- 2 hours ago
Some reality shows live or die by the people behind the desk. Join us as we compare the judging panels that elevated the competition and the ones that made things awkward, chaotic, or downright unbearable. From sharp-tongued icons to mismatched replacements, these reality TV verdict squads had viewers talking for all the wrong, and right, reasons.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the reality tv judges who
00:05made the grade and didn't make the grade. It's you know Betty White on Dancing with the Stars,
00:11I mean it's old. Number five worst. David Hasselhoff, Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne,
00:20America's Got Talent. To be clear these three were individually entertaining. I don't wish my
00:25boyfriend would look like you. Even though I'm very straight, thank you Tony. God bless you.
00:33Together though, AGT sometimes felt less like a talent competition and more like three people
00:39fighting for control of the remote. The original panel actually featured Hasselhoff, Morgan and
00:44Brandy Norwood, with Sharon Osbourne replacing Norwood for season two. I think what you do is
00:49very good for a children's audience, okay? The problem is that for an adult audience it's very annoying.
01:00I didn't think you were annoying at all, I thought you were really charming. Morgan specialised in
01:05blunt criticism. Osbourne could be brutally dismissive and Hasselhoff brought a completely
01:10different brand of theatricality. The problem wasn't a lack of personality, it was that the
01:15personalities could overwhelm the contestants. And the audience obviously agree with me. Boring, boring,
01:22Piers. Derek, darling, I just love you. Instead of providing three complimentary perspectives,
01:34the panel often became its own spectacle. And when the judges themselves are more distracting than the
01:39acts, that's not exactly ideal for a talent show. I found it offensive. But I found what you said to
01:46her offensive. Well, I just don't like it. It's a deliberate attempt. But it's her parents.
01:51Here is Karen. You gotta vote. She's still on stage. She's on stage?
01:56Number five best. Laomi Maldonado, Law Roach, Kiki Palmer, Jimmela Jamil, and Megan Thee Stallion.
02:03Legendary. When it came to Judging Ballroom, HBO assembled a panel that understood both the culture
02:08and the spectacle. To me, what makes the house superior is not only having that strong family
02:12bond, but being able to come together and create a show-stopping group. Ballroom icon Laomi Maldonado
02:18brought first-hand expertise, while stylist Law Roach could dissect the look with surgical precision.
02:24Despite internet controversy over her involvement, Jimmela Jamil supplied plenty of enthusiasm and respect
02:29for the art form. You gave me everything I wanted. I wanted precision. I wanted energy. I wanted family.
02:35You feel so close. It was such an amazing experience. Megan Thee Stallion brought genuine
02:39star power and infectious excitement. Her season three replacement, Kiki Palmer,
02:43brought her own charismatic energy to the panel. Law, you're just so tired.
02:48It has nothing to do with the love I have for y'all. And in the words of my late
02:53great hit,
02:54keep it moving. You ate that. What made the group so fun was that they didn't just sit behind a
03:00desk.
03:00The judges reacted to the performances like fans, cheering, shouting, and engaging directly with the
03:06houses. However, when they needed to bring the heat, they did so.
03:10Number four, worst. Tyra Banks and the rest. America's Next Top Model.
03:14I have never in my life yelled at a girl like this. When my mother yells at this,
03:19it's because she loves me. I was rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. How dare you?
03:24Learn something from this. You know the judges went way too hard when there's an entire three-part
03:30Netflix docu-series about the show. America's Next Top Model had some legendary judges with some
03:35legitimate fashion credentials. That makes the critiques of people like Janice Dickinson and
03:39Nole Morin all the more unsettling. She needs to lose five to ten pounds a half.
03:45They're all fat. The entire room is fat. I'm fat. You're all fat. Even the love fixtures like Miss
03:51Jay Alexander, Nigel Barker, and creative director Jay Manuel aren't innocent.
03:56Unfortunately, Tyra Banks' replacements for them were not much better. Kelly Catrone, Rob Evans,
04:02and Brian Boy presided over a judging panel regarded by fans as one of the show's worst.
04:07Cycle 19 also made the audience complicit in the bad judging, adding a public vote element that made
04:12for a truly terrible season of a show that, even at its best, was a tough watch.
04:17Here are some comments for you. For example, I got a comment from Samantha who said,
04:22Kyra's body looks phenomenal in this picture, but her face is just sad.
04:26Number four best. Len Goodman, Kariana Nava, and Bruno Tanioli. Dancing with the Stars.
