Best and worst reality-show hosts

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Reality hosts come and go. Only a few have really achieved iconic status, including Phil Keoghan of “The Amazing Race” and Jeff Probst of “Survivor.” Probst is getting most of the attention because not only is he dating an ex-contestant (Julie Berry), but his contract expires at the end of next season. Mark Burnett has hinted that he'd consider replacing Probst with a former female "Survivor" contestant, but at this point, no one knows.

We thought this was a good time to discuss our favorite and least favorite hosts.

Andy says: Imagining either "Survivor" or "Amazing Race" without Probst or Keoghan is difficult, which is the first indication that a host knows how to do their job. All too many hosts drag down their series rather than helping them stay afloat.

For starters, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest is a massive tool, yet he matches the tone of "Idol" perfectly. He's the pretty boy ringleader of the whole dysfunctional, commercialized circus, keeping Simon Cowell in check with stupid jokes and offering vague support for each cast member. He has no loyalty, and thus the audience is able to embrace or reject the contestants as they see fit.

"Big Brother" host Julie Chen, on the other hand, is just terrible. Her delivery is robotic, and as this brilliant compilation of her repetitive dialogue and body language illustrates, she's definitely earned the nickname "Chenbot." Fans can't help but wonder, What will she screw up next? She's so awful that she provides at least a third of the show's entertainment value.

On the other end of the host spectrum is Anderson Cooper, my all-time favorite reality show host. He hosted "The Mole" on ABC for two seasons — before he took off for CNN and future stardom. Unlike hosts who show up once and then disappear, Anderson even ate meals with the cast, talking and joking with them as a friend and equal. He'd walk "executed" cast members to a car, and his deadpan delivery of even absurd lines struck the right balance between parody and seriousness. Anderson knew the game and his role, and walked that line with precision that earned him the instant admiration of "Mole" fans.

Gael says: I second Andy's admiration of Probst, Keoghan and Cooper. They manage to remain likable without ever breaking down and showing favoritism.

I know many fans of "America's Next Top Model" roll their eyes at Tyra Banks, but I think she hosts that show as well as anyone could. As an African-American model, she's faced racial discrimination, and as a woman in a weight-conscious business who admittedly likes to eat, she can bluntly speak of the pain of being told to put down the Twinkie (though admittedly, on a show where full-figured models are maybe a size 10, thin remains in). Whatever the lame photo-shoot challenge of the week, Tyra can reach into her own portfolio and yank out a shot where she posed in a similarly goofy way.

But I'm not so fond of another model-turned-reality host, Heidi Klum of "Project Runway." German-born Klum isn't all that familiar with English, and it shows. I kind of like how she tells the booted designer "Auf Wiedersehn," but otherwise, the fewer words she says, the better. If it were up to me, I'd hoist the hosting duties for "Runway," which returns Dec. 7, onto the capable shoulders of Tim Gunn from New York's Parsons School of Design, who makes regular appearances and is the show's voice of sanity.

I'm indifferent about "The Biggest Loser" host Caroline Rhea. At times I forget that show even has a host. The drama of the weight loss and the barking of the two trainers overshadows Rhea's few moments in the spotlight, whether at the (staged) weigh-in or the vote-off. She's not the most polished speaker, and while supportive, she seems relatively unenthusiastic about her job. What I don't understand is how many people say she should be fired because she herself is overweight. Do they think the obese contestants would relate better to a Tyra Banks type? Must everyone who's not a size zero avoid television jobs?

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