To be a truly great host on Saturday Night Live requires a multitude of skills that elude even some of our favorite stars. He or she needs to be fearless. A willingness to be, as Josh Brolin said this year in his SNL monologue, “career-endingly stupid.” On top of that, things have to go just right — even the most game guest is at the mercy of the show’s writers and ensemble and they’d be the first to admit that all their shows are not created equal. But as Seth Meyers has often said, the show often takes on the personality of the host. Lackluster sketches can be blamed on the writing sometimes, but drab material might also reflect the mood and enthusiasm of a tentative or distracted host during the week leading up to the show. So when everything comes together and Saturday Night Live delivers a show that has you snorting till Tuesday, well, the host deserves the lion’s share of the credit. Happy accidents don’t typically happen on SNL. There’s simply no place to hide. When the show is great, it’s because the host is, and that’s why we revere Tom Hanks and Justin Timberlake, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. They make it look easy, but as we know from many other guest hosts, it’s not.

This year for the first time, EW.com readers have voted after every episode to determine who was the season’s best host. The most recent host was pitted against the four most popular previous hosts in a popular vote, and the one with the least number of voters was eliminated while the four survivors advanced to the next week. Like any democracy, it’s a system that’s not without its flaws, but judging by our Final Five, the process performed reasonably well. Melissa McCarthy, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Radcliffe, Will Ferrell, and Mick Jagger were all excellent hosts who boldly epitomized Brolin’s credo. McCarthy coated herself in ranch dressing, Radcliffe mocked Harry Potter, Mick deigned not to be so cool (and hence became even cooler).

Before we announce the inaugural winner of Mr. (or Mrs.) Saturday Night Live, though, there are three other non-democratic awards to present. READ FULL STORY »

Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

Every Monday morning for as long as I can remember, my classmates or coworkers have had some variation of the following conversation: Did you watch Saturday Night Live, and did you think the host was any good? It was normally very analog: yes or no, thumbs up or thumbs down. Over time, frequent guests became reliable favorites — Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, John Goodman — but no one ever seemed to take the time to step back at the end of the season and ask, Who was the best host this year?

So this season, EW has been relying on your votes in a weekly contest to separate the great from the good. After 22 episodes of varying degrees of ha-ha, 17 hosts have been rejected in our effort to crown the inaugural Mr. or Mrs. Saturday Night Live. Every Monday, the most recent host was pitted against the four most popular previous hosts of the season: the star that then received the least number of votes was bumped. Some brilliant performances have already been sent home — Baldwin, Jason Segel, even Maya Rudolph — and the final five are formidable.

Mick Jagger enjoyed a distinct advantage by being the guest host of the finale; not only does he automatically qualify for the final vote, but his performance is the freshest in everyone’s minds. Still, he has his work cut out for him, as his four rivals have been quite dominant in our season-long competition. Click below to see the tale of the tape for all five finalists. READ FULL STORY »

Image Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

In the pantheon of Saturday Night Live performers, Will Ferrell is one of the all-time greats. Yes, I know, I know, the show hasn’t been funny since 1978… blah, blah, blah. But Ferrell’s seven-season stretch from 1995 to 2002 was one of the most brilliant runs in the show’s history. Saturday’s appearance was his third time back as host, since leaving to star in films like Elf and Old School, and fans were expecting great things. The results… were mixed.

With only one show remaining, Ferrell was positioned to seize control of our season-long competition to determine SNL‘s best host. Jimmy Fallon and Melissa McCarthy have been resting in the clubhouse for weeks, waiting for the final hosts to perform. A huge show may have put Ferrell over the top, but I think he left the door open. (Not enough cow bell?) READ FULL STORY »