Emmys: Seacrest, Probst, Klum, Bergeron, Mandel get first reality host nominations

If you want to know who won, check out live coverage of the 2008 Emmys.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced the first-ever nominees in the new outstanding host for a reality or reality competition program category, and they are Dancing with the Stars‘ Tom Bergeron, Project Runway‘s Heidi Klum, Deal or No Deal‘s Howie Mandel, Survivor‘s Jeff Probst, and American Idol‘s Ryan Seacrest.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is Phil Keoghan’s snub–considering how much the Academy fawns over The Amazing Race–and Heidi Klum’s nomination. Klum is good, but she’s not in the same league as her fellow nominees. While Ryan Seacrest is extraordinarily talented at controlling a live TV show, I’ve argued before that Jeff Probst deserves to win, not only for defining what a reality show host is, but for growing with his show and acting as both an objective guide and as a stand-in for viewers.

Probst especially deserves to win since Survivor was snubbed despite trade paper support. In other Emmy nomination news, Kathy Griffin was nominated again, and Discovery’s Dirty Jobs scored a nomination. Hell’s Kitchen was nominated in the Outstanding Art Direction For A Variety, Music Or Nonfiction Programming category, and So You Think You Can Dance got three nominations for its choreography.

Here are the other reality TV-related nominees. Not all nominees are listed in some categories; see the full nominations list for details and specific episodes that were nominated.

• Outstanding Reality Competition Program: American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, The Amazing Race, and Top Chef.
• Outstanding Reality Program: Antiques Roadshow, Dirty Jobs, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Intervention, and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.
• Outstanding Nonfiction Series: Deadliest Catch and This American Life.
• Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming: Autism: The Musical, Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, Meerkat Manor, and This American Life.
• Outstanding Cinematography For Reality Programming: PBS’ Carrier, Project Runway, Survivor China, The Amazing Race, and Top Chef.
• Outstanding Directing For Nonfiction Programming:Autism: The Musical, Project Runway 4 and The Amazing Race 12.
• Outstanding Picture Editing For Reality Programming: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Project Runway 4, Survivor Micronesia, The Amazing Race 12, and Top Chef 3.
• Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming: Autism, the Musical, Deadliest Catch, and This American Life.
• Outstanding Sound Editing For Nonfiction Programming (single or multi-camera) : Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, Autism: The Musical, and The Amazing Race 12.
• Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming (single or multi-camera) : Deadliest Catch and The Amazing Race 12.
• Outstanding Choreography: So You Think You Can Dance (three nominations, for Wade Robson’s Hummingbird and Flower / “The Chairman’s Waltz,” Shane Sparks’ Transformers / “Fuego,” and Mandy Moore’s Table / “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)”), and Dancing with the Stars.
• Outstanding Picture Editing Of Clip Packages For Talk, Performance, Award Or Reality Competition Programs: American Idol 7 and Dancing with the Stars 6.