The Creative Arts Emmys were awarded this weekend, and among the winners of reality TV-related Emmys were RuPaul Charles, for outstanding reality show host; A&E’s life-changing documentary series Born This Way; and Netflix’s outstanding Making a Murderer, which won four awards, for directing, writing, editing, and overall documentary/nonfiction series.
Other big winners:
- Shark Tank also won best structured reality program for the third time in the three years the award has existed.
- A&E’s Cartel Land won three awards: for cinematography, sound editing, and exceptional merit in documentary filmmaking.
- HBO’s revival of Project Greenlight won editing for an unstructured show.
- National Geographic’s Life Below Zero won an Emmy for cinematography.
RuPaul’s win was for his first nomination, and is only the second time a cable reality show host has won (Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn’s joint win for Project Runway in 2013). He was up against broadcast reality TV savior Steve Harvey and American Idol‘s Ryan Seacrest, whose loss means he will never win for hosting what was television’s biggest show.
Accepting the award, RuPaul said, according to Deadline, “Earlier this year I was quoted saying I’d rather have an enema than an Emmy. But thanks to the Television Academy I can have both!”
Ryan Seacrest didn’t go away empty-handed: American Idol won the Governor’s Award, which was presented Saturday. That’s an award given “to an individual, company, organization or project for outstanding achievement in the arts and sciences or management of television which is either of a cumulative nature or so extraordinary and universal in nature as to go beyond the scope of the Emmy Awards presented in the categories and areas of the competition.”
The Creative Arts Emmys, which are given out a week earlier and not featured in the prime-time telecast, were further split apart this year into two separate awards shows—though they’ll be broadcast together next Saturday night on FXX, and then be online at Emmys.com. The split seems to have been between scripted and reality shows: most reality television and nonfiction awards were given tonight, while many awards for acting were given out last night.
Here are all the winners in the reality and nonfiction categories; winners are in bold. One Emmy remains: best reality competition program, which will be given out during the main broadcast next Sunday on ABC.
Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
- Ryan Seacrest, American Idol
- Tom Bergeron, Dancing with the Stars
- Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night
- Steve Harvey, Little Big Shots
- Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway
- RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Outstanding Structured Reality Program
This category stayed the same as last year, too, with one change: Lip Sync Battle was nominated and Property Brothers was not.
- Antiques Roadshow, PBS
- Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives, Food Network
- Lip Sync Battle, Spike TV
- MythBusters, Discovery Channel
- Shark Tank, ABC
- Undercover Boss, CBS
Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
This category had incredible turnover, with just two shows (Deadliest Catch and Intervention) that were nominated last year getting nominations this year. And this is a great selection of shows that all do different things with documentary-style reality.
- Born This Way, A&E
- Deadliest Catch, Discovery Channel
- Gaycation with Ellen Page, Viceland
- Intervention, A&E
- Project Greenlight, HBO
- United Shades of America, CNN
Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series
- American Masters, PBS
- Chef’s Table, Netflix
- Making a Murderer, Netflix
- The Seventies, CNN
- Women with Gloria Steinem, Viceland
Outstanding Informational Series Or Special
- Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, CNN
- Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo
- Star Talk with Neil deGrasse Tyson, National Geographic Channel
- The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, National Geographic Channel
- Vice, HBO
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
- Becoming Mike Nichols, HBO
- Everything Is Copy – Nora Ephron: Scripted & Unscripted, HBO
- Listen to Me Marlon, Showtime
- Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures, HBO
- What Happened, Miss Simone? Netflix
Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction Or Reality Series
- A Year in Space, Time.com
- Inside Look: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, FX
- Jay Leno’s Garage, NBC.com
- National Endowment For The Arts: United States Of Arts, arts.gov
- Roots: A New Vision, History
Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
- Cartel Land, A&E
- Jim: The James Foley Story, HBO
- Racing Extinction, Discovery Channel
- The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Independent Lens), PBS
- The Hunting Ground, CNN
- Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom, Netflix
Outstanding Directing for a Nonfiction Program
- Cartel Land, A&E
- Chef’s Table, “Gaggan Anand”, Netflix
- He Named Me Malala, National Geographic Channel
- Making a Murderer, “Fighting for Their Lives,” Netflix
- What Happened, Miss Simone? Netflix
Cinematography for a Reality Program
- Deadliest Catch, “Carpe Diem,” Discovery Channel
- Intervention, “Sierra,” A&E
- Life Below Zero, “Break Through,” National Geographic Channel
- Project Runway, “Mad Dash Mayhem,” Lifetime
- Survivor Second Chance, CBS
- The Amazing Race, “We’re Only Doing Freaky Stuff Today”, CBS
Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
- Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, “Cuba,” CNN
- Cartel Land, A&E
- He Named Me Malala, National Geographic Channel
- Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures, HBO
- What Happened, Miss Simone? Netflix
Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program
- Dancing With The Stars, “Disney Night / Costumes: dancers only”, ABC
- RuPaul’s Drag Race, “Keeping It 100! / Costumes: RuPaul only”, Logo
- Grease Live!, “Costumes: all”, Fox
- Saturday Night Live, “Host: Ryan Gosling / Costumes: all except musical guest”, NBC
- The Wiz Live!, “Costumes: all”, Fox
Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program
- Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, “Borneo,” CNN
- Everything Is Copy – Nora Ephron: Scripted & Unscripted, HBO
- Jackie Robinson, PBS
- Making a Murderer, “Eighteen Years Lost,” Netflix
- Walt Disney (American Experience), PBS
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program
- Cartel Land, A&E
- He Named Me Malala, National Geographic Channel
- Making a Murderer, “Indefensible,” Netflix
- Vice, “Fighting Isis,” HBO
- What Happened, Miss Simone? Netflix
Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured or Competition Reality Program
- Shark Tank, episode 702, ABC
- Survivor Kaoh Rong, “Signed, Sealed, and Delivered,” CBS
- The Amazing Race, “We’re Only Doing Freaky Stuff Today,” CBS
- The Voice, episode 1005, NBC
- Who Do You Think You Are? “Bryan Cranston,” TLC
Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program
- Born This Way, “Don’t Limit Me,” A&E
- Born This Way, “Up Syndrome,” A&E
- Deadliest Catch, “Carpe Diem,” Discovery Channel
- Naked And Afraid XL, “40 Days Jungle Rich”, Discovery Channel
- Project Greenlight, “Accident Waiting to Happen,” HBO
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program
- Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, “Ethiopia”, CNN
- Deadliest Catch, “Carpe Diem,” Discovery Channel
- Making a Murderer, “Lack of Humanity,” Netflix
- Vice, “Fighting Isis,” HBO
- What Happened, Miss Simone? Netflix
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction Program
- Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, “Okinawa”, CNN
- Cartel Land, A&E
- He Named Me Malala, National Geographic Channel
- Making a Murderer, “Lack of Humanity,” Netflix
- What Happened, Miss Simone? Netflix
Outstanding Choreography
- America’s Best Dance Crew, Quest Crew, “Routines: Runaway Baby/Take U There/Summer Thing”, MTV
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “Routines: I’m So Good at Yoga/A Boy Band Made Up of Four Joshes/Settle For Me”, The CW
- Dancing With The Stars, Derek Hough, “Routines: Footprints In The Sand/Grace Kelly/Cry Little Sister”, ABC
- So You Think You Can Dance, Travis Wall, “Routines: Beautiful Friends/November/Gimme All Your Love”, FOX
- So You Think You Can Dance, Anthony Morigerato, “Routine: Dibidy Dop”, FOX
discuss this story