YouTube Channel Review: WatchMojo.com
My opinion on WatchMojo.com is really complicated.For those who don't know WatchMojo.com, it is a YouTube channel that does top 10 lists on subjects such as music, TV, sports, food, etc. The channel has been wildly hated among many. The most common reasoning for that is that the staff "ran out of ideas." While I don't necessarily hate WatchMojo, I definitely think they need to tidy up.
First off, WatchMojo lacks personality and originality behind the lists they make. I get that the lists are fanvoted, but add a few other factors besides popular opinion. In several of its lists, the number one spot is very predictable. For example, on Top 10 SpongeBob Squarepants Characters, they put SpongeBob as number one, which is easy to predict, and that is not the only example to show it. For Top 10 Katy Perry Songs, they have Firework as number one. For Top 10 Greatest Ice Cream Flavors of All Time, they placed chocolate as number one. See the pattern? While it is not always predictable such as in lists like Top 10 Girl Power Songs, there are plenty that are.
Now here are the worst Top 10 lists WatchMojo.com has done.
1.) Top 10 Bands That Should Stop Writing Music - The title was already offensive enough on this, but once one dives into the actual list, it gets worse from there. The list is primarily dominated by rock acts, plenty of which are considered legends such as Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones, etc. If the list weren't primarily dominated by rock acts, I would still hate the video, maybe a bit less. However, the main reason I hate this video so much is because of how insulting it is. OK, so they hate the bands on the list, but making them quit music is not the answer. As much as I strongly dislike Chris Brown, I wouldn't go as far as to tell him that he should quit making music. There are also some contradictions made. For instance, for one band, Watchmojo said it changed its style too much while on another band, WatchMojo said it stayed consistent in style. Next!
2.) Top 10 Female Vocalists - I know this one is a matter of opinion, but wow, this list is so bad. The part where the narrator said that popularity was a factor was enough to turn me off. It is supposed to be a list of vocalists, not most successful singers of all time. The video doesn't speak about the vocals all that much. For example, when they discussed Adele (who ranked at #5, let alone in front of Mariah Carey #6), they spoke about her album, 21, winning six Grammies in one night. What do Grammies even have to do with vocals? Also, they missed out on the inclusion of vocalists like Shirley Bassey, Stevie Nicks, Karen Carpenter, Sarah Brightman, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Kelly Clarkson, who are much more deserving of an entry of the list than Adele and Christina Aguilera. I am not saying any of the entries are undeserving to be on the vocalist list, but the order of the list is what mostly bothers me. Also, I am not a big fan of Celine Dion, but she is one of the most iconic vocalists ever and deserves to rank higher than #9. She is in the vocal trinity with Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and understandably so. Again, the list is supposed to be about vocals, not success and popularity.
3.) Top 10 Actors and Actresses that Aged Badly - I'll let this one speak for itself.
Now for the best Top 10 lists by WatchMojo.com.
1.) Top 10 WatchMojo Top 10's of 2013 - This one was actually a surprising one. Here, WatchMojo acknowledges its lists that stand out the most rather than the ones that are best. In other words, the video covers the good, bad, and ugly of WatchMojo's 2013 lists. For example, one of their entries is Top 10 Misheard Lyrics which stood out because it missed the mark. It mentioned the massive dislikes and clarified that it was going for five mondegreens that would've been funny if they existed, and the other five being what people commonly misheard. Overall, the list is a great self-criticism video and shows that WatchMojo can actually take criticism.
2.) Top 10 Ridiculous Infomercial Products - This one is actually really funny. From the Tiddy Bear to the Shake Weight, the picks certainly were ridiculous. My favorite part was the T-I-D-D-Y portion when discussing the tiddy bear at #9.
3.) Top 10 Underappreciated Wonders of the World - I am really impressed with what the video had to offer. If I could visit the wonders mentioned in the video, I probably would.
Overall, I am really divided on WatchMojo, while I understand their criticisms, they have their highlights. The predictability of the lists is definitely a strong factor for what I dislike about the channel. Say what you want about its sister channel, MsMojo, but at least that channel is trying to bring some personality and something fresh. Lists like Top 10 Underrated Female Artists are some of the best videos that MsMojo has to offer. WatchMojo also usually posts five videos a day while MsMojo simply posts one or two a day, giving the latter an advantage because it can upload better videos without seeming as if its throwing crap against a wall and seeing which sticks longer.
If you want a video to waste some time or for certain mainstream topics, go ahead and visit WatchMojo. Otherwise, skip it.
Score: 45/100