Saturday Night Live Fantasy League: Episode 44x01: Adam Driver & Kanye West

September 30, 2018

Saturday Night Live Fantasy League presented by Trivia Club, is a Fantasy League like no other. Like Fantasy Football for the comedy nerd, participants draft cast members and prospective hosts before the start of the season and then are awarded points based of their performance through a scoring system. For additional points, before the start of each episode participants can guess which two songs they think the musical guest will perform. Since the beginning, this television institution has become the first step in the major leagues of comedy stardom, and with over forty seasons of familiar traditions, we’ve found a way to add math to comedy and somehow make that a fun game to play. No seriously. You’re welcome.

REPERTORY CAST
Pete Davidson, 68 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 10 points – monologue
  • 5 points – sketch (Fortnite)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – as Himself
  • 10 points – acknowledged by Lorne
  • 2 points – swearing (“bleep”)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)
  • 7 points – Weekend Update
  • 5 points – as Himself
  • 5 points – sketch (Career Day Friday)
  • minus 2 points - breaking

Beck Bennett, 59 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 10 points – monologue
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – as Himself
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)
  • 5 points – kiss
  • 15 points – full frontal nudity
  • 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (League of the South)

Alex Moffat, 44 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 5 points – sketch (Fortnite)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – as Himself
  • 5 points – sketch (Domenico’s)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)
  • 5 points – sketch (Career Day Friday)
  • 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (League of the South)

Kyle Mooney, 42 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 5 points – sketch (Fortnite)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – as Himself
  • 10 points – acknowledged by Lorne
  • 5 points – blood spit up
  • 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (League of the South)

Kate McKinnon, 41 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)
  • 5 points – kiss
  • 7 points – Weekend Update
  • 5 points – reoccurring (RBG)
  • 5 points – kiss
  • 5 points – singing/dancing

Aidy Bryant, 37 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 10 points – monologue
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – as Herself
  • 5 points – sketch (Career Day Friday)
  • 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (League of the South)

Cecily Strong, 29 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 5 points – reoccurring (Dianne Feinstein)
  • 5 points – sketch (Domenico’s)
  • 5 points - kissing
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)

Melissa Villaseñor, 29 points
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – as Herself
  • 5 points – sketch (Domenico’s)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)
  • 5 points – sketch (Career Day Friday)

Kenan Thompson, 27 points
  • 5 points - promos
  • 10 points – monologue
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – as Himself

Mikey Day, 24 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 5 points – sketch (Fortnite)
  • 5 points – sketch (Domenico’s)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)

Leslie Jones, 24 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 5 points – reoccurring (Harris Faulkner)
  • 7 points – Weekend Update
  • 5 points – as Herself

Alec Baldwin, DNP – Did Not Participate

FEATURED CAST
Chris Redd 39 points
  • 7 points – cold open
  • 5 points – sketch (Fortnite)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – as Himself
  • 5 points – sketch (Domenico’s)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)
  • 3 points – 10 to 1 sketch (League of the South)

Heidi Gardner, 34 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Fortnite)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – as Herself
  • 5 points - eating
  • 5 points – sketch (Domenico’s)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)

Ego Nwodim, 22 points
  • 5 points – sketch (Fortnite)
  • 5 points – sketch (Domenico’s)
  • 7 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)
  • 5 points – sketch (Career Day Friday)

HOST
Adam Driver, 47 points
  • 2 points – swearing (“f---k you”)
  • 5 points – sketch (Fortnite)
  • 10 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points – sketch (Domenico’s)
  • 5 points – kissing
  • 10 points – pre-taped sketch (Rad Times at Frat U)
  • 5 points – sketch (Career Day Friday)
  • 5 points – sketch (League of the South)

Matt Damon, 37 points
  • 15 points – cold open
  • 5 points – crying
  • 2 points – swearing (“sons of bitches”)
  • 15 points – “LIVE FROM NEW YORK…!”

Rachel Dratch, 15 points
  • 15 points – cold open

Wendy Williams, 15 points
  • 10 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)
  • 5 points - kiss

Kid Cudi 10 points
  • 10 points – pre-taped sketch (Single White Davidson)


The Not Ready For First Place Players – Kevin M.
Beck Bennett – 59
Heidi Gardner – 34
Pete Davidson – 68
MUSICAL GUEST – Kanye West - SONGS: 1) I Love It & 2) Yandhi
10 points – first song
EPISODE ONE TOTAL 171

The Ignorant Sluts – Matthew S.
Mikey Day – 24
Heidi Gardner – 34
Pete Davidson – 68
MUSICAL GUEST – Kanye West - SONGS: 1) Ghost Town & 2) Truth
5 points - song choice
EPISODE ONE TOTAL 131

