While the Seahawks and Patriots battled on the turf at Levi’s Stadium, a different kind of war was happening during the breaks. Super Bowl LX saw the highest ad spend in history, with brands shelling out a staggering $7.5 million for a 30-second slot. This year, the trend shifted away from “emotional tear-jerkers” and leaned heavily into dark humor and high-concept celebrity cameos.
Whether you were watching for the game or the “Ad-Bowl,” some commercials clearly touched the cultural zeitgeist while others left viewers scrambling for the remote. Here is our expert review of the best and worst Super Bowl ads of 2026.
The Best: Amazon’s “Alexa is Watching” (feat. Chris Hemsworth)
Amazon has a history of winning the Super Bowl, and 2026 was no different. Their ad, titled “The Smartest Home,” featured Chris Hemsworth in a parody of a psychological thriller. In the spot, Hemsworth becomes increasingly convinced that his Alexa device is not just playing his music, but actively trying to “replace” him in his own household.
- Why it worked: It played on real-world AI anxiety while utilizing Hemsworth’s comedic timing.
- The Viral Moment: When Alexa begins mimicking Hemsworth’s Australian accent to order “unlimited quantities of Vegemite,” the internet officially lost it.
The Weirdest: Manscaped and Liquid Death Lead the “Cringe”
If Amazon was the most “liked,” Manscaped was certainly the most discussed. In a 60-second spot that many on social media dubbed “Nightmare Fuel,” the brand used CGI to create a sentient, hairy monster that followed a man through his daily life until he finally used their new 2026 “Lawnmower 6.0” trimmer.
Similarly, Liquid Death leaned into its “murder your thirst” branding with a creepy, lo-fi ad featuring giant papier-mâché heads chasing teenagers through a suburban neighborhood. While the ads were visually striking, they divided audiences between those who loved the “edgy” vibe and those who found them genuinely unsettling for a family viewing event.
The Celebrity Cameo King: Sabrina Carpenter for Pringles
Following her record-breaking year in music, Sabrina Carpenter made her Super Bowl debut in a neon-drenched ad for Pringles. The commercial centered on the “short king” summer trend, with Carpenter refusing to date anyone who couldn’t reach the Pringles can on the top shelf. It was punchy, used her hit song “Espresso” as the backing track, and targeted the Gen Z demographic perfectly.
Other Notable Cameos:
- Andy Samberg (Hellmann’s): Samberg delivered a high-energy parody of a 1980s workout video, titled “Mayo-robics,” to promote the brand’s new vegan squeeze bottle.
- Zendaya (Apple Vision Pro 2): A sleek, futuristic ad showing Zendaya navigating a virtual “Dune” landscape, proving that Apple is ready to take the VR/AR market mainstream in 2026.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (State Farm): Returning for another year, Arnold struggled to pronounce “Good Neighbor” once again, but this time with a surprise cameo from Danny DeVito.
The “Flop” of the Night: Meta’s AI “Friend”
If there was a loser in the ad war, it was Meta. Their attempt to promote “Meta AI” featured a group of elderly friends using AI to recreate their childhood photos. While the sentiment was there, many viewers found the AI-generated “uncanny valley” images to be distracting and “soulless,” proving that human nostalgia is hard to replicate with an algorithm.
Final Verdict: Who Won the Night?
In terms of social media engagement and immediate brand recall, Amazon and Chris Hemsworth took the trophy. They managed to be funny, relevant, and slightly “meta” without crossing the line into the bizarre. However, if the goal was to get people talking regardless of the reason, Manscaped’s “Hairy Monster” will likely haunt the public consciousness for weeks to come.
Which ad was your favorite? Did Chris Hemsworth make you laugh, or did the Manscaped monster give you the creeps? Let us know in the comments below—we’re tallying the votes for our “Reader’s Choice” Ad of the Year!
