By Maci Taylor, Staff Writer

It is one of the most heavily debated topics in the United States to date. It has consumed Gen-Z culture for too long, and I am here to disperse all of the arguments once and for all. iCarly is a better show than Victorious.

I know I am going to receive a lot of backlash for this, but hear out my points. 

1. iCarly had better special guests

This is a no brainer. The list of iCarly’s special guests includes former First Lady Michelle Obama, One Direction (R.I.P. Liam), Emma Stone, Jack Black, Austin Butler, Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey. That’s a stellar list, and Victorious can only compare with an appearance from Kesha. Don’t get me wrong, I love Kesha— the beginning of “Blow” shaped the way I pronounce “dance—” but Kesha cannot compete with Michelle Obama and all of her healthy school lunches. iCarly wins this category. 

2. Better “weird characters”

The battle of Gibby versus Sinjin. Don’t get me wrong, Sinjin’s obsession with collecting his late relative’s teeth and having chewed-up food on his locker makes him quite a quirky character, but no one can compare to Gibby. His shirtless body has created a new era of memes— I even have a tapestry of him on my dorm wall. Gibby’s chubby body was the glue that has made iCarly a show that will stand the test of time. Also, let’s not forget the bit of Gibby walking around with a Gibby Head, which was a physical model of his own head. Robby’s puppet has nothing on the Gibby Head. iCarly wins this category.

3. Another high school drama? I don’t think so.

Victorious portrays a high school for the musically talented, but have you ever heard of High School Musical? iCarly portrays the school lives of the middle/high schoolers as a secondary element, with the focus on the extracurricular web show they have created. I believe the reason why I was drawn to iCarly was because it was unlike any TV show created before. It introduced me to “content creators” before that even was a potential job and convinced me I was awesome enough to create a web series of my own… (the videos have been stored away on a flash drive, far, far away from the internet). iCarly takes the cake for this category.

4. Romance

In Victorious, Beck and Jade’s relationship was rocky from the start, with lots of ups and downs from fighting. In iCarly, Sam and Freddie’s relationship was also a battle since Sam’s character is clearly a firecracker. I think Jade and Sam were the peak aggressive characters of each show, but don’t worry readers— I will not pick one over the other. These romantic relationships from each show were side plots, but enhanced each show’s likability and relatability. Both series get a win from me. 

In conclusion, both shows were pivotal to my childhood and the childhoods of many of my peers, but iCarly was my personal favorite. I can not wait to rewatch both in the future and show my kids what I grew up watching on TV. Sam, cue the applause track!