A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM OXYGEN

Cynopsis Media presents
Before the Ballots: Reality Host, Reality Competition Series, Reality Program
2012Primetime Emmy® Award Pre-Nomination Special Report
by Daisy Whitney
06/11/12

Good morning. It’s Monday, June 11, 2012, and this is the third of a five-part series predicting the nominees for this year’s primetime Emmy® Awards.  Today’s installment looking at the potential nominees for Outstanding Reality Host, Reality Competition Series, Reality Program.

If you like a sure thing in your Emmy nominations, then look to the reality categories because that’s as close as it gets to a guarantee. The Outstanding Reality-Competition Program award has been dominated by The Amazing Race, while Survivor’s Jeff Probst has reigned supreme for four years in the host slot. They’ll both surely be tapped for nominations come July 19, but the big questions surrounding the Emmy reality categories is whether those two frontrunners will be dethroned this year, and some prognosticators are betting on change.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM OXYGEN

The Competition Category Needs Competition

The Amazing Race took home its eighth trophy in nine tries last year for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program. With that kind of pedigree  the only other reality show to ever win this award is Top Chef with one statue  look for The Amazing Race to be the top contender in this category. It’ll likely be joined by Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef, Dancing With the Stars, and American Idol. The Voice could make a showing too, experts say.

“For the reality competition series, eight-time champ The Amazing Race is a tough one to beat, but Dancing with the Stars has had a lot of buzz around it this year so it could be a dark horse,” said Serena Kappes, Editorial Director at iVillage Entertainment. “So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol will definitely end up on the nominees list and don’t be surprised if you see The Voice, which made a lot of news, vying for an Emmy.”

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM OXYGEN

Another new entrant with a shot at a nod is The Glee Project, said Al Norton, who writes the column Two Tivos To Paradise at pop culture site 411mania.com . “That was quite good and the winners went on and did something with it  acting on a top show and they fit seamlessly into the show (Glee)” he said.

So You Think You Can Dance also makes a strong case. “That’s a reality competition show that’s not about editing or goofiness, but it’s a real skill and an impressive one and they get some top choreographers every week,” Norton added. A potential dark horse is Food Network Star, especially since its last winner, Jeff Mauro, has gone on to receive a daytime Emmy nomination for his show Sandwich King that came out of the reality show victory.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM OXYGEN

Seacrest’s Time?

On the host side, it’s about time for Ryan Seacrest to win, critics say. Survivor’s Jeff Probst has won the host award all four years since its inception, and observers think Seacrest’s time may have come.

“He is very genuine,” Norton said. He also does a tough job well. “You almost want to not notice the host. If you notice them it’s almost a problem,” Norton added. Seacrest will likely vie against Probst, as well as Tom Bergeron from Dancing With the Stars, Phil Keoghan from The Amazing Race, and Cat Deeley from So You Think You Can Dance, said Kappes.

“Ryan Seacrest could knock Survivor host Jeff Probst off his perch this year. He has a fluid ability to keep the show engaging and fun eleven seasons into its run,” Kappes said of Seacrest.

Norton likes Bergeron’s chances too because he has a knack for asking the very question the audience wants to hear on Dancing With the Stars. But if he had a dream pick, Norton would cast the ballot for Alton Brown for his work on Iron Chef America. “He narrates most of the show, has to tell people what is going on, talk about it as an authority but not talk down to people, and he truly seems to enjoy what he does,” Norton said.

Heidi Klum is also a possibility for a nod for Project Runway.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM OXYGEN

A Range of Shows

Last year’s Emmy for Emmy Outstanding Reality Program was Discovery’s Deadliest Catch after a savvy move to transition the show out of non-fiction and into the reality category. The show will surely be a frontrunner this year too. There’s no reason to think Antiques Roadshow won’t be in the running either, Norton said. “It is kind of like the Tony Bennett of TV. It keeps doing the same thing, but the quality level is always there, and it’s a fun show,” he said.

Other possibilities include regular contender Hoarders, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, MythBusters and Undercover Boss.

Fresh entrants could include Comic Book Men on AMC, Norton offered. “It really did seem that if the cameras weren’t running they’d be having the same conversations,” he said. Another possibility for a surprise is Flipping Out on Bravo, while Shark Tank might snag the Undercover Boss slot this year, Norton said.

Later —
Daisy Whitney for Cynopsis
daisywhitney@gmail.com
06.11.12

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