Team Joel or Team Mike?
Posted by FoppyRETURNS@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 137 comments
No you can't pick Gypsy or Cambot as the easy way out!
Posted by FoppyRETURNS@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 137 comments
No you can't pick Gypsy or Cambot as the easy way out!
fyukhyu@reddit
I'm a Mike Nelson guy, but i found the show in the mid 90s on comedy central/sci-fi.
Lance_Operazole@reddit
I got into it when Mike was on it so always preferred him.
Qurrah-Tun@reddit
I'm firmly on team "Wow! Two cakes!"
nin4nin@reddit
Came here to say this!
Jo-6-pak@reddit
Both.. they each brought a little different vibes.
Both is a totally acceptable answer
leedo8@reddit
Both!
NoOutlandishness906@reddit
I liked Joel's sense of humor a bit more than Mike's. But they were both funny
starker@reddit
Team Mike, mostly because of the bullshit that Joel pulled and paved the way for mst3k being taken away from the rest of the team and replacing the creative writing force that made the original popular. Joel may have helped found the show, but Mike and the rest were what made it great.
Justkeeptalking1985@reddit
Mike, but mainly because I was late to the show and Mike was first for me.
ralph_deadbeet@reddit
I grew up with Joel and so that's where my heart is. But I celebrate all things MST3K, including Mike's run!
KazzyChan25@reddit
Team Joel. I was obsessed with this show as a kid. I went to dance school with the daughter of the hairdresser for MST3K and she got me tickets when they did a live show here in Minneapolis. I got to see Joel and the crew live and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had as a kid.
ralph_deadbeet@reddit
Color me jelly!
ferfocsake@reddit
I don’t know how many of those shows they did, but I was likely also at that show in Minneapolis, and I can confirm that it awesome!
FoppyRETURNS@reddit (OP)
Wow, cool!!
Dog_Baseball@reddit
Mike
PuzzleheadedAbies678@reddit
JazzlikeAd1555@reddit
I’m going mike and it’s because of the post mst3k rifftrax stuff. That’s some of the best versions of the movies
fermentedradical@reddit
Yup Mike for me, I'm a fan of the Sci-Fi era, and I think the Mike, Kevin, and Bill partnership is the best. Rifftrax is also superb.
WendyPortledge@reddit
Rifftrax was the only acceptable way to watch Twilight and The Room.
Primary-Strawberry-5@reddit
Ever just watch the last Twilight movie with no context? It’s fucking hilarious and insane
FoppyRETURNS@reddit (OP)
I took my wife in the theaters for that one and slept the whole movie. Highly recommended. 10/10.
skalix@reddit
Girlfriend at the time tried to get me to watch the second one, twice. Never slept so well!
_TenDropChris@reddit
Team Mike. I didn't start watching the show regularly until it was on the Sci-Fi channel.
macklin_sob@reddit
Joel. Specifically with Trace and Kevin as the bots.
Kellzy1212@reddit
Jonah.
Googatz@reddit
It’s a tough one but Joel, I do love Mike though, also watch out for snakes.
Weak_Radish966@reddit
I love em both but I gotta go with Joel.
dishwasher_mayhem@reddit
TV's Frank.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit (OP)
ScreenTricky4257@reddit
Back in the day that question would have gotten you banned from RATMM.
Zeveroth1@reddit
Joel
JustOnesAndZeros@reddit
Think about it, won't you? Thank you
Accurate_Use_2432@reddit
Team Square Master!
"Put two squares together to form a rectangle. Now you're really working out."
Accurate_Use_2432@reddit
Joel 4-Eva!
circusgeek@reddit
Joel, but only by a smidge. Mike is awesome too.
Turbulent_Tale6497@reddit
Team Tom Servo
Pinkkorn69@reddit
Team I have no idea who either of them are lol
noonesaidityet@reddit
Whichever is on the episode I'm watching at the time.
ezrapoundcakes@reddit
Team Joike
AluminumApe@reddit
The only right answer. Bet it would look great on a sweater, too!
