'Saturday Night Live' best host poll: Cheers to Woody Harrelson

Six episodes into the 40th anniversary year of Saturday Night Live, one thing is clear. Though the show itself might be slowly emerging from the oft-cited “transition year,” the institution still has meaning—especially to the guest hosts who initially visited in the show’s heyday. Thus far, three of the guests—Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, and Woody Harrelson—first hosted the show in the previous century. Two others, in addition to Rock, of course—Sarah Silverman and Bill Hader—are SNL alums. [Unconfirmed rumor: The show lobbied hard for Bill Murray to host the season premiere.] Conclusion is, SNL is working hard to get back to its roots.

The sad news is that we had to bid sayonara to one of our favorites during the first round of this season’s Mr. Saturday Night contest, in which we vote for the best host.

Bill Hader 36.23%

Jim Carrey 26.68%

Chris Rock 16.11%

Chris Pratt 14.91%

Sarah Silverman 6.08%

Our rules couldn’t be more simple: Who was the best, most memorable host? More specifically, who would you hope gets invited back? Whose hilarious episode enjoyed multiple viewings on your DVR? Whose show had your boss, your mom, and your roommate still giggling on Monday morning? It’s subjective, of course, but let’s reward the guest hosts who brought something special to the table.

Below, I’ve embedded one representative clip from each of the five hosts, just as a small taste of their recent performances. You’re not voting on this one sketch alone; be sure to consider the entire episode. Vote, and the host with the least support will be sent packing; the other four will advance to compete against Cameron Diaz on Nov. 22. Ultimately, we’ll eliminate the less memorable hosts and crown a new Mr. or Mrs. Saturday Night next May. Watch and vote below.

Chris Pratt

Bill Hader

Jim Carrey

Chris Rock

Woody Harrelson