of course. “It wasn’t too long after Flight of the Concords had been quite popular,” Guy admits.
A little bit of riding their coattails then?
“Well, to an extent – there’s the inbuilt advantage – but that probably gives you 15 to 30 seconds of attention, and after that sadly, you’re on your own!”
He’s had huge successes since – winning the 2014 Billy T award, a huge honour for a Kiwi comedian, and featuring on shows such as 7 Days and Have You Been Paying Attention? and now, of course, CTI.
But it’s well known that the reality show isn’t a walk in the park, so why on earth is Guy participating?
“I got asked,” he laughs. “It was a huge informing factor in my decision!
And I watched it last year in lockdown and I loved it – it looked like fun and I had some friends who did it. They had a great time.”
By friends, he means fellow comedians Brynley Stent and eventual winner Chris Parker, who gave him some stellar advice.
“He just told me to give yourself to the show and enjoy it as long as you’re there because you only get to do it once,” he tells. “Chris had a pretty unique journey last year. I haven’t seen anyone embrace anything like he embraced Celebrity Treasure Island!”