-Benpachi-@reddit
Joel all day. Gamera, Fugitive Alien, Master Ninja, all things Sandy Frank...it's not even close.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit (OP)
GAMERA LOVES CHILDREN!!
Funkopedia@reddit
I wonder if preference for Joel/Mike/Whoever the current captive is correlates with age (or something else)
Duckbites@reddit
To use a common phrase in another fandom,"you never forget your first Doctor"
mikeyb1@reddit
Funny story about that, my wife and I knew nothing about Dr. Who when we started watching it with Chris Eccleston's Doctor....his regeneration was incredibly fucking traumatic for us.
And then David Tennant became *our* Doctor, anyway.
milkymaniac@reddit
Some of us did not get turned onto it until Mike. It was a different world before widespread internet.
MlsterFlster@reddit
Team Mike, all the way. Joel had some GREAT episodes. But Mike is the standout host.
Ingonyama70@reddit
Honestly? Respect to Joel for inventing the concept but the Mike era really perfected it.
It's also a certain degree of bias since something about Joel's voice feels bad to listen to. (It's not his fault, I have mild autism)
lookatthisface@reddit
Mike was funnier 🤷🏻♀️
guyako@reddit
Considering the show wouldn’t exist without Joel (as the show’s creator), isn’t he the only right answer?
VesDoppelganger@reddit
Team Mads, sirs.
WeenisPeiner@reddit
Did anyone watch the show Other Space when it was on Yahoo? It was really funny and stared Joel as fittingly the ship Janitor and Trace Beaulieu as fittingly the ship robot.
squarebodynewb@reddit
Why not conner?
UndoxxableOhioan@reddit
Joel is great, but I prefer Mike’s jokes. Also, Space Mutiny and Lazerblast are my favorite episodes
Livid_Accountant1241@reddit
Joel had the best episodes, but I find Mike to be more consistently funny.
BillyDMountain@reddit
Mike but for me it's really about the bots.
EvenLettuce6638@reddit
Girls, you're both pretty.
majorjoe23@reddit
Team MST3K
ethnicvegetable@reddit
I remember this fight on livejournal. I liked Joel's awkwardness but Mike was also fun. Jonah was fantastic.
AZbitchmaster@reddit
Joel. He had a certain melancholy about him that could only be attributed to a man trapped in space.
_MadGasser@reddit
Never heard of either of these clowns.
Glittering-Stuff-599@reddit
Oh that’s no problem. Here is a quick explanation:
In the not-too-distant future --
Next Sunday A.D. --
There was a guy named Joel
Not too different from you or me
He worked at Gizmonic Institute
Just another face in a red jumpsuit
He did a good job cleaning up the place
But his bosses didn't like him
So they shot him into space
We'll send him cheesy movies
The worst we can find (la-la-la)
He'll have to sit and watch them all
And we'll monitor his mind (la-la-la)
Now keep in mind Joel can't control
Where the movies begin or end (la-la-la)
Because he used those special parts
To make his robot friends
Robot Roll Call: (All right, let's go!)
Cambot! (Pan left!)
Gypsy! (Hi, girl!)
Tom Servo! (What a cool guy!)
Croooow! (He's a wisecracker.)
If you're wondering how he eats and breathes
And other science facts (la la la)
Then repeat to yourself, "It's just a show
I should really just relax
For Mystery Science Theater 3000!"
Glittering-Stuff-599@reddit
Joel is the reason the show exists. We wouldn’t have it without him.
When Joel left it was hard for me, it’s my favorite show ever. Of course I learned to like Mike and laughed along with his episodes.
Now that I’m older and understand more why Joel left I am glad he did. Of his heart was no longer in it then having him just phone it in would have ruined the magic of the show and we could have lost it much earlier.
I’m on both teams.
Joel gave us the best show ever.
Mike helped keep it alive.
