Sunday, September 5, 2021

'RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked' vs. 'Below Deck' for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the Emmy Awards


I explained why I skipped unstructured reality show nominees in the footnote to 'Queer Eye' leads structured reality program nominees again at the Emmy Awards while 'preaching love, acceptance, pride, and compassion'.
The nominees in the show category for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program failed to inspire me. Part of the reason, as I wrote last year, was "Only 'RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked' returned." Some of the longer-running shows, like "Deadliest Catch" and "Life Below Zero," did earn nominations in the craft categories. I'll probably make diversity and nature the focus of that post when I get around to writing it. The other part is what I also wrote last year: "I wonder what was going on in the reality branch of the Television Academy this year. Or maybe all these new shows were that much better; I don't know." It turns out the Television Academy calls reality programming a peer group, not a branch, but the question remains.
Now that I got that off my chest, I'm feeling much better about the unstructured reality show nominees, so here are their nominations at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program

Becoming (Disney+)
Below Deck (Bravo)
Indian Matchmaking (Netflix)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (VH1)
Selling Sunset (Netflix)
As I wrote above, RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked" is the only returning nominee for two years running. It's also one of only two nominees with another nomination, the other one being first time nominee "Below Deck." I think it's between the two for the award, especially since last year's winner "Cheer" did not return and three-time winner "United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell" is competing in a different category.

Gold Derby interviewed San Heng (RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked): 'Queens show parts of themselves we don't have time to see', the showrunner of "RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked," who expressed her frustration at the show being repeatedly nominated but never winning along with explaining the show.

San Heng ('RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked' producer) on 'letting all of these queens show parts of themselves that we don't have time to see.' Gold Derby editor Rob Licuria hosts this chat as part of our 'Meet the Experts' Emmy nominee panel for showrunners.
I'm rooting for "RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked" to win and think it's the nominal favorite given its history of nominations, but I wouldn't be surprised if "Below Deck" upsets it.

Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program

Below Deck – Editing Team[note 5] (Episode: "Steamy Vibes") (Bravo)
Deadliest Catch – Editing Team[note 6] (Discovery Channel)
Life Below Zero – Tony Diaz, Matt Edwards, Jennifer Nelson, Eric Michael Schrader and Michael Swingler (Episode: "The Other Side") (Nat Geo)
Naked and Afraid – Editing Team[note 7] (Episode: "Sand Trapped") (Discovery Channel)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked – Kellen Cruden, Yali Sharon and Shayna Casey (Episode: "The Bag Ball") (VH1)
When I groused about the nominees for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program this year and last year, wondering what the reality programming peer group was thinking, it was because I was expecting a field more like this, a face-off between diversity-themed shows and outdoors-themed shows featuring long-running series. In the end, the right show won, as I think "Cheer" deserved all three awards it took home, including this one, winning against a very similar field in this category last season.

Gold Derby interviewed Joseph Litzinger ('Life Below Zero' showrunner) on 'emotional vulnerability' of Emmy-winning series and congratulated him on the show winning multiple Emmy Awards.

Joseph Litzinger ('Life Below Zero' showrunner) on 'emotional vulnerability' of Emmy-winning series. Gold Derby editor Marcus Dixon hosts this special 'Meet the Experts' panel with reality contenders for the 2021 Emmy Awards.
I'm going to be a good environmentalist and recycle my handicapping from two years ago: "'Life Below Zero' won the year before and 'Deadliest Catch' has been nominated every year this award has existed, so the two man versus nature shows have a sporting chance of winning." Just the same, this category could still surprise me.

Follow over the jump for two categories I'm recycling for this entry.



First, a category I described in 'Queer Eye' leads structured reality program nominees again at the Emmy Awards while 'preaching love, acceptance, pride, and compassion'.
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.
Next, a category where reality competes against documentary and hosted nonfiction, showing where the lines blur between the categories, from 'The Social Dilemma' leads documentaries at the Emmy Awards with seven nominations.
While nature documentaries have good sound, I think music documentaries have the inside track, so I think it's between "Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry" and "The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" for this category and the next.
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera)

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (HBO)
Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry (Apple TV+)
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Netflix)
Life Below Zero (Episode: "The Other Side") (Nat Geo)
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN)
Tina (HBO)
Speaking of music documentaries, "Tina" makes this category even more competitive.
Man versus Nature is the running theme of "Life Below Zero," so what I wrote about nature documentaries having an uphill battle against music documentaries applies to it, too.

That's it for unstructured reality show nominees. Stay tuned for competition nominees at the Emmy Awards for the next installment of this series.

Previous posts in this series

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