Every year as February rolls in, over 100 million fans across the U.S. tune in to watch the most important football game of the year. Despite the clear athletic nature of this event, many people tune in for two things and two things only: the halftime show and the commercials. This year, as the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs were duking it out for the Lombardi Trophy, several celebrities and companies stole the show. From Maya Rudolph and M&Ms to Jack Harlow and Doritos, the commercials this year didn’t disappoint.

The Icons

While new commercials continue to draw in fans every year, the companies that are Super Bowl veterans always leave fans in anticipation of their new ads. This year, the M&M company took a different route, going away from their typical M&M character drama to their new figurehead Maya Rudolph and her chocolate-covered clams. Fans were confused by the commercial, not originally realizing that it was about clams, and surprised that the M&M characters were fully taken out of the picture. An icon who definitely didn’t disappoint was Mr. Peanut in the Planters commercial where the now revived icon was ‘roasted’ in a Comedy Central-style format by different celebrities, ending the commercial by saying “That was brutal. I wish Planters had just killed me off again,” erupting laughter throughout the audience. A non-enticing commercial about clams in candy was made up for by the appearance of stars throughout the 51 total commercials.

The Shockers

This year, Tubi surprised fans with their creative and original commercial, a format that led viewers to believe that someone was switching off of the Super Bowl and onto their platform. This caused people across the U.S. to frantically search for the remote, then discuss the commercial’s result after, generating significant publicity for the brand. Junior Andrea Santos said, “The commercial was so funny once we realized what was going on. My family thought my dog was sitting on the remote.”

When Alicia Silverstone popped up in her iconic Cher costume from Clueless, audiences were engaged, seeing one of their favorite celebrities reprising her famous character. Junior Hayley Cooper said, “Clueless is one of my favorite movies, and I loved when I saw [Silverstone] come up on my TV. I never thought I’d get to see one of my favorite characters so many years later.”

The Best

Certain companies this year soared above standards, getting positive responses from the audience. Dunkin’ Donuts elated watchers by putting up Jennifer Lopez and Boston native Ben Affleck, a relationship constantly in the headlines for breaking up and getting back together. 

Due to getting a commercial spot being millions of dollars, it is typically larger companies who have the budget to have their commercials excel. Junior Merryann Maginga said, “I liked the T-mobile one because a lot of the commercials weren’t that funny and it was hilarious watching the mom and son trying to figure out what was going on.”

Another school favorite was commercials with students’ favorite celebrities. From Megan Trainer and John Travolta to Alicia Silverstone and Bryan Cranston, celebrities appeared in and out of character, raising the audience’s interest. Sophomore Khairi Hyde said, “The Rob Gronkowski and Fanduel commercial was my favorite because I love seeing my favorite celebrities.”

The Worst

Of all the commercials to be seen, these companies spent millions just to have poor responses from the audience. Avocados from Mexico was one of these advertisements to receive hate. Starting off with an Adam and Eve-themed commercial and changing to a naked modern city centered around avocados didn’t spark fans’ interest. Senior Sofie Vinick said, “I normally like them because of their catchy jingle, but I was disappointed in the entertainment level of the commercial.”

To be able to understand the Hellman’s Mayo commercial, viewers needed background information that not many younger viewers knew, causing the commercial to seem bland and uninteresting. It wasn’t clear what the commercial was about, as most of it was talking about ham and cheese, and all of a sudden Pete Davidson popped up. Senior Kate Messite said, “I didn’t watch the whole Super Bowl because I only wanted to see the commercials, but I was uninterested in the Hellman’s commercial because it made no sense and only appealed to certain audiences.”