04:32Few judging panels have been as perfectly balanced as the original Dancing with the Stars trio.
04:36The late Len Goodman brought technical expertise and old-school ballroom authority.
04:41The technique was poor, the routine was oversimplified, and there wasn't a lot of performance there in the dance.
04:48So, as much as I like you and I thought the dance was charming, as a dance it wasn't that
04:54fantastic.
04:55Kariana Nava judged with her heart, emphasizing emotion, performance, and connection. And Bruno Tanioli?
05:01Well, Bruno judged at someone who had just plugged him into a wall socket. The original three became
05:06synonymous with the show, each developing an unmistakable judging persona. Their disagreements
05:10were part of the fun because they genuinely represented different ways of evaluating a dance.
05:15You isolated each other a little bit. I would have liked a little bit more connection between
05:18the two of you. But, I mean, that is, that is… Not every dance has to be connected. It's new
05:25school.
05:26Now listen to me.
05:27Len could bring everyone back to technique. Karianne could champion a breakthrough performance. And Bruno
05:31could turn a 10-second dance move into a full theatrical event. You dirty, nasty, wicked devil
05:39of a woman. You were possessed out there. That sequence of lifts were absolutely extraordinary.
05:46Together, they made judging almost as entertaining as the dancing.
05:50Number three worst. Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Nicole Scherzinger.
05:55The Masked Singer. Here's the thing. The Masked Singer doesn't actually need judges,
05:59but it definitely needs people to loudly guess celebrities.
06:03To know I was lost.
06:06I still think it's a boy band member. It's still gotta be a boy band.
06:09Really?
06:10To wake me up when it's all over.
06:14Apparently, this quartet was deemed qualified. Robin Thicke at least occasionally applies his
06:18musical knowledge, while Nicole Scherzinger can sometimes make a genuinely educated guess.
06:22But then there's Ken Jeong, whose entire strategy seems to be shouting an absurd celebrity name
06:27and hoping someone thinks it's funny. I think I know who it is!
06:30You think you do? I think Sherri Shepherd.
06:34Good guess. I don't know.
06:37I was thinking like talk show host Sally Jessie Raphael.
06:41Are you crazy?
06:42Jenny McCarthy frequently is not much better. Critics have blasted the panel for pointless
06:46commentary, awkward interactions, and guesses so implausible they undermine the entire premise.
06:51This means yes! In ladybug language, okay? But this means you crazy!
06:57She says, oh no, you did it!
06:59You are a genius, Ken!
07:01The show paints them as detectives, but they feel more like four people who forgot there was an exam today.
07:06Number three best. RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, and Ross Matthews. RuPaul's Drag Race.
07:13Well, look at you! It's like the gay Mount Rushmore.
07:18This show needs a judging panel who understand fashion, performance, comedy, personality,
07:23and most importantly, drag. Drag Race found the perfect combination in its seventh season,
07:28and has ridden that high ever since.
07:31When you say that you are versed, no one believes you.
07:35But for real, I adore you. Ross is not a top. He's a blouse.
07:43RuPaul provides the final authority, while Michelle Visage has spent years delivering brutally honest
07:48critiques that contestants can actually learn from. Carson Kressley brings fashion expertise and
07:53playful commentary, while Ross Matthews adds warmth, enthusiasm, and the perspective of someone who
07:58genuinely loves drag. It's like Beyonce and a Smurf had a baby. Smurfonse!
08:04Now I love this look, but, and it's a big butt.
08:09Carson and Ross have traditionally rotated in the third judging position, making their appearances
08:13feel distinct while maintaining the show's familiar chemistry. Even fans who love to disagree with
08:18them can admit there's a special sauce here. Number two worst. Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump,
08:24Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump, The Apprentice. Great judging panels should represent a varied
08:29cross-section of personality and expertise. Starting with season six, Donald Trump brought
08:34his children on board. We're going to see whether or not she tweeted it. I did not, sir.
08:38Vivica, bad news. I'm reading it right here. This menopause is killing me. I can't think straight.
08:44I never tweeted that. Suddenly, contestants on The Apprentice faced a panel that was in total
08:48lockstep. More accurately, it was a panel in total lockstep with their father.
08:52Was that unbelievable or what? Wow. Yeah.
08:57Whatever you think of the individual personalities, putting four members of one family in the same
09:02judging ecosystem was never exactly the recipe for panel chemistry. It didn't hurt ratings too badly.
