Even after writing about documentary nominees I still have more to say about nominees depicting nature and politics at the Creative Arts and Primetime Emmy Awards. For that I'm turning to a category that gets less respect, reality shows.* I begin by recycling what I wrote about the nominees for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program last year.
The political show here is "United Shades of America," which examines race relations in America with a light touch. However, I doubt it will win. "Deadliest Catch" has won twice and "Born This Way" is the returning winner. I watch "Deadliest Catch" occasionally, as it has a nature aspect, but "Born This Way" makes its own subtle political point, so I would be O.K. with it repeating.The same three shows earned the most nominations for unstructured reality show this year with the difference being that "United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell" being the returning winner. I'll get to Bell's CNN series after I examine "Born This Way," which has the most nominations in the genre with four, Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, Outstanding Casting For A Reality Program, Outstanding Cinematography For A Reality Program, and Outstanding Picture Editing For An Unstructured Reality Program. I'm modifying what I wrote last year about this show making a subtle political point into it making an explicit social point about acceptance of differences and celebrating what makes us all both human and special. Those make this a worthy program.
While it didn't repeat as Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, losing to "United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell," it is still the returning winner for Outstanding Casting For A Reality Program and Outstanding Cinematography For A Reality Program. Its competitors for the casting award for a reality program are all either competition or structured reality shows, "Project Runway," "Queer Eye," "RuPaul's Drag Race," and "The Voice." That's tough competition, enough so that, as much as I hope it wins, I'm not optimistic about its chances.
The returning winner for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, as I mentioned above, is "United Shades of America With W. Kamau Bell," which also earned nominations for Outstanding Host For A Reality Program and Outstanding Picture Editing For An Unstructured Reality Program. I watched two episodes of this show the weekends after Anthony Bourdain died. I found it fascinating, and not just for its humorous take on race and race relations. I had no idea Bell was three-time Hugo winner N.K. Jemisin's cousin until I saw Bell interview her on his show. I also saw little distinction between "United Shades of America" and "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" even though they are in different categories; the line between an informational nonfiction show and a reality show must be very fine. I'm sure it also helps that they are promoted in different categories so that they don't step on each other at awards time.
The above image depicts Bell's fellow nominees for Outstanding Host For A Reality Program. Bell faces stiff competition, in particular from RuPaul, who is the returning winner of the award as well as the current winner of the Critics' Choice Award. By the way, any of the nominees winning would be a victory for diversity, as four of the six nominees are LGBT, two are African-American, and RuPaul is both. I'm rooting for RuPaul, whose shows make quite the social statement of acceptance and self-expression as well.
The most nominated reality TV show that takes place outdoors, pitting humans against nature, is "Deadliest Catch" with three nominations, Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, Outstanding Cinematography For A Reality Program, and Outstanding Picture Editing For An Unstructured Reality Program. It is the longest running and most award-winning of the nominees, spanning 14 seasons since 2005 and earning 16 Emmy Awards, last winning all three of the categories in which it is nominated this year in 2015. By the way, its awards history reflects the fine line between informational nonfiction and reality programming, as it was nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming as recently as 2016.
The last nominee for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program that examines nature is another outdoor reality show, "Naked And Afraid," which I consider to be what "Survivor" would be if it really were about humans versus nature (Player versus Environment or PVE in MMORPG parlance) instead of humans pitted against each other in social competition (Player versus Player or PVP). I prefer PVE and nature, so I'd probably like this show.
Competing against "Born This Way," "United Shades of America," "Deadliest Catch," and "Naked And Afraid" for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program are "Intervention" and "RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked." I doubt either of the latter two have much a chance at winning this category, although both examine serious social issues with the last doing so obliquely and light-heartedly. Instead, I'm rooting for "United Shades of America" to win again.
"Life Below Zero" did not earn a nomination for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, but it did garner nominations for Outstanding Cinematography For A Reality Program and Outstanding Picture Editing For An Unstructured Reality Program. It is competing against both "Born This Way" and "Deadliest Catch" in the first category along with competition reality shows "The Amazing Race" and "RuPaul's Drag Race" and structured reality show "Queer Eye." As I mentioned above, "Born This Way" won Outstanding Cinematography For A Reality Program last year, so I expect it will win again. In the second category, it faces all three of "Born This Way," "United Shades of America," and "Deadliest Catch" along with "RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked." Here, "Life Below Zero" holds the trophy and would be my choice to win.
I'm done with unstructured reality shows for now, but I plan on writing more about the Emmy nominees after I post a driving update. Stay tuned.
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