'RuPaul's Drag Race' leads competition program nominees at the 2021 Emmy Awards while modeling diversity and acceptance

I told my readers "Stay tuned for competition nominees at the Emmy Awards for the next installment of this series" at the conclusion of 'RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked' vs. 'Below Deck' for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the Emmy Awards so it's time to move on to the main show and its competitors. Here are the nominees from the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Competition Program

The Amazing Race (CBS)
Nailed It! (Netflix)
RuPaul's Drag Race (VH1)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)

I called the series "a good show for inclusion and mutual respect, to say nothing of great fashion and grooming tips." In an interview with Gold Derby, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' director Nick Murray called it 'The most culturally significant show of the past decade.'

'RuPaul's Drag Race' director Nick Murray on being part of 'the most culturally significant show of the past decade.' The director won his first Emmy in 2018 and has submitted the Season 13 episode "Gettin' Lucky" for consideration this year. Gold Derby's Denton Davidson hosts this interview.

Murray also credited the show being in tune with the culture's increasing diversity and acceptance for its success. I agree, which is why I made the decision years ago to blog about the program.

Now for the likely runner-up, Audrey Morrissey ('The Voice' executive producer) teases new coach Ariana Grande, Emmy nominations.

Audrey Morrissey ('The Voice' executive producer) teases new coach Ariana Grande and 7 'incredible' Emmy nominations with Gold Derby's Denton Davidson.

"RuPaul's Drag Race" has won this award three years in a row, so I consider it the favorite on that criterion as well as its leading in nominations among competition programs with nine for the main show as well as two for "RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked." Its closest competition is "The Voice" with seven nominations, followed by "Dancing with the Stars" with six, "Top Chef" with five, "The Amazing Race" with four, and "Nailed It!" with two. The reality programming peer group snubbed "The Masked Singer" for this category, but it has three nominations in craft categories. Speaking of which, here's one of them at the 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming (Juried)

Black Is King (Disney+)
The Masked Singer (Episode: "Super 8 - The Plot Chickens! Part 2") (Fox)
Sherman's Showcase Black History Month Spectacular (IFC)

Watch Gold Derby interview Marina Toybina ('The Masked Singer' costume designer) on her 'artistically explosive' characters.

"Season 4 and 5 we really tried to push our limits," says five-time Emmy winner Marina Toybina, the costume designer on Fox's reality TV competition series "The Masked Singer." "Of course we went into the pandemic mode so it was really being artistically explosive and trying anything and everything we could." Watch her exclusive video interview with Gold Derby's Denton Davidson.

If this category were up for the vote of the entire Television Academy, "The Masked Singer" would probably win, but it's not. My intuition says "Black Is King" has the advantage, but I have no good evidence or reasoning beyond that.

Now for another category with a nominated competition program I haven't blogged about before.

Outstanding Choreography for Variety and Reality Programming

Sergio Trujillo for Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC)
Artem Chigvintsev for Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Derek Hough for Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Derek Hough for The Disney Holiday Singalong (ABC)
Parris Goebel for Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 (Prime Video)
Marie Haince Lebel for World of Dance (NBC)

Last year's winner "So You Think You Can Dance" did not return, so I'm turning to the two remaining previous winners, "World of Dance" and "Dancing with the Stars" for this year's favorites. Between the two of them, I think "World of Dance" has the better chance.

Follow over the jump for the categories in which competition shows earned nominations that I've already written about.


I begin with the nominations for competition programs from 'Queer Eye' leads structured reality program nominees again at the Emmy Awards while 'preaching love, acceptance, pride, and compassion'.

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program

Nicole Byer for Nailed It! (Netflix)
Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness for Queer Eye (Netflix)
RuPaul for RuPaul's Drag Race (VH1)
Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O'Leary for Shark Tank (ABC)
Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons for Top Chef (Bravo)

RuPaul has won this category every year since 2016, five consecutive years, so I think he's extremely likely to repeat. Sorry, Sharks and Fab Five.

