2018 Emmys: Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

[divider style=”normal” top=”20″ bottom=”20″]

How hard is it to be the host or hostess with the mostess?

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program, while combining two different program categories, most often puts it thumb on the scale of the host or hosts of the competition programs. In the 10 years since the category has existed every single winner came from a Reality-Competition program. That makes more sense when you realize that until last year only ONE nominee ever had come from a non-competition program: Anthony Bourdain for The Taste in 2015. When the category kicked off in 2008, Survivor‘s Jeff Probst went on a four-year winning streak, which was, ironically enough, the first year Survivor was dropped from the Reality-Competition lineup and has since never returned. On the flip side, The Voice has won three years in a row and their host, Carson Daly, has never been nominated.

Since then, Tom Bergeron (Dancing with the Stars) and Heidi Klum & Tim Gunn (Project Runway) have won once, Jane Lynch (Hollywood Game Night) has won twice and the reigning champ, RuPaul Charles (RuPaul’s Drag Race) has won the last two years.

Last year saw a lot of shakeup in this category with first-timers Alec Baldwin (Match Game), W. Kamau Bell (United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell), Gordon Ramsay (Masterchef Junior) and Martha Stewart & Snoop Dogg (Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party) knocking out Bergeron, Lynch, and Steve Harvey (Little Big Shots). There was also an opening left by the “final” season of American Idol where Ryan Seacrest made a return after three years.

This year could see another big shakeup, and I’m predicting it will. I think W. Kamau Bell will probably return but I’m less inclined to say the same about Ramsay or Martha and Snoop. The Reality-Competition categories can often have a feel of being rubber-stamped (the winners certainly do) so, despite last year’s shift, I think we’ll be seeing a fair amount of return nominees. I expect RuPaul, definitely, as well as Baldwin and Klum & Gunn.

From there I think we’re looking at just two new nominees but they’re no small potatoes. Ellen DeGeneres is a 14-time Primetime Emmy nominee and winner back in 1997. Not to mention her domination of the Daytime Emmys. She can essentially take over the reigns for Jane Lynch here with Ellen’s Game of Games. The big new nominee I’m expecting (and potential winner here) will be the Fab Five from the reboot of Queer Eye. Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness have been absolutely everywhere, the show just dropped a second season in record time and the buzz and love for this reboot has reverberated across the country. They could quite easily take this in September and if they do will be the first from a non-competition program.

Here are my predictions for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program:

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program

1. RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
2. Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness, Queer Eye (Netflix)
3. Ellen DeGeneres, Ellen’s Game of Games (NBC)
4. W. Kamau Bell, United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell (CNN)
5. Alec Baldwin, Match Game (ABC)
6. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway (Lifetime)

OTHER CONTENDERS

Nicole Byer, Nailed It! (Netflix)
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race (CBS)
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio, Top Chef
Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night (NBC)
Jeff Probst, Survivor (CBS)
Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party (VH1)