Category — reality TV Awards

Congratulations to all the reality shows and stars who received a Logie nomination this morning, however considering the genre is one of the highest rating on TV for the last few years and has created the most media chatter it would be good see it given a few more recognition by receiving a few more categories.

Currently the categories it receives are Most Popular Reality Program, Most Popular Light Entertainment Program, Most Popular Lifestyle Program, and Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program. Also  there is Most Popular Factual Program, and Most Outstanding Factual Program.

The most popular categories are voted by the public, the most Outstanding are voted by peers. They need to add a Most Outstanding Reality Program into the roster. As well as a Most Popular Reality TV Host, currently they can only be nominated in the Best New Talent Categories which is for everyone on TV or Most Popular Presenter.

Another category I would like to see is Most Popular Reality TV Contestant, this would acknowledge the integral part of these shows are the contestants, as they are the ones the audience love to talk about.

In fact maybe it is time for there to be a stand alone reality awards show.

This years nominations are:

MOST POPULAR REALITY PROGRAM
Beauty and the Geek Australia (Channel Seven)
Big Brother (Nine Network)
MasterChef Australia (Network Ten)
My Kitchen Rules (Channel Seven)
The Block (Nine Network)

It is interesting that The Amazing Race Australia can get an International Emmy, but can’t even get a nomination for a Logie.

MOST POPULAR LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
Gruen Planet (ABC1)
Hamish & Andy’s Euro Gap Year (Nine Network)
The Project (Network Ten)
The Voice (Nine Network)
The X Factor (Channel Seven)

The talent programs nominate themselves under this category, it will be very surprising if The Voice does not win.

MOST POPULAR NEW MALE TALENT
Alex Williams, Underground: The Julian Assange Story (Network Ten)
David Campbell, Mornings (Nine Network)
Joel Madden, The Voice (Nine Network)
Robert Irwin, Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors (Network Ten)
Will McDonald, Home and Away (Channel Seven)

MOST POPULAR NEW FEMALE TALENT
Annabel Crabb, Kitchen Cabinet (ABC2)
Brenna Harding, Puberty Blues (Network Ten)
Catherine Mack, Home and Away (Channel Seven)
Clare Bowditch, Offspring (Network Ten)
Edwina Royce, House Husbands (Nine Network)

GOLD LOGIE — MOST POPULAR PERSONALITY ON AUSTRALIAN TV
Adam Hills, Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight (ABC1)
Andy Lee, Hamish & Andy’s Euro Gap Year and Hamish & Andy’s Caravan Of Courage: Australia Vs New Zealand (Nine Network)
Asher Keddie, Offspring (Network Ten)
Carrie Bickmore, The Project (Network Ten)
Hamish Blake, Hamish & Andy’s Euro Gap Year and Hamish & Andy’s Caravan Of Courage: Australia Vs New Zealand (Nine Network)
Steve Peacocke, Home and Away (Channel Seven)

MOST POPULAR ACTOR
Firass Dirani, House Husbands (Nine Network) and The Straits (ABC1)
Hugh Sheridan, Packed to the Rafters (Channel Seven)
Lachy Hulme, Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War (Nine Network), Beaconsfield (Nine Network) andOffspring (Network Ten)
Matthew Le Nevez, Offspring (Network Ten)
Steve Peacocke, Home and Away (Channel Seven)

MOST POPULAR ACTRESS
Asher Keddie, Offspring (Network Ten)
Ashleigh Cummings, Puberty Blues (Network Ten) and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries(ABC1)
Deborah Mailman, Mabo (ABC1), Redfern Now (ABC1) and Offspring (Network Ten)
Julia Morris, House Husbands (Nine Network)
Rebecca Gibney, Packed to the Rafters (Channel Seven)

MOST POPULAR PRESENTER
Adam Hills, Adam Hills In Gordon St Tonight (ABC1)
Andy Lee, Hamish & Andy’s Euro Gap Year and Hamish & Andy’s Caravan Of Courage: Australia Vs New Zealand (Nine Network)
Carrie Bickmore, The Project (Network Ten)
Chrissie Swan, Can of Worms (Network Ten)
Hamish Blake, Hamish & Andy’s Euro Gap Year and Hamish & Andy’s Caravan Of Courage: Australia Vs New Zealand (Nine Network)

GRAHAM KENNEDY AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING NEW TALENT 

Annabel Crabb, Kitchen Cabinet (ABC2)
Brenna Harding, Puberty Blues (Network Ten)
Jason Montgomery, Underbelly: Badness (Nine Network)
Natasa Ristic, Danger 5 (SBS ONE)
Shari Sebbens, Redfern Now (ABC1)