09:08The Apprentice ran with an all-Trump panel for several seasons. Yet its enduring popularity probably
09:13had more to do with its transition to a celebrity tournament than a competition between up-and-coming
09:17entrepreneurs. The Incredible Hunk. Did you just say The Incredible Hunk? Yes. Yes.
09:24Because I heard that. No, The Incredible Hunk, right? Hunk. Right. I think you had a Freudian slip there.
09:30Number two best. Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Michael Kors. Project Runway.
09:35Few reality TV judging panels were more instantly recognizable than Michael Kors, Nina Garcia,
09:40and Heidi Klum. Klum brought the model's perspective and the show's larger-than-life personality.
09:45And I just wanted to keep it really smart, sleek, and streamlined.
09:50I didn't mean your model. I meant you. Tell us about your look.
09:54Oh, my look? Oh, wow.
09:55No, I'm kidding.
09:56Garcia brought the fashion editorial world with a sharper, more industry-focused eye.
10:01And Michael Kors? He could summarize an entire outfit with one brutally memorable metaphor.
10:05And whose idea was it to put this gigantic piece of fake extension into our hair?
10:11It was mine. There's a horse somewhere missing its tail.
10:13Yeah. I mean, I don't understand this.
10:17The trio judged together throughout the show's formative years, helping establish Project Runway's
10:21signature mix of fashion expertise, personality, and biting criticism. They also understood the
10:26show's central balancing act. The contestants were designing under ridiculous deadlines and
10:30increasingly bizarre restrictions. Those are little sharks, right? I love the fact that you picked a
10:36theme that you chose many different kinds of candy. It makes me smile. It's perfectly made.
10:43I think it's adorable. Thank you.
10:46Their critiques could be funny, harsh, specific, and occasionally contradictory. But they almost
10:51always gave viewers a clear sense of why a garment succeeded or failed. That's reality TV judging at
10:57its most satisfying. Number one worst. Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres, Randy Jackson, and Cara Diaguardi,
11:04American Idol. The iconic original three was busted up forever when Paula Abdul left American Idol ahead
11:10of its ninth season. Ellen DeGeneres replaced her. It went about as well as you'd expect.
11:15Kind, generous, honest, but at the same time pretty direct and one of the few people I think that can
11:21be honest with Simon about how he takes on the contestants. Is that your plan? I'm sorry, I wasn't
11:26listening. DeGeneres only further highlighted the lack of chemistry between Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson,
11:31and Cara Diaguardi. Without Abdul, Cowell and Jackson were adrift. Ellen was a comedian but had
11:36nothing to offer the young singers. None of it ever gelled. Even host Ryan Seacrest pointed out
11:54how bizarre their critiques were. It all but broke the show. The ratings dipped and Cowell,
11:59DeGeneres, and Diaguardi all left once the season finished. Idol subsequently entered another era of
12:05judging panel experimentation. No, American Idol is not going to be the same without you.
12:09But as only I can tell you, it will go on.
12:16Sometimes you really can't improve upon the original.
12:19If you love games, be sure to check out WatchMojo's new game, Terrible Influence. Just
12:25launched for purchase at TerribleInfluence.com. Terrible Influence is a satirical board game about the
12:30dark side of fame from the writer of the most popular girls in school and us, WatchMojo.
12:35I can make an apology video. Oh, you so would. Click on the link in the description to check
12:40out the game and be the first to play Terrible Influence.
12:44Number one best. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson. American Idol. This is the gold
12:51standard. Did y'all ever get in like an argument you're like it's you're not coming back from?
12:55Did you ever do that? Every hour? Yeah, a lot of them. I'm no kidding. Every hour.
13:02What? Simon Cowell was the brutally honest critic. Paula Abdul was the compassionate optimist.
13:08Randy Jackson sat comfortably between them as the musician who could translate both perspectives.
13:12The chemistry was immediate, hilarious, and completely unpredictable.
13:16Did you turn up at this audition today to be told by Paula Abdul you can do Kermit the Frog?
13:22Shut up! I'm just reinforcing your point.
13:24Simon could eviscerate a performance, Paula could find something positive in it,
13:28and Randy could respond with an enthusiastic dog before offering his own musical assessment.
13:33What made the original trio so effective was their contrast. None of them needed to be the same kind
13:38of judge because their differences created the entertainment.
13:55Their chemistry became so iconic that nearly every reality judging panel afterward copied it.
14:00At least they tried. You cannot beat the original.
14:03Which reality TV judging panel deserves a spot on the list? Let us know in the comments.