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Cynopsis Media presents 

Before the Ballots: Reality

& Reality Host

2010 Primetime Emmy® Award Pre-Nomination Special Report
 

by Daisy Whitney
06/09/10

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 9, 2010, and this is the third of five special reports focused on the Pre-Nomination phase of the 2010 Primetime Emmy® Awards.

BEFORE THE BALLOTS:  Reality & Reality Host

The Amazing Race has had an amazing streak. And all signs point to the show’s Emmy® streak continuing.

Since the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences started honoring reality shows in 2003, the CBS series has taken home the trophy every year for “outstanding reality competition program.” That means it’s also beaten out ratings powerhouse American Idol for those same seven years running. Both shows have been tapped for nominations in the category every year.

Those two hit reality shows are certain to be back among nominees this year, but most prognosticators are expecting the award to be more like an anointing rather than a true race.  Translation: The Amazing Race will likely win again. 

The show’s dominance has admittedly made the category one of the least exciting ones for Emmy® predictors and, frankly, for viewers. After all, viewers love close competition especially fans of competitive reality shows.

“As long as The Amazing Race is on the air, it’s going to be the favorite in the reality competition division. With all the fluff out there, the show that is the most serious is going to win,” said Tim Surette, a writer with TV.com. “Could you imagine Emmy® voters –  a crowd that’s generally more traditional – voting for some sort of singing or dancing competition? I don’t see it. This may fly at the Golden Globes, but not at the Emmy® [Awards].”

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The Contenders

But there are five slots for nominees and that means other shows will be in the running. When the nominations are announced July 8, the list will likely include The Amazing Race, American Idol, Top Chef, Project Runway and Survivor, said Chris Beachum, an Emmy® expert with AwardsHeaven.net and LATimes.com.

Dancing With the Stars also has a shot at a nomination. The strongest contenders for dethroning Amazing Race though are American Idol and Top Chef. Interestingly, Top Chef was picked by many experts to knock Amazing Race from its perch last year. That didn’t happen, but the show will play the foil again this year too. That it’s a fan favorite helps as well. The same applies to  Heidi Klum-hosted Project Runway. It’s the top-ranked competitive reality show on ad supported cable in many key demos.

But for all those possibilities, experts are resigned to the fact that the trophy might as well already be engraved. “Until Amazing Race has a competitor and maybe loses one year, it’s not a category that’s really interesting,” Beachum said.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM HISTORY

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Hosting Competition

The hosting category should have more competition. The nominations will likely go to Tom Bergeron of Dancing with the Stars, Jeff Probst of Survivor, Ryan Seacrest of American Idol, Heidi Klum of Project Runway, and Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio for Top Chef.

Tom Bergeron with Dancing With the Stars is a leading choice for the award and many TV trackers, such as Michael Buckley, host of YouTube show What the Buck, are rooting big for Bergeron this year. Bergeron has the hosting chops given his background hosting America’s Funniest Home Videos and Hollywood Squares. He’s been nominated for the past two years since this award was christened and many expected him to win last year.

Survivor host Jeff  Probst has captured the statue every year. Probst will naturally be a strong pick this year too. He’s the “grandfather” of the genre, the host many others try to emulate, and has fronted the hit show since 2000. Ryan Seacrest of American Idol will give Probst a run for his money and, like Probst, Seacrest is a host that many others try to imitate. 

Some Emmy® watchers still don’t think much of the reality host award at all given the hosting debacle of the 2008 Emmy® show itself. That year the five nominees for the hosting category jointly hosted the awards show. The effort was poorly received.

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Non-Competition Series
                 
The hosting and competitive reality series awards tend to generate the most attention. But the Outstanding Reality Program category (non-competition shows) may prove a more interesting race, Surette said.

“There’s a new kid in town, and his name is Undercover Boss. If you’re looking for an upset this year, take that one,” Surrette said. The CBS show was one of the most popular shows of the recent TV season. “The thing it has going for it is relevance: the economy is in the dumps and corporations are getting the evil eye. It’s got heart, it’s an eye-opening experience, and it shows that if you do a good job, you will get rewarded. Plus it’s a megahit, and that goes a long way.”

Jersey Shore on MTV stands an outside chance at nabbing a nomination in the category simply because when you pull back the hype, the show has some great storytelling, said Diane Robina, EVP/Development, Acquisitions and Programming Strategy at TV Guide.

Other likely nominees for the category include History’s Pawn Stars, Travel Channels Anthony Bourdain No Reservations and Discovery’s Dirty Jobs and Cash Cab, said Maj Canton, an author and long-time TV reviewer, now with TVTango.com
 
Also in the running will probably be Antiques Road Show on PBS, Dog Whisperer on National Geographic and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List on Bravo.

This 5-part series of 2010 Primetime Emmy ® Award Pre-Nomination Special Reports are available to read or download on the Cynopsis website in our special
Primetime Emmy® 2010 section.

Later —
Daisy Whitney for Cynopsis
daisywhitney@gmail.com
06.09.10

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