The 40th annual MTV award ceremony took place on Wednesday, September 11th. Hosted by Meghan Thee Stallion, the night was a flourishing success. Eighteen artists performed throughout the evening including Chappell Roan, GloRilla, Sabrina Carpenter and many other talented artists.  

Some artists were spot on, while some were missing a vital wow factor, but in the end, these are all only opinions in which everyone’s is different. However, in no particular order, I’ll cover what I believe to be the best’s and the worst’s of the night.

The Bests: 

Sabrina Carpenter 

Carpenter gracefully dropped down on the stage sitting on a diamond swing hanging from the ceiling. Then revealing a lavish bodysuit covered in silver rhinestones. She had the crowd on their feet with a compelling medley of her top hits “Please Please Please,” “Taste” and “Espresso”. Her outer space back drop and dancers dressed in Astronaut costumes (even one dressed as an anomalous blue alien) complimented the VMA’s classic retro theme beautifully. Carpenter brought a much-needed energy burst to the room and made her performance one to be talked about for years to come! 

Chappell Roan 

Everyone’s favorite ‘Midwest princess’ made an artistically iconic first impression on the VMA’S as she entered with a medieval castle backdrop with real fire shooting up behind her! Her and her dancers pranced around the stage in fake armor, Roan dressed as a fashionable knight. She sung her Billboard Hot 100 song, “Good Luck, Babe!” What was so captivating about Roan’s performance was not only her unique theme but her tremendous vocal range. As the renowned vocal flip in her song “Picture you” shows us, it’s clear that Roan is famous for all the right reasons. 

Halsey 

We hear the familiar sound of crickets and neighborhood dogs barking while revealing a small house on stage as Halsey bikes in and opens the garage, revealing her own “Garage band”. While some may think understated, I believe Halsey’s performance was creatively unforgettable and a clever play on the irony of a small garage band at the MTV music awards. Halsey took on an alternative theme with an early/mid 2000’s feel as she sung her new song, “Ego”. Her and her back-up singers were dressed in more ‘untraditional’ ensemble then other artists, Halsey even wearing knee-high converse (which made a comeback this year!). The crowd was blissfully swaying along and though different from her past work–Halsey’s part of the award show was an exceptional one!  

The Worsts: 

Eminem  

Eminem and his “minions” underwhelmingly walk onto stage in tacky blonde wigs and all black outfits lacking some serious originality. He then proceeds to sing “Houdini/Somebody Save Me” while his all-male back up dancers stand behind him and with little effort, they all sway back and forth in sync with their arms crossed. What could have possibly been the requirements for those auditions? Just brown beards? Never have I ever been so bored, even with the props, two chairs and a couple of lamps. While his first song had me yawning, his second felt much more like a personal apology he should be telling his kids- not the whole world. 

Camila Cabello 

While Cabello had some melodic pop hits we were all singing in the car in 2017, or when she was a member of the all-girl band Fifth Harmony, Wednesday night’s song choice was much more of a heartbreak opposed to a song more audience members would know and be able to sing along to. From inside a large glass hexagon, Cabello sang two songs on her newest album “June Gloom” and “Godspeed”. As Cabello stood relatively still in what seems to be more of a simple way to keep cold and flu season out, she also would occasionally grab the camera which made for a generally awkward show. Fans only got the chance to really see Cabello in the last couple of seconds when she finally left her glass enclosure (after smashing her laptop of course) and then the show was over, and she exited the stage. Unfortunately for Cabello, I don’t think a single person will “Never Be the Same” after this disappointing show. 

Benson Boone 

“Beautiful things”. The song severely overplayed on most radio stations was performed live by Benson Boone himself at the VMA’s. I was extraordinarily unimpressed. Boone did two flips and frolicked around in a sparkly blue jumpsuit and said it was good enough. Yes, he has an astounding voice, but it felt like he relied solely on that for a great show. It was drastically downplayed with no backdrop, no props, no back-up dancers or singers. While some appreciate this for more of a personal feel to the show, for such a significant award ceremony and a great opportunity for career growth being his first time attending the VMA’S, he could’ve done more.  

While there were some performances which will be talked about at the 45th or even 50th annual MTV awards show, there were also some we all hope will be forgotten as quickly as possible. Regardless, we witnessed a few amazingly talented artists launch their careers even further and the VMA’s are always a show we look forward to every year.