When So You Think You Can Dance takes a week off, what is there to do? Well, here's what I've contrived: a celebration of the nine greatest female reality and/or game show hosts. Cat Deeley just gets me in the mood to talk about reliable on-screen flair, you know? Without further ado, here's a nonet of distaff emcees who make their respective shows both fun and cool. (And I admit, I'm more sympathetic to game show hosts since they're simply tasked with more work.)

9. Nancy Pimental, Win Ben Stein's Money

Well after Jimmy Kimmel had moved on, Ben Stein shared the podium of his amazing game show Win Ben Stein's Money with the quippy and very underrated Nancy Pimental. She had the even-keel, can-do demeanor of MTV's great lady VJs like Tabitha Soren and Kennedy, except she enjoyed the luxury of being able to spew constant innunedo.

8. Jaclyn Smith, Shear Genius

I just loved Bravo's Shear Genius. It combined funny challenges, unforgettable contestants (Tabatha Coffey, anyone?), and the pleasant, maternal vibes of host Jaclyn Smith. Not only did Smith direct the judging segments with the finesse of a true Charlie's Angel, but she was often a very incisive judge herself. (Though if you want to know my favorite contestant of all time, look no further than season two darling Nekisa Addis. So fab and hilarious.)

7. Anne Robinson, The Weakest Link

I remember Anne Robinson's splashy debut on the U.S. version of The Weakest Link in April of 2001 and immediately falling in love: The salty hostess' constant putdowns and barbs felt simultaneously righteous and ridiculous, and although her stateside reign lasted but two seasons, her grim visage will forever be burned into my brain and heart.

6. Betty White, Just Men

Fun fact: Betty White doesn't have a single Golden Globe Award. Funner fact: She has a ton of Emmys, including one for Best Game Show Host for the short-lived series Just Men!. In '83, White put all her game show mettle to the test, graduating from a Pyramid/Password regular to a bona fide emcee in her own right, and the results were lovely: White served as an intermediary between seven male celebrities and two female contestants, and her humorous badinage with both sides made the show worth it.

5. Jenny McCarthy, Singled Out

Jenny McCarthy represented the best of "raunchy" MTV before the network got a little too Spring Break-heavy in the late '90s. Singled Out is unquestionably the greatest and funnest dating game show ever, and while part of that credit goes to dreamy host Chris Hardwick, most of it goes to McCarthy's ruthlessly pushy humor. The awaiting single dudes clearly feared her, even though she was a Playboy bunny who didn't mind being handsy with everyone in sight.

4. Julie Chen, Big Brother

Forget everything you've heard about the "Chen-Bot's" matter-of-fact approach to hosting Big Brother. Mrs. Moonves is a succinct and powerful interviewer who always asks ejected houseguests the right questions and runs thoughtful commentary on the wacky games. You also get a sense that she sincerely cares about the contestants, no matter how hare-brained they really are. Can't wait for another offensively loony season!

3. Heidi Klum, Project Runway

She's opinionated, bossy, a little dismissive, and right at home alongside those biting snarkers Nina Garcia and Michael Kors. Klum's teutonic coldness serves her so well as the host of Project Runway, a show that may have dwindled in quality since, say, season six, but remains one of the greatest reality shows of all time. In particular, I love when she defies her co-panelists' authority, like when she copped to liking Santino Rice's shiny plant gown (which remains the most underrated garment in Project Runway history) in season two. She's in.

2. Meredith Vieira, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

Meredith Vieira was smart and provocative on The View and a commanding anchor on Today, but I might even like her best as the Emmy-winning host of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. There is no shtick to Vieira's approach; she invests in every contestant, cracks jokes when she can, and sells the show's drama with a smart seriousness. As far as I can imagine, she's the only logical choice to replace Alex Trebek once he leaves Jeopardy!. Quote me on it. I hope I'm onto something.

1. Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance

Here's a happy ending: The greatest lady host in reality/game show history is still doing her thing today. Cat Deeley is an effervescent hostess who translates Ryan Seacrest's rigid emceeing style to the looser lovefest of So You Think You Can Dance, and she possesses a whole bunch of qualities that Seacrest doesn't even have: great contestant sympathy, actual humor, a gregarious spark, and the most unbelievable trait of all, sincerity. She is a joy and a marvel on SYTYCD, and she definitely needs an Emmy. Unbeatable chops.