Halsey delivers stunning vocals alongside Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham after futuristic performance of her hit I Am Not A Woman, I'm A God as this week's SNL musical guest

Can Kim Kardashian save SNL's ratings after dismal season debut?

Saturday Night Live is hoping Kim Kardashian's star-power can attract a desperately needed surge in viewers, after this season's opener earned the show's lowest ratings in history. 

While the reality star's upcoming hosting gig has attracted a lot of buzz, it will take a ton of eyes to bounce back from last week's dismal ratings. 

According to Nielsen, the season 47 premiere is now the lowest-ranked episode among the show's key demographic - adults between 18-49.

First time host Owen Wilson's October 2nd episode scored a 0.92 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic and 4.9 million total viewers, meaning that just .92% of that group watched the show, according to Nielsen.  

The record for the episode with the all-time fewest viewers is still held by Scarlett Johansson, but that was not a season premiere. Her episode, which aired on May 2, 2015, was watched by 4.7 million viewers. 

SNL producer Lorne Michaels has been courting Kardashian to make an appearance for some time.

In August it was reported that Kim and momager Kris Jenner met up with Michaels at the Beverly Hills Hotel's Polo Lounge.

'Lorne wants her to do the show,' an insider told KNEWZ , noting Michaels was hoping to get Kardashian to do the premiere.  

Last season, Saturday Night Live jumped up from the second spot back to the top as the number one comedy show among all broadcast and cable networks. 

But the show's ratings and viewership has been sinking in recent years. 

The new season opened with a sketch poking fun at President Joe Biden and the division within the Democratic Party but after four years of endless material provided to the show by President Trump, the show has been criticized last season for going easy on President Biden.

This weekend's episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Kim Kardashian and featuring musical guest Halsey airs October 9th at 8:30pm PST/ 11:30PM EST.

From Adele to Elon Musk: A look back at SNL's most surprising guest hosts and which of them bombed

While she may not be a singer, actor, or comedian - Kim Kardashian certainly isn't the first celebrity that has been a surprising pick as a Saturday Night Live host. 

Here, DailyMail.com takes a look at some of the most bizarre choices of SNL guest stars, and which of them bombed live of the night... 

Donald Trump (2015) 

Former President Donald Trump first hosted SNL in 2004, but it was his 2015 appearance that really caused a stir. The show's decision to let a Republican Presidential nominee host was met with huge criticism and actual protests against the show.  Did it pay off? Cast member Colin Jost later confessed that the episode was 'pretty bad' while Killam, who played Trump before Alec Baldwin, called it 'embarrassing and shameful.' Killiam said: 'It was rough. It was not enjoyable at the time and something that only grows more embarrassing and shameful as time goes on.'

Adele (2020) 

Saturday Night Live is often credited as launching Adele's career in the States, as she happened to perform on one of the most highest-rated episodes, on September 13, 2008, when Sarah Palin hosted. However, the singer really shocked fans when she decided to host the show last October, despite not having anything to promote at the time (stars usually appear as part of a promotion trail.) The risky move paid off, as the Someone Like You singer went down a storm with hit skits such as her take on The Bachelor. However, she did receive criticism for the Africa sex tourism sketch, where she, Heidi Gardner and Kate McKinnon played divorcees lusting after African men.

Elon Musk (2021)

The announcement of Elon Musk as host immediately caused outrage both from fans and members of the cast. Many threw shade, including popular star Aidy Bryant who subsequently posted a tweet from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders that criticized 'the 50 wealthiest people in America today.' Bryant was not featured in Musk's episode. While the end result was a mixed bag of reactions from viewers, the Tesla billionaire received praise from openly talking about suffering from Asperger's syndrome, while his then-girlfriend, the musician Grimes, also leant her support by appearing on the show with him.  

Paris Hilton (2005)

A both surprising and brave choice for the comedy gig - sadly Paris Hilton stab at SNL glory did not work out well. She appeared on February 2, 2005, riding high off The Simple Life and played an adulterous Barbie Doll and also Melania Trump. While her skits failed to make much of an impact, it was her behind-the-scenes behavior that was called into question. Then SNL star Tina Fey called her a 'piece of s**t' to Howard Stern in 2006. Mean Girls star and writer Fey called the Hilton heiress 'awful' and and said that she was 'unbelievable dumb and so proud of how dumb she is.'

Ronda Rousey (2016) 

At the time, Ronda Rousey was a up and coming UFC star on the verge of breaking through into the mainstream when she hosted in 2016. However, the WWE champ hosted the show just a mere two months after her brutal fight against Holly Holm, and perhaps that coupled with a huge snowstorm around NYC affected her performance as reviews were dismal. IndieWire said Rousey 'wasn't that effective' and that Tina Fey had 'stolen' the show from her. 'Bringing in an athlete as host is always a risky move,' the review said, but also said Rousey 'didn't do anything wrong' and nailed some comic timing. 

Ron Reagan (1986) 

Then-President Ronald Reagan's son Ron Reagan was considered a surprising choice in 1986, and raised many eyebrows at the time. He opened the show ripping off Tom Cruise in Risky Business as he paraded through the White House in his underwear. Randy Quaid played his father while Terry Sweeney went in full drag as Nancy Reagan. Reports said at the time that Reagan, a former ballet dancer, was allowed to approve everything in the skits beforehand. All in all, the shock hosting gig was not a disaster, and is fondly remembered for a Back to the Future skit. 

Nancy Kerrigan (1994) 

Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan hosted SNL just a mere few months after she was infamously attacked by Tonya Harding's boyfriend. Certainly an odd choice, TIME Magazine said Kerrigan 'put in a supremely awkward performance.' However, while Kerrigan may have missed the comedic mark - it was a ratings hit, also thanks to a legendary musical Aretha Franklin. Chris Farley and David Spade where also praised for their hilarious commentary of Olympic ice skating during the episode. 

Catherine Oxenberg (1986) 

Many will now recognize the name Catherine Oxenberg as being part of the hit HBO documentary The Vow about NXIVM leader Keith Raniere. But back in the 80s, Oxenberg was a hit on Dynasty playing Amanda Carrington and worthy of the SNL hosting gig. She impressed viewers by comparing her mother on the show Alexis Carrington (Joan Collins) to her famous mother in real-life, Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. Musical guests for the episode included Paul Simon and LadySmith Black Mambazo.