WendyPortledge@reddit
Honestly, I love Joel, but Mike is my preferred captive
Old_Pitch_6849@reddit
I have tried to watch episodes with Mike, can’t do it. Just feels off.
georgecm12@reddit
Which is interesting, because Mike was the head writer for most of the Joel episodes, so it's Mike's material being delivered by Joel.
Old_Pitch_6849@reddit
I just like the delivery of Joel. Still do when I rewatch.
WendyPortledge@reddit
I saw all Mike’s before I saw Joel so maybe that’s why he fits better for me.
trevorawright@reddit
I love Joel’s stuff. Really great episodes in his run but also I loved the Sci-fi Years of season 8/9. Mike had some classics in there too.
firesmarter@reddit
The Jonah stuff was really good, I was pleasantly surprised
WendyPortledge@reddit
I was happy to be a Kickstarter backer for that return!
Suspicious-Yard4205@reddit
I was introduced to the series with Mike, but I have grown to appreciate Joel just as much. Jonah actually did pretty well for himself too.
BloodyPaleMoonlight@reddit
My heart is big enough for both of them.
DrMcJedi@reddit
Joel. I was there for the KTMA days…
love_is_an_action@reddit
Joel, and it’s not even close.
roundbadge2@reddit
Three or so years ago, I'd have said Joel all day. I've come around on Mike quite a bit.
ThomasGuycott@reddit
Mike is great, but Joel’s tenure was my first exposure to the show and will always be my favorite.
shadowlarx@reddit
I like them both. Why must the internet make me choose between things I love?
lueur-d-espoir@reddit
I'll watch all of it tbh
If anyone cares, The Time Travelers is free on YouTube and it's one of the most hilarious episodes I've watched.
chromix@reddit
I love them both. I give them credit for episodes like they're war-time generals or something. So like, Joel gave us Mitchell, but Mike gave us the many names of David Ryder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFHlJ2voJHY
bassman314@reddit
Yes.... Just Yes....
TVsRob@reddit
Joel ... because without Joel, there's no Team Mike.
RalphMacchio404@reddit
Joel
Wolfmanu_Ginobili@reddit
One of my bucket list items was fulfilled when I was hired to create concept art for the Netflix run. Joel is a lovely human, and I offer no hesitation to say he's one of the exceptions to the don't meet your heroes rule.
I will always love MST3k, and I even got to make some of it! Life is weird.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit (OP)
Legend.
Just_Ducky1945@reddit
Joel all the way
georgecm12@reddit
Mike, definitely.
One reason, but not the only one: the host segments got so much weirder and funnier when he took over, because he removed the rule that the host segments have to tie into the movie being watched.
One of the funnier host segments that Joel did was the "Pina Colada Song" rant, and that was only because he relaxed the movie tie-in rule for that movie (421, Monster-A-Go-Go) because the movie was so thin that they couldn't come up with any good host segments that tied into the movie.
nanneryeeter@reddit
Wasn't it Mike that broke the Hubble?
ZombyAnna@reddit
I am just Team MST3K...
BK_0000@reddit
Joike.
NYGiants181@reddit
I go with the guy who created it
SweetCosmicPope@reddit
I love both but Mike was always funnier to me. I also liked both Jonah and Emily but Jonah was by far my least favorite. Emily is pretty good.
jimmythesaint83@reddit
Joel all the way. Mike was good in the theater but he was too happy to really carry the story. (and just to whinge: Jonah Ray is unwatchable in the reboot🤦🏻♂️)
St3llarEcho1@reddit
Team Joel. Mike is funny but Joel had that sleepy midwestern charm like he just woke up from a nap and decided to roast a movie. That's the energy I want in my life.
kiggitykbomb@reddit
I like Joel’s style and he might be the more talented comedian, but the Mike run of the show has some of the best episodes.
ConflagWex@reddit
TBH I've only seen a few and they were all Mike, so Team Mike
parasitk@reddit
Joel forever, but Mike did eventually grow on me. My friend group was very upset when Mike first joined - we had to warm up to him.
