YOUR FAVORITE MTV SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

R.I.P.: These Are The MTV Movie & TV Awards Categories We Miss The Most

Welcome to the awards show graveyard

This year's MTV Movie & TV Awards show features a whole crop of revamped categories — including Best Fight Against the System and the gender-inclusive Best Performance — and even two brand-new ones, Best Musical Moment and Trending. Many of the other categories have, by now, become legendary in their own right: Best Kiss is an institution, and Tearjerker requires science to sleuth out what makes ugly-crying so satisfying. The list goes on.

But what about the categories that don't exist anymore, the ones that were put out to pasture either wisely on schedule or tragically before their time? Consider this the Movie & TV Awards graveyard. It's time to take your hat off and pay your respects.

Most Desirable Male and Female (1992–1996)

Getty Images

keanu

This discontinued award's winners list is a veritable who's who of ’90s heartthrobs (Brad Pitt twice) and dreamboats (Keanu Reeves and Christian Slater). And does it get any more ’90s than the female victors, like Sharon Stone, Janet Jackson, and Alicia Silverstone? Basically, this was just an excuse to say "these people are hot." We're more eloquent now.

Best Dance Sequence (1995, 1998, 2001, 2004)

Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage

I think we can all agree that more movies (and TV shows) need dance sequences. Just as a rule. And between Pulp Fiction, the first Austin Powers flick, Charlie's Angels, and American Wedding, we had some pretty solid winners in this category. But it's time. Let's bring this one back — as soon as we bring back those big, beautiful dance numbers.

Best Sandwich in a Movie (1996)

Getty Images

GettyImages-632216592

Here's where it gets weird. MTV News wrote about this wonderfully oddball one-off award back in 2015, so here's the gist: The movie Smoke won for a standard ham and cheese sandwich, which doesn't sound all that award-worthy, but hey, I haven't seen the film. If we revived this one for 2017 (with TV included), it would have to go to Guy Fieri, right?

Best Video Game Based on a Movie (2005)

Mike Marsland/WireImage

The Chronicles Of Riddick : Pitch Black 2 London Premiere - Arrivals

Another one-shot, this award was presented to The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay in 2005 and then promptly disappeared. That's probably because it's the other way around these days — video games are now becoming movies, and Angry Birds is the prime example. Sorry, Vin.

Best Scared-As-Shit Performance (2005–2006, 2010–2011, 2014–2015)

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

2005 MTV Movie Awards - Pressroom

Formerly called Best Frightened Performance, this one went to a few horror-film scream queens (Dakota Fanning, Amanda Seyfried) before branching out to films that championed more existential terror (Inception and Life of Pi). Brad Pitt also won it for World War Z, which is appropriate because yes, zombies are still horrifying, even seven years after The Walking Dead's premiere.

WTF Moment (2009–2015)

Getty Images

2011 MTV Movie Awards - Show

Amy Poehler in Baby Mama and Ken Jeong in The Hangover — WTF indeed. But this award's highlight came in 2011, when it was renamed Best Jaw-Dropping Moment and Justin Bieber (!) won for his concert film Never Say Never. The following year, it was revamped (again) as Best Gut-Wrenching Performance. Seeing as how every day in 2017 is a string of endless WTF moments, I get why this one has been retired.

Best Virtual Performance (2003, 2016)

Barry King/WireImage

Hey, remember 2003? When everyone would clutch random household objects to their chests and growl, "My precious!" because of Gollum from The Lord of the Rings? That digital dude was literally everywhere then. And in 2016, the award was resurrected to celebrate Amy Poehler's take on Joy in Inside Out. Even she couldn't believe it.

Best Shirtless Performance (2013–2015)

Christopher Polk/Getty Images for MTV

2014 MTV Movie Awards - Show

Here you go. Here is the shirtless Zac Efron photo you wanted when you clicked on this article. R.I.P. Best Shirtless Performance. We hardly knew ye.

Be sure to tune in to the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday, May 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. And check MTV News for all your updates on the big show.

Latest News