Holtzwomenn – Sarah R.
Beck Bennett – 59
Aidy Bryant – 37
Melissa Villasenor – 29
MUSICAL GUEST – Kanye West - SONGS: 1) Yandhi & 2) unhinged political rant
5 points - song choice
EPISODE ONE TOTAL 130

The Team You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party – Brian E.
Mikey Day - 24
Alex Moffat - 44
Melissa Villasenor - 29
MUSICAL GUEST – Kanye West - SONGS: 1) XTCY & 2) I Love It
5 points – song choice
EPISODE ONE TOTAL 102

Billion Dollar Murrays – Russel H.
Cecily Strong – 44
Aidy Bryant – 27
Leslie Jones – 24
MUSICAL GUEST – Kanye West - SONGS: 1) I Love It & 2) XTCY
10 points – first song
EPISODE ONE TOTAL 100

Hunter the Hungries Gotta Eat – Rob M.
Cecily Strong - 29
Kenan Thompson - 27
Chris Redd - 39
MUSICAL GUEST – Kanye West – NO SONGS CHOSEN
EPISODE ONE TOTAL 95

War Horse Can Dance – Megan M.
Alex Moffat - 44
Kenan Thompson - 27
Leslie Jones - 24
MUSICAL GUEST – Kanye West – NO SONGS CHOSEN
EPISODE ONE TOTAL 95

HARTMAN TROPHY STANDINGS (as of 44x01)
# TEAM NAME ∧∨-- HIGH[EP] CAST HOST SONG TOTAL
1 The Not Ready For First Place Players -- 171 [01] 161 0 10 171
2 The Ignorant Sluts -- 131 [01] 126 0 5 131
3 Holtzwomenn -- 130 [01] 125 0 5 130
4 The Team You Wish You Hadn’t
Started A Conversation With At A Party
-- 102 [01] 97 0 5 102
5 Billion Dollar Murrays -- 100 [01] 90 0 10 100
6 Hunter the Hungries Gotta Eat -- 95 [01] 95 0 0 95
6 War Horse Can Dance -- 95 [01] 95 0 0 95

Welcome back to the Saturday Night Live Fantasy League, everyone! With our sixth season of Fantasy League breaking down the institution of Saturday Night Live in its forty-fourth season like the sporting event that it is for the comedy world, we begin with an Adam Driver hosted episode featuring musical guest and bad hat wearing Kanye West!

With politics being as exhausting as they are, and a frat bro serial rapist set to join the U.S. Supreme Court, I had to admit I felt trepidation jumping into Saturday Night Live this year. They make their bread and butter on political humor and even as a Canadian, politics have become a caustically exhausting experience. Did I want to keep paying attention to this as hard as I have? It’s almost fitting that Seth Myers will be hosting the third episode of the season, bringing to close the first frame of consecutive episode, because his is a show that allows me to still laugh at the weight of the world.

As it turns out, this was a mostly well-played episode. Adam Driver is a fantastic host, fully committing to his parts even if his parts aren’t giving him a ton to work with at times. He was the rare premiere host that took us all by surprise, and may have also been a last second replacement for Ariana Grande, along with an already known last-minute addition in the now named ‘Ye.

I’m done with Kanye.

To say that I was happy he was treated poorly for wearing that red hat is to support bullying, but you know what… anyone who wears someone like that deserves the abuse inherent in the support for the alt-right that it stands for. So I have nothing more to say about this truly embarrassing turn for Kanye West. I will say this however, he found interesting ways to reward even the more unconventional song choice predictions this week.

How about Weekend Update though, y’all? Though the Emmy hosting gig was more missing then hitting, the crowd and really, Che and Jost, opened the season with a RED HOT middle of the show segment. It doesn’t hurt that they have perfect material to dive into, of course, but they were also supported by the Update all-stars in McKinnon, Jones, and Davidson.

Never would I have expected the life of Pete Davidson as meta-fuel for multiple sketches on an episode of Saturday Night Live, but here we are… and I’m happy to say it’s because he is happy and having fun with it! We rated Pete higher this season, and yet may have still underrated that BDE. It has also helped to give Kyle Mooney a strong start to the season after a very quiet SNL43. It was such a quiet season 43 that Mooney was the only cast member that went undrafted in the pre-season draft!

NEXT WEEK the second episode of season 44 will be hosted by Awkwafina, with musical guest Travis Scott! Awkwafina was arguably the breakout star of the summer with notable turns in Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8 (while also helping co-host the music video award show in Toronto)! The Billion Dollar Murrays, my team, were lucky enough to draft her in the first round of the prospective Host Draft that took place late in the summer! Then in TWO WEEKS Seth Myers will, as noted above, be hosting alongside musical guest and the only four-time host in the Five Timers Club Paul Simon!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SNL FANTASY

NEXT EPISODE: AWKWAFINA
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