Juls_Santana@reddit
I dont know who that 2nd guy is
nvmls@reddit
I like them both!
slothbuddy@reddit
I've said this 100 times and I'll say it again: Joel is better with the bots (outside the theater) and Mike is funnier (better) in the theater. Joel is also better IRL for what that's worth.
LacklusteHero@reddit
I came on board with Mike, so that's where my allegiances will always lie, but some of my favorite episodes (Warrior of the Lost World in particular) are Joel episodes.
TL;DR: please don't make me choose.
Fun-Preparation-4253@reddit
I used to be team Mike, but knowing how he turned out really shaped my view of how he was.... and really, Joel really nailed the vibe of the whole presentation.
amiableviking@reddit
I’m curious what you mean 🤔
bellaphile@reddit
Mike is a conservative Christian. His Wikipedia used to have a quote about him being a proud Republican but I think that’s changed to a quote about him being very religious
FoppyRETURNS@reddit (OP)
That's... His opinion man.
NoirDraak42@reddit
Team Crow forever!
TheActualDonKnotts@reddit
Both. The way I would explain MST3K to friends when trying to get them to watch it was that Joel would find a joke in the scene and Mike would make a joke out of the scene. Both were great and totally different.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit (OP)
Mitchell was a great gateway episode because it let people make a choice
no_clever_name_yet@reddit
Team Joel for the IRL person. Team Mike for the TV person.
LarryGoldwater@reddit
In movie commentary, Mike
Spaceship bits and bumpers, Joe
ughyoujag@reddit
Miiiiiiiike
icct-hedral@reddit
Joel all day every day
FacePalmTheater@reddit
Mike. By the time I found mst3k Mike was already host, and I love his delivery. No hate on Joel, I like his stuff too. I just prefer Mike.
Anyone-9451@reddit
Joel
Primary-Strawberry-5@reddit
I dig them both AND Rifftrax. Both are regular auto play when I just let YouTube do it’s thing
Plumeria9798@reddit
I like both, but some of my favorite episodes happen to be Mike episodes so I think he wins out a smidge.
PraetorianXVIII@reddit
Joel. But I love them both
angnicolemk@reddit
Mike without a doubt.
slayercdr@reddit
Likewise, I started watching when Mike took over, so he's who I know
philouza_stein@reddit
Like me and Jon Henson. He made me love Talk Soup but I can respect Greg Kinnear may have been "better" to OG fans.
milkymaniac@reddit
weeps in Hal Sparks
philouza_stein@reddit
I took a hiatus when Hal was named host. Joel brought me back for a while.
TrustAffectionate966@reddit
Most of what I’ve seen are Joel episodes. Mike is good, but Joel is the OG.
🍿🦄👌🏽
DeadheadCaniac@reddit
Joel all the way. Mike grew on me, but Joel's delivery was perfect.
Daath_BUX@reddit
Mike was too happy, he loved his prison, Joel was real, melancholy.
wrel_@reddit
Joel was funny, but Mike was more my style of humor so I appreciated it more. You could tell when the three of them were all genuinely losing it at the jokes, and it felt more like friends busting balls.
Daath_BUX@reddit
Joel, is this even a question?!
What_Up_82@reddit
Right?? This is what I came here to say. Who tf even was Mike lol.
jackatman@reddit
Who the fuck is Mike?
Hossflex@reddit
No idea what this is but those two pictures give me strong DMT vibes.
kotaotan@reddit
I'm team SOL. I grew up with Joel and will always love those episodes. My three favorite MST3k episodes are Mike episodes. I don't see a reason to choose. I even liked Jonah and Emily.
ThirstyHank@reddit
Joel of course but Mike did a captivating job, see what I did there? I'll show myself out...
PatchworkGirl82@reddit
I don't like taking sides, but season 8 was my introduction, so I'm slightly partial to the Mike era.
t-g-l-h-@reddit
Joel 100%
AmbassadorCheap3956@reddit
Joel created it so Joel.
DotNervous7513@reddit
I never watched with Mike, so it’s team Joel for me.
im_wudini@reddit
Joel for life.