Ranking The Hosts From YTV's The Zone

In 1992, the Canadian television station YTV created The Zone, an afternoon programming block for kids between 4-6pm. The block was considered a show with short segments hosted by a PJ (program jockey) that would air in between television shows. Over the years the Zone has gone through a bevy of hosts but in this list we'll focus on the best hosts of The Zone.

8. Daryn Jones

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His run may have been short but a young Daryn Jones made his first mark on YTV. Interacting with Snit and The Hand In The Toilet, he showed signs of a promising career. After leaving, he went on to host Comedy Central’s Buzz with Mista Mo for four years before appearing on the Rick Mercer Report and later hosting MTV Live for seven years.

7. Pat Kelly

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Taking over in 2000, Pat Kelly alongside Jenny (previously known as PJ Katie) hosted The Zone in the early 00’s. He was the creator of the band Nuclear Donkey appearing on YTV’s “Big Fun Party Mix”. Pat had his share of success creating the popular character Mr. Cool Guy and with the on-camera flirtation with co-host Sugar Baby. Rumours were just that, rumours about the two but they swear they were nothing but friends.

6. Snit

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The TV monitor with moving teeth covered in saliva and gum, Snit was the likable bizarre looking creature that co-hosted the Zone with PJ Phil. Snit was voiced by Atul N. Rao using a harmonizer, a sampling keyboard and operated using an animatronic remote off-screen. When Atul decided to leave, Phil and PJ Paul launched Snit into space. After a weeklong event of Phil and Paul hunting extra-terrestrials in space, they revealed a discovery of Snit minus the purple coloring. A few upgrades and mechanical tweaking, Snit went on to host his own weekend morning show, Snit Station.

5. Carlos

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Started off as a janitor who used to play with the cameras, Carlos Bustamante joined Sugar Baby as the co-host of The Zone after the departure of Pat Kelly. For most of the mid-2000’s the duo took over Zone duties, creating various characters and taking over the made-up YTV band, Nuclear Donkey. After Sugar left in 2007, Carlos went through co-host after co-host but Carlos still remains at The Zone to this day for almost 10 years.

4. PJ Katie

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I wouldn’t call her crazy but there was definitely some screws loose when the cameras turned on for PJ Katie. Her craziness made her the perfect host for The Zone. In the early days of The Zone she would interact with The Fuzzpaws, a popular group of puppets, along with hosts PJ Jazzy Jen and PJ Krista. But she make widely popular when she would play with her collection of clay animals on the farm made of Popsicle sticks. Katie improvised giving each animal a different voice, often times making mistakes and quickly covering for it. Her outrageous enthusiasm got her her own show PJ Katie’s Farm.

3. PJ Paul

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Before becoming a host on The Zone, PJ Paul hosted Clips a YTV game show. He later hosted The Breakfast Zone and YTV Shift with co-host, PJ Aashna. PJ Paul was a pop culture buff and sci-fi fan. His natural on-air chemistry with fellow PJ Phil made the duo the faces of The Zone. Paul went on to host and produce the entertainment magazine show, eNow which today is known as E-Talk. Paul also worked for CTV and is currently the host of various countdown shows on CMT.

2. Sugar

Mad Dog and Billie fans knew her for her remix of Eminem’s Real Slim Shady but soon enough Sugar Baybee would make her way to television. Stephanie “Sugar Baybee” Beard made her debut in 2001 alongside Pat Kelly. She hosted and produced The Zone, full of spunk, energy and a voice of a cartoon character on helium. YTV’s Keep It Weird rep was solidified by her daily antics. She also voiced of Rini on Sailor Moon.

1. PJ Phil

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They didn’t call him Fresh Phil for nothing. Phil was the coolest of cool. Phil’s approach to hosting was mature, he never talked down to the young viewers. Every time he spoke it felt like a conversation you would have with a friend. He started out hosting with the Grogs, frog/turtle-like before hosting with purple gum thing known as Snit. He was the face of The Zone for seven years at YTV before he and other PJ hosts were seen as “non-Y2K Compatible.” He went on to host The Anti-Gravity Room and Gamerz but he will always be known for his work on the Zone. He was the ideal host for YTV and hands down the best one.