Also sorry to Nicole Byer, nominated host of "Nailed It!" As consolation, I'm sharing her Gold Derby interview, Nicole Byer ('Nailed It!') on having 'too many cooks in the kitchen' for 'Double Trouble' season.

Nicole Byer ('Nailed It!') on having 'too many cooks in the kitchen' for 'Double Trouble' season on Netflix. The recent Emmy nominee chats with Gold Derby's Kevin Jacobsen.

Even she knows she's not going to beat RuPaul.

[H]ere's a category that "Queer Eye" won two years in a row but lost to "RuPaul's Drag Race" last year.

Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program

Queer Eye (Netflix)
RuPaul's Drag Race (VH1)
Shark Tank (ABC)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)

... If any show can unseat "RuPaul's Drag Race" from Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program, it's "Queer Eye." Good luck, it will need it.

Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program

Bertram van Munster for The Amazing Race (Episode: "Give Me a Beard Bump") (CBS)
Mark Perez for Queer Eye (Episode: "Preaching Out Loud") (Netflix)
Nick Murray for RuPaul's Drag Race (Episode: "Gettin' Lucky") (VH1)
Ari Boles for Top Chef (Episode: "Pan African Portland") (Bravo)
Alan Carter for The Voice (Episode: "The Blind Auditions Premiere") (NBC)

On the other hand, I think "Queer Eye" has a very good shot at this category, as last year's winner "Cheer" is not returning. "Queer Eye" won in 2019, while "RuPaul's Drag Race" won the year before that. I think it's between these two for the trophy.

Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program

The Amazing Race (Episode: "Give Me a Beard Bump") (CBS)
Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel)
Life Below Zero (Nat Geo)
Queer Eye (Episode: "Groomer Has It") (Netflix)
RuPaul's Drag Race (VH1)

Unlike directing, I don't think "Queer Eye" has a good shot at this award. Instead, I think "Life Below Zero" will win this category for the fourth consecutive year.

I don't think "RuPaul's Drag Race" has a good shot at winning this, either. Instead, "The Amazing Race" has the better chance of upsetting "Life Below Zero," but that's not saying much.

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program

The Amazing Race – Editing Team[note 1] (CBS)
Queer Eye – Editing Team[note 2] (Episode: "Preaching Out Loud") (Netflix)
RuPaul's Drag Race – Jamie Martin, Paul Cross, Ryan Mallick and Michael Roha (Episode: "Condragulations") (VH1)
Top Chef – Editing Team[note 3] (Episode: "Restaurant Wars") (Bravo)
The Voice – Editing Team[note 4] (NBC)

I think this will be another close contest between "Queer Eye" and "RuPaul's Drag Race," as the two shows are each 2 for 4 in this category during the past four years. "RuPaul's Drag Race" won last year, so it might be slightly favored, but I wouldn't give it much better odds than "Queer Eye."

One thing that might help "Queer Eye" at the expense of "RuPaul's Drag Race" is that "Queer Eye" would be the choice in a game of "one of these things is not like the others" because it's the one nominee that isn't a competition show, so it might stand out. Then again, that might hurt it, too.

Now for the categories I included in It's Saturday night, so here are the 21 Emmy nominations for 'Saturday Night Live'.

Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program

Dancing with the Stars (Episode: "Finale") (ABC)
Legendary (Episode: "Pop Tart") (HBO Max)
RuPaul's Drag Race (Episode: "The Pork Chop") (VH1)
Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Maya Rudolph") (NBC)
The Voice (Episode: "Live Top 17 Performances") (NBC)

"RuPaul's Drag Race" won this category three years in a row, so I think it's the favorite with SNL or "Dancing with the Stars" being the most likely to upset it, since they're the only previous winners nominated.

Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Series

America's Got Talent (Episode: "The Finals") (NBC)
Dancing with the Stars (Episode: "Finale") (ABC)
The Masked Singer (Episode: "The Spicy 6 - The Competition Heats Up!") (Fox)
Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Adele") (NBC)
The Voice (Episode: "Live Top 17 Performances") (NBC)

SNL has won this three years in a row, so I consider it the favorite. "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Voice" are the most likely to upset it, as they are the only previous winners nominated. That written, "The Masked Singer" might surprise me by winning.

