Biggest winner and loser in race for most-watched music videos
Our report card on the MVs with the most mileage at the VMAs
Though it has gained a reputation for being the most controversial awards show around, the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are supposed to be about just that: Music videos.
Yes, between show host Miley Cyrus declaring her love for weed, Kanye West's outlandish claim to run for President and Nicki Minaj showing her claws, we did see some brand new ones from Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber being launched at this year's event held in Los Angeles on Aug 30.
Here's our report card on which MVs got the most mileage out of the VMAs over the past week...
MILEY CYRUS - DOOO IT!
YouTube views: 7.3 million
Cyrus, 22, announced the release of her new free album, Miley Cyrus And Her Dead Petz, at the conclusion of the VMAs to mixed reviews so far and little fanfare.
We were also unimpressed by the surreal video for lead single Dooo It!, which she also performed at the VMAs.
The main star is her infamous long tongue that once suggestively licked a sledgehammer in her Wrecking Ball MV, which gets a lot of screen time here. Probably too much.
As far as we can see, the whole thing features her licking stuff that gets poured on her face. Namely edible gloopy glitter, milk, rainbow sprinkles and syrup. And then spitting them out again.
Not too appetising, which is probably why it has about 115,000 dislikes and 84,000 likes.
The beats are actually quite catchy, and the sonic layers do have a whiff of US indie rock band The Flaming Lips to them. After all, The Flaming Lips were also creative contributors to her Dead Petz album.
But Dooo It! is ultimately let down by its almost meaningless lyrics.
Fans who supported Cyrus during her Hannah Montana days are more likely to be put off by their former idol's overly-experimental - and over-sexed - dabblings instead.
Despite going out of her way to shock viewers and plug her new offerings, Cyrus' attention-grabbing shenanigans at the VMAs definitely backfired. With the fewest views out of the three artists and little positive buzz online, she's the biggest loser.
OVERALL GRADE: C
TAYLOR SWIFT - WILDEST DREAMS
YouTube views: 37.8 million
Wildest Dreams is a supreme example of the kind of MVs that Swift, 25, is known for: Sprawling fantasies with gorgeous people, stunning locations and perfect cinematography.
We're just going to make the call right now: This will bag Swift a nomination, if not a win, for Video Of The Year at next year's VMAs.
Swift, who is brunette in the MV, plays a 1950s movie star who is having an off-screen affair with her co-star (Scott Eastwood). Their sizzling romance is played out in the middle of the African savannah, while lions and giraffes stand around in the background.
But this is Swift's world, where a girl's heart always ends up broken, lending a bittersweet vibe to the whole endeavour.
Wildest Dreams has attracted the most buzz from the VMAs, but also was accused of racist overtones for depicting a whitewashed colonial vision of Africa without black people.
There's even a fan theory that the lion in the video, who seems to watch over Swift's character, represents her real-life beau, Scottish DJ-producer Calvin Harris. Harris changed his Instagram avatar to a lion the day the video premiered, suggesting that he is always looking out for her.
All together now - awwww.
OVERALL GRADE: B+
JUSTIN BIEBER - WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
YouTube views: 39.2 million
The fallen Canadian idol came back from his two-year music absence with a bang, despite his weepy moment after performing at the VMAs.
What Do You Mean?, his first single off his upcoming album, has set a global Spotify record for being streamed 21 million times in five days, and also earned him his first-ever Australian No. 1 on its ARIA charts.
Small wonder too, because it's a really catchy, well-made song.
In the video, Bieber, 21, gets down with model Xenia Deli in a motel, showing off his sexy Calvin Klein underwear.
He also conspires with actor John Leguizamo to fake-kidnap his on-screen girlfriend in the middle of their sexy time, just so he can surprise her with a party with his skateboarding buddies.
The fake-kidnapping is iffy, but the video is still pretty groovy.
With the most number of views, the Biebs emerges the resounding victor of our showdown. Looks like the time away did him some good!
OVERALL GRADE: A-
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