When it comes to award shows there are the popular ones–the ones we all know and love such as the Emmys or the Oscars-and then there’s the absolute bottom of the barrel known as the Video Music Awards (VMAs). 

The VMAs this year were hosted on Sept. 12,  spurring a night full of snubs, disastrous performances, and many shots of Taylor Swift dancing. The main awards associated with the show include artist of the year, album of the year, and song of the year. To absolutely no one’s surprise this year all three were snagged by Taylor Alison Swift.

Many viewers may have noticed the obvious lack of organization that was present throughout the VMAs this year which can be largely credited to the genius decision to host an award show during a writer’s strike. And not only that, but Nicki Minaj as a host proved throughout the night that her improvisational skills are nowhere near comparable to her obscure and hilarious song lyrics, which I’m sure was due to the lack of writers.

A great majority of the performances this year were mediocre at best, minus Fall Out Boy’s fantastic rendition of “We Didn’t Start The Fire.” However, one example of mediocrity stood out to me more than the others and that was Olivia Rodrigo. 

Rodrigo chose to make a niche reference to her music video by organizing a false stage malfunction that left the audience confused and a little embarrassed. Though this fascinating choice distinguished her from the hour of mind numbing performances, it certainly didn’t cement her as a serious artist. 

By far though the biggest act of snubbing was Lana Del Rey stealing the Best Alternative Video. Del Rey is a popular indie-pop artist, not an alternative one. Although this isn’t Del Rey’s fault: in order to ensure more votes for the popular artists the VMAs do the absolute bare minimum when it comes to categories. Not only that but the music video she won for is objectively boring and monotonous compared to Paramore’s creative and energetic one. 

While the VMAs this year were nothing more than one big mess, there were a few good things that came out of it. Those “things” being Taylor Swift losing her $12,000 ring and making a face at Tree Paine, her PR manager. Overall, this was not the first bad show the VMAs have put on and it definitely won’t be the last.