Outstanding Contemporary Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program (Non-Prosthetic)

Dancing with the Stars (Episode: "Top 11") (ABC)
Legendary (Episode: "Pop Tart") (HBO Max)
Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (Apple TV+)
RuPaul's Drag Race (Episode: "The Pork Chop") (VH1)
Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Elon Musk") (NBC)

"RuPaul's Drag Race" won this category last year, which makes it a slight favorite, as SNL won this award eight times during the 2010s, including three consecutive years before "RuPaul's Drag Race" did, so it has a very good chance to upset the returning winner. The surprise might be "Dancing with the Stars," which has won once.
...

Outstanding Production Design for a Variety, Reality or Competition Series

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Episode: "Trump & Election Results / F*ck 2020") (HBO)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Episode: "Dr. Jon Lapook / Performance by Maroon 5") (CBS)
The Masked Singer (Episode: "The Season Premiere - The Masks Return") (Fox)
RuPaul's Drag Race (Episodes: "Condragulations", "Bossy Rossy Ruboot") (VH1)
Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Kristen Wiig") (NBC)

SNL has won this the past four years, so it's the favorite. While "Last Week Tonight" has been nominated four times, I'm not sure it's my pick to upset. I think those are "The Masked Singer" and especially "RuPaul's Drag Race."

Gold Derby interviewed 'The Masked Singer' production designer James Pearse Connelly on not being 'just a flash in the pan'.

The Masked Singer' production designer James Pearse Connelly on not being 'just a flash in the pan.' Gold Derby's Denton Davidson chats with the 13-time Emmy nominee about his vast career.

Congratulations on being nominated and good luck; you'll need it.

Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series

America's Got Talent (Episode: "Episode 1523") (NBC)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (Episode: "Jimmy Kimmel Live - Sacha Baron Cohen, Wesley Snipes, and Music from Charlotte Lawrence") (ABC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Episode: "Trump & Election Results / F*ck 2020") (HBO)
Saturday Night Live (Episode: "Host: Dan Levy") (NBC)
The Voice (Episode: "Live Finale (Part 2)") (NBC)

While "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" won this category the past two years, so I consider it the favorite, I still either think SNL or "The Voice" could sneak past it.

I am recycling one final category from 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' leads Outstanding Variety Talk Series nominees at the Emmy Awards for the fifth consecutive year.

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents: Pandemic Video Diaries: Vaxxed and Waxxed (TBS)
Inside Pixar (Disney+)
Pose: Identity, Family, Community (FX)
Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen (Bravo)
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man (YouTube)

I'd like Bee to win this category, but I just don't know if she will despite being a returning nominee. "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man" would be the other political choice, while all the rest are about entertainment. My gut says it will be "Inside Pixar" or "Pose: Identity, Family, Community," the first because of Disney's production values, the second because it's a three-time returning nominee in its final season. That alone might give it the Emmy.

I didn't mention "Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen," so that gives an indication of my opinion of its chances.

That's it for reality and competition nominees. Stay tuned for the television movie nominees as the next installment of the series.

Previous posts in this series

• Diversity one of the themes of the Outstanding Commercial nominees at the 2021 Emmy Awards
• 'The Social Dilemma' leads documentaries at the Emmy Awards with seven nominations
• 'Allen v. Farrow' leads documentary and nonfiction series at the Emmy Awards with seven nominations
• Quibi's last Emmy nominations are also Roku's first as the network was canceled but the shows were renewed
• It's Saturday night, so here are the 21 Emmy nominations for 'Saturday Night Live'
• 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' leads Outstanding Variety Talk Series nominees at the Emmy Awards for the fifth consecutive year
• 'Hamilton' at the Emmy Awards
• Dave Chappelle's four Emmy nominations for 'SNL' and '8:46'
• 'Queer Eye' leads structured reality program nominees again at the Emmy Awards while 'preaching love, acceptance, pride, and compassion'
• 'RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked' vs. 'Below Deck' for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the Emmy Awards