What's the Best YouTube Video You've Ever Seen?

Yesterday was YouTube's eighth birthday. I know that seems like a barefaced lie, but it's not. Before YouTube came out in 2005, websites were weirdly niche when it came to videos: Newgrounds had all the lolz stuff, Rotten had all the horrible public shootings and animal torture videos that the school weirdo with the boils and early-onset receding hairline would inflict on you at lunch break, and I imagine there was some other corner of internet hell where anyone with a vlog hung out, screaming at each other about what makes a good vlog.

Nowadays, there are quite a few videos on YouTube and lots of people use it pretty regularly. I wanted to find out which of the videos those people enjoy the most, so I asked some strangers a question: What's the best YouTube video you've ever seen?

Kaue (left) and Nick.

Kaue, 24, chef: There are so many, but I like watching music videos.

VICE: What kind?
Sixties opera and blues, exclusively.

That’s fairly niche. What don’t you like watching on YouTube?
Nick, 28, chef: Animal murders.

Yeah, that sounds horrible. Which animals have you watched being killed?
Kaue: Everything, but mostly cows and pigs.
Nick: It’s horrible how they treat the animals.

Stop watching it, then.

Davina (left) and Devon.

Devon, 21, student: The Jamaican woman!

Oh right. Who’s she?
There’s this woman who’s meant to be an agony aunt. Someone calls her for advice with men and she starts annihilating them. She just ends their life on the video. It’s hilarious to watch.

And what’s the worst?
Davina: I saw a girl do the cinnamon challenge. She ate a tablespoon of cinnamon – without water – in under a minute.

Would you ever try that?
No. It just went everywhere.

Fair enough.

Michael, 21, artist: Cassius’ music videos are the best thing I've seen on there by far.

What makes them so good?
I love the cinematography and the colour within the videos. I like the stories that they tell. They’re empowering.

Could you try and give me a less wanky answer?
Okay, fine. Umm, the knife game is pretty good.

What’s that?
The people in it have to sing a song while people stab at their fingers with a knife. It puts me on edge. I can’t handle it.

That’s understandable.

Tom, 21, student: This 80s French dance music video where they all do some in synced-up dancing. A girl showed it to me once.

And the worst?
"Two Girls, One Cup", obviously.

How many times have you seen it?
Twice. Actually, someone filmed my response to it and that got over 2,000 views on YouTube. I’m a bit of a celeb.

Oh wow. Can I have your autograph?
No.

Michalis, 23, artist: Quite literally anything cat related.

How many cat videos have you seen?
More than 100.

What don’t you like in a cat video?
I don’t like cats just looking cute. I need them to do something. I like my cats to be mean.

How can a cat be mean?
I like them to attack the camera or another person, or something.

That’s kind of weird.
No, it’s interesting.

Okay. How often do you watch cat videos?
Daily.

Joelle (left) and Georgie.

Georgie, 25, interactive designer: "Gangnam Style" is good.

Uh. What’s the worst?
Joelle, 24, interactive designer: "Friday" by Rebecca Black.

Why didn’t you like it?
It was very annoying. I didn’t make it to the end.

How long did you watch for?
Maybe one minute.

Previously - What Book Should Never Be Made Into a Film?