The 10 Greatest Reality-Competition Show Hosts


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5. Ryan Seacrest

Season nine of American Idol marks the year Seacrest went dada in his vaudevillian ringmaster duties. He only gets stranger. One of these days he'll arrive onstage with newspaper clippings tacked to his face and a urinal worn as a sash. But the breaches of Simon Cowell's personal space, odd personal questions to contestants, and slow-dances in the aisle don't take away from his appealing, anachronistic approach.


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4. Heidi Klum

No one looses a catchphrase like the Project Runway doyenne: "Let's start the show," "You're out," "We question your taste level," and "Auf wiedersehen" would sound cloying and clunky coming out of any other host's mouth. With Heidi, they're tart darts. And she's got critical skills to boot. This season's highlight: Her dismissive harangue at designer Amy Sarabi's "hair bowl" look: "It looks like a cat in a baby sling."


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3. Tom Bergeron

The former Hollywood Squares hosts adds Mentadent whites and Sajak-ian cynicism to Dancing with the Stars's runtime. After years of parrying Caroline Rhea, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bruce Vilanch, perhaps Bergeron is the only man suited to rein in the whippoorwill carnality of Bruno Tonioli.


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2. Jeff Probst

The Survivor's hosts blogs alone earn the man a high ranking, aside from this two consecutive Emmy wins for Best Reality-Competition Host. But Jeff Probst loves the game for all its petty mechanics with just the right levels of commitment and detachment.


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1. RuPaul

Why, I'll be. This list comes just before tonight's two-and-a
-half-hour conclusion of RuPaul's Drag Race. Fancy, Movieline! Not only does Ru exhibit age-old emcee confidence, but he's is a tremendous performer, mentor, truth-teller, and fearless authoritarian. After years of reality-competition hosts who simply move the plot along, RuPaul imbues each challenge and judging with affection and brass. Everything about his presence and panache works -- enough to make you realize you better too. Hey Emmys, to reverse RuPaul's closing bon mot: If you can't love an impeccable television figure like Rupaul, how the hell are you gonna love yourself?

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Comments

  • NP says:

    You read my mind! I shit you not, I was riding the subway home this evening thinking about how great RuPaul is as a reality show host. She has so much personality, and you get such a sense that she empathizes with the contestants (for obvious reasons), but also wears other hats (mentor, soothsayer, etc.). My train of thought actually started here though: "I love that she can have a catchphrase like 'Don't fuck it up!' because that would never fly on.. just about any other show."

  • milessilverberg says:

    Great list, and I totally agree with #1. When Ru hosted the mock-Match Game in this season's third episode, it suddenly occurred to me that Ru may be the only person on the planet who could host a Match Game remake and make it work. Ru would set just the right tone so that the answers would still have to be cutesy-dirty instead of graphic/explicit, which is what would happen if any garden-variety comic hosted and tried to maintain control over the taste level. RU could also advance society a little by appearing in drag some days, and in civilian attire on others.
    I'm glad to see that others are starting to appreciate Drag Race; it shouldn't be underestimated.

  • burlivesleftnut says:

    I just stopped in to make sure Cat made the list. *disengaging wrath*

  • Mike the Movie Tyke says:

    Disagree. The mark of a great host is one who runs the show without making it all about themselves (I'm lookin' at you Tyra, Gordon, Padma and the ego of Jeff Probst, as big as any Survivor island). Bergeron is a host for the ages, he could have done well at any point in TV history, Keoghan gets props for being the calm amid the storm.

  • Mike the Movie Tyke says:

    (and the mark of good commenter is to post it only once! Don't know wtf happened there, I swear I clicked it a single time!)

  • Lucy says:

    I refuse to live in a world where Jeff Probst is not considered the best reality host. So I guess I just left.

  • Citizen Bitch says:

    Tough decision between Ru and Jeff, but this is Ru's "NOW." Awesome job.

  • Nina says:

    Where the hell is Chris Harrison? The guy from the Bachelor/Bachelorette, one of the longest running reality franchises? He's hilarious.
    Ryan Seacrest, really? He's the most annoying man on the planet.