Who was the best MST3K host?

[Thermofusion]

Thanks to Netflix instant, I've been watching a helluva lot of Mystery Science Theater 3000 with my girlfriend. She's new to the show, yet she's already made up her mind on this important question. While I like both hosts, I made up my mind ~10 years ago.

Also, what're everyone's favorite episodes? At this rate, we'll soon run out of ones to watch on Netflix and I'll need to be hittin' the torrents. Watched "The Starfighters" ("we're gonna bomb 'em back into the Jazz Age!") for the first time a few nights ago; it comes damn close to tying "The Puma Man" as my favorite Mike episode.

[YojimboMonkey]

Man I don't know, I guess I'd have to go back and do some head-to-head to pick a favorite, Joel had this rumpled stoner charm that I dug but the shows seemed to click better much of the time with Mike

[Black Amnesia of Heaven]

The answer is Joel, but "Space Mutiny" always makes me think I should side with Mike.

[Thermofusion]

Man I don't know, I guess I'd have to go back and do some head-to-head to pick a favorite, Joel had this rumpled stoner charm that I dug but the shows seemed to click better much of the time with Mike

I like how, persona-wise, they were both good-natured, laid-back underachievers yet they set very different tones for the show.

Re: "Space Mutiny", I've had my eyes on this shirt for a while now:

[Trousers and Pat]

13yo OG trousers says Joel automatically, but looking back I do appreciate mike's warmth...

In fact my favorite episode (prince of space) is with mike but I maintain that the joel-era narrative is so much better, if anyone even cares about that. I do.

[Maaik]

My favorite episode, probably cos I had it on VHS and watched it a million times, is "Pumaman."  I ain't even give a shit that it was a way later, Pearl Forester episode.  Shit was GOLDEN.

"Pu-ma Man! He flies like a mo-ron!"
"Here! Here's a garter snake for ya!"
"I'm a woodsprite."
"Man?  Did I say 'man?' You're not a man... more like a box turtle.  I'm outta here."

[Thermofusion]

Man I love "The Puma Man" ("HELP! I'm falling at a sixty degree angle breaking all the laws of physics!!") And yeah I love Mary Jo Pehl to death, but Clayton Forrester was a better villain than Pearl, especially in the Joel era.

Trousers I've never seen Prince of Space and understand it's one of the stone-cold classics, so I'm gonna move that to the top of my to-watch list.

[peacocks]

Joel. duh. I watched this show regularly with my step dad when I was a kid and I remember being really put out when Joel stopped being on and Mike started hosting. I didn't like change very much then and I thought Mike sucked. I wanted Joel. I still want Joel. Joel. I've seen a bunch of episodes with Mike though since then and he didn't actually suck. I just like Joel.

also the new project thing Mike has- I forget what it's called but it is the same thing as MST3K except without the silhouettes and they do newer movies ( like The Room)- it's awesome.

[Thermofusion]

I had the opposite trajectory. By the time I got into the show, it was well into the Mike era, and I didn't even know there was a previous host until I rented a couple of MST3K episodes from the video store one day and wondered "where the fuck is Mike and why are the robots' voices different?" And I didn't exactly hate Joel, I was just lukewarm at first and it took me a while to understand how hilarious and awesome he is.