MOST OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Offspring (Network Ten)
Puberty Blues (Network Ten)
Rake (ABC1)
Redfern Now (ABC1)
Tangle (Showcase)

MOST OUTSTANDING MINISERIES OR TELEMOVIE
Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War (Nine Network)
Jack Irish (ABC1)
Mabo (ABC1)
Underbelly: Badness (Nine Network)
Underground: The Julian Assange Story (Network Ten)

MOST POPULAR SPORTS PROGRAM 

Before the Game (Network Ten)
Paralympics London 2012 – Highlights (ABC1)
The Footy Show (AFL) (Nine Network)
The Footy Show (NRL) (Nine Network)
Wide World of Sports (Nine Network)

MOST OUTSTANDING NEWS COVERAGE 

“Baden-Clay”, Nine News (Nine Network)
“Cabinet Leaks”, Seven News Sydney (Channel Seven)
“Catholic Church Allegedly Hid Crimes of Paedophile Priests”, Lateline (ABC1)
“Fukushima”, ABC News (ABC1)
“Rudd Vs Gillard Leadership Challenge”, SKY NEWS (SKY NEWS)

MOST OUTSTANDING PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT
“Abducted!”, 60 Minutes (Nine Network)
“Anatomy of a Massacre”, Dateline (SBS ONE)
“Captain Emad: Smugglers’ Paradise – Australia”, Four Corners (ABC1)
“The World According To Lance (Lance Armstrong)”, Four Corners (ABC1)
“Unholy Silence (Catholic Church)”, Four Corners (ABC1)

MOST OUTSTANDING SPORTS COVERAGE
2012 Emirates Melbourne Cup Carnival (Channel Seven)
London 2012 Olympic Games (Nine Network)
2012 Toyota AFL Grand Final (Channel Seven)
London 2012 Olympic Games (FOXTEL)
Boxing Day Test Match (Nine Network)

MOST OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM
Dance Academy (ABC3)
Didi and B (Nick Jr. )
The Adventures of Figaro Pho (ABC3)
Totally Wild (Network Ten)
You’re Skitting Me (ABC3)

The Australia’s Directors Guild is creating some drama by freaking out that a reality TV director has been nominated for a AACTA award for best direction in television category. In their eyes Directors are not all equal.

The Guild has asked for Michael Mackay’s, the Executive Producer of The Amazing Race Australia, nomination to be withdrawn and replaced with a director of drama.

Directing drama probably is a different skill set but is it more difficult or worthier?

The Sydney Morning Herald reports:

It [Australia's Directors Guild] strongly condemned “this disrespect of the drama director’s profession”.

“We were just amazed. We read it when the nominations came out and thought it was a mistake,” the executive director of the Guild, Kingston Anderson, said. “To our surprise, it was deliberate. This is like comparing apples to oranges; it makes no sense.

“If AACTA wanted to honour directors in the reality or non-dramatic form, then they should have created a category for those directors.”

The chief executive officer of the Academy, Damian Trewhella, said the category was for all directors.

“I understand the ADG’s position and why they would like to restrict the award to drama directors,” he said. “Currently, we have just one award, which is called ‘best direction in television’, not ‘best direction in a television drama’.

“Therefore, productions across all categories – drama, comedy, light entertainment, reality and children’s – are eligible for the award.

“We acknowledge that there are significant distinctions between the role of the director on a drama and on a reality show, and that this does pose challenges when trying to assess them against each other. Perhaps this could be seen as a compromise, but we prefer to be inclusive, rather than exclusive, where possible.”

McKay, who is in Asia working on The Amazing Race Ukraine, won the best director award at the Asian Television Awards last year for the same episode of The Amazing Race Australia, and is “a little surprised by the ADG’s reaction because the industry seems to be recognising directors across the board and their work”.

“I respect that; they’re clearly saying it isn’t the exclusive domain of drama directors,” McKay said. “I’m surprised the ADG wants to limit the category only to directors who make movies or telemovies or drama. There’s a whole lot more. Maybe the ADG isn’t proud of those directors.

“I’m the guinea pig. Was I surprised to be nominated? Yes. I’m so honoured to be nominated and when it’s in this sort of category I get a bit embarrassed. To be in the category with those guys is very special. Early in my career I worked on drama and I know how hard that is, too.”

However, McKay does not think the nomination was a mistake.

“They want to honour directors full stop, not just drama directors. That’s a real step forward for these awards,” he said. “Some of those sports broadcasts are complicated. Same with the entertainment shows. Maybe next year whoever directs the AFL grand final – a massively complicated broadcast – will be in that category as well.”

Rather than expand the award, the Directors Guild wants to restrict it further, preventing light entertainment and comedy shows from qualifying.

“They shouldn’t be in it,” Anderson said. “If it’s going to be a director’s award, which is what it is, then they should all be directors. It’s like saying in the Olympics, ‘We’ll put a shot putter up against a swimmer’.

“If you’re going to say the director of The Amazing Race should be up against the director of Beaconsfield, well, then surely the people in The Amazing Race should be up for best actors? That’s the logic of that if they’re doing the same thing. Would [Academy board member] Sigrid Thornton like that?”

McKay rejected the comparison.

“I don’t direct the competitors; it’s more like a live sports event,” he said. “My job is to ensure that we’re getting the shots that we want. I conceived the opening arrivals and work with a great team of people to achieve and execute the plan. I do not direct the contestants once the race has started.”

If this is how the guild has reacted to a nomination, they will extremely peeved if the reality show director takes out the prize.

A reality TV award has now been added to the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). Of course I think this is fabulous as it shows reality TV as is getting the acknowledgement it deserves.

The Australian Film Institute announces nominations to these awards in November  and the winner announced early next year. You can keep track of the AACTA’s on their Facebook page or on Twitter.

I have written a piece for their blog called Why I Love Reality TV and they have put fancy pictures in it. So much slicker than you get over here.

It is that time again for the annual Reality Ravings awards (The Ravers) , again they are completely biased and not oversighted by Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Reality Ravings Reality TV Awards – 2010

The Inaugural Jesus H Christ Award

Winner: Kyle Sandilands, just when his enemies thought his career was dead he rises from the ashes to be bigger and more popular then ever.

After Kyle’s sacking from Australian Idol in 2009 he went to star in two reality TV shows in 2010 Australia’s Got Talent, and The X Factor.

Matthew Newton is hoping to win this award next year.

“Yes We Know It Really Wasn’t Your Fault” Award

Winner: Australia’s Next Top Model. After the most memorable finale of the show ever, with host Sarah Murdoch announcing the wrong winner a plethora of media releases were sent out to tell us it wasn’t her fault. For the record no one ever thought it was.

The Best Australia Reality TV Show

Winner: Masterchef Australia – The winner of the 2009 award in this category. But again four million viewers cannot be wrong, and was the overwhelming choice on the viewers poll. It was on our TV screens for three and a half months, six nights a week, and people did not know what to do with their time when the series finished nor what to tweet about.

Runner Up: Beauty and The Geek – One of those shows the thought of it is off putting but certainly punches above its intellectual weight in the ratings.

Honourable Mention: The X Factor – Even though it did not rate as well as they hoped, any station that spends over $20 million on a reality show has to be applauded. Altiyan Childs became a household name due to his avante garde performances, Guy Sebastian proved he has a career beyond just singing, Ronan Keating was inspired casting, and Kyle Sandilands proved he was the master manipulator but not such a great mentor.

Best New Reality TV Show

Winner: Four Weddings – this gets the title because this low budget Channel 7 show proved to be highly entertaining, with Bridezilla’s bitching about each others weddings.  An unexpected hit.

Runner Up: Junior Masterchef – this offshoot of Masterchef Australia proved much more successful than Celebrity Masterchef of 2009. The kids really knew how to cook, however at times it got sickly sweet, and I am talking about the judges, not the cooking.

Honourable Mention: Undercover Boss Australia – taken from the US version, it was interesting to see the CEO’s back at the coalface. I am sure they thought it was good PR, but one of the highlights was a worker bitching to the CEO of Boost Juice about how the company did not like to pay overtime. Don’t expect to see any of bosses of the top four banks posing as tellers listening to disgruntled punters bitch about their interest rate rises on the next series.

Best Reality Show On Pay TV

Winner: Come Dine With Me Australia – there were fears the Australia version would not be as good as the much loved UK version however it matched it and raised it one. Casting was gold with a good mix of straight people and fruit loops to create some fabulous reality TV frission.

Runner Up – Australia’s Next Top Model – The only thing anyone will remember from the series will be host Sarah Murdoch announcing the wrong winners name before she was told Amanda Ware was the actual winner.

Worst Reality Show On TV

Winners: Fame –The Ultimate High School Musical  – Just never lived up to the hype. It was boring and in hindsight it may have been better to involve a performing arts high school, and the cast were

Freshwater Blue – I have to confess I have only managed to watch five minutes of this show, but even I have standards. Did the casting directors take IQ tests of the cast to ensure they were dim witted, to ensure they are vacuous and boring?

Honourable Mention: The Boss Is Coming To Dinner – the premise was a potential boss comes to dinner. I still am trying to work out the point of the show, but it also created the greater sin of not being entertaining.

Best International Reality Show:

Winner: Celebrity Rehab – Avoids being too exploitative, and ensures you have empathy for the cast who are so open about their addictions. Heartwrenching at times. And yes it is always the mothers fault.

Runner Up: The Apprentice UK – Alan Sugar shows Donald Trump how it is done. Great cast, great challenges, and diverse contestants, a highlight on the TV calendar.

Honourable Mention: 9 By Design – a hip Bravo production about a designer with seven kids living in New York City. Only downside is Courtney the wife appeared to do most of the hands on work both with the kids and the designing, as dad was busy cultivating his hipster image.

The Douche of the Year Award

Deryck Ward. Who you ask? Well he was the reality star that never was as he was edited out of this season of The Biggest Loser, after he was arrested on child pornography charges. The result two weeks of the show was shown in two episodes.

Another year has past since Reality TV 2008 The Year In Review and it is time for 2009 awards to be announced.

For the record they are completely biased and arbitery, therefore dissent and objections are allowed and is in fact encouraged.

Best Australian Reality TV Show

The Winner:

Masterchef Australia – because really can four million Australian’s be wrong? This show was the Susan Boyle of Reality TV shows, a juggernaut that every TV station wanted to replicate. Producers seemed to think that the secret to it’s success was there was no nastiness either from judges or contestant’s and tried to replicate the “masterchef nice” formula to other shows.

Personally I thought the fresh concept, varied and interesting challenges, the personalities of the judges, and the quality of the guest judges is what made the show successful.

Runner Up:

So You Think You Can Dance Australia: If there had been no Masterchef Australia this show would have taken out the title. The flaws from season one had been ironed out, and the dancing and the choreography were on par with the mother ship (ie. the US series).

Honourable mention – The Apprentice: The Australian series rated poorly, however once the host, Mark Bouris, and his advisors got over their nerves, and some editing issues were ironed out, the show became very entertaining. However don’t expect to see it back on our screens next year.

Worst Australian Reality TV Program

Winner: The Phone- this mystery/The Amazing Race type reality show where two strangers supposedly find a phone and go running around the city looking for clues to find the pot of money at the end. Justin Melvey, the host, played his role  like he was really angling for a part on a D grade Underbelly type show. In fact it was painful to watch.

Runner up: Australia’s Perfect Couple- The concept of couples having to do challenges to prove how compatible they were was a weak one. Channel Nine eventually cut it down to half hour episodes. Mega dud.

Honourable Mention:

HomeMade  – this interior design show had the bones to make a great reality TV show. An interesting host and judging panel, but it really needed to be more like Bravo TV’s Top Design, than Renovation Rescue.

Best International Reality TV Program:

The Winner:  Any of the Survivor series that were shown this year. Survivor really came back to form with the crackerjack series of Gabon and Tocantins, which I unfortuately I did not get to see. However Samoa appears to have all the elements for a great series, the evil Russell, alliances, and some other kooky characters. And of course the man with the most famous dimples in show biz, Jeff Probst.

Runner-up: Top Chef – both New York and the Las Vegas season’s have been entertaining, and showed off some serious cooking talent. Hopefully one day soon a local version will be seen on on our screens.

Honourable Mentions – Tabatha’s Takeover Salon – Tabatha  an Australian hairdresser was the host of this entertaining show. Her straightforward manner made entertaining viewing as she took over hair salons that were on going nowhere. She was as direct as Gordon Ramsay, but without being offensive.

The Real Housewives of New York City- This show continued to be entertaining, as the camera’s followed around six “socialites” around New York. Special mention must go to Kelly Bensimon who gives new meaning to the word deluded. Most of the show was about them fighting or bitching about the other Housewives which somehow made riveting viewing.

Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew -  what I thought was going to be exploitative crap has turned into insightful and emotional TV viewing.

American Idol – Two words  Adam Lambert who was runner-up of the show was a star just waiting to happen. The new judge Kara Dio Guardi slotted in quite well, and they had a bikini girl who could kind of sing, and a meltdown in progress Tatiana Del Toro who was entertaining to watch.

Worst International Reality TV Show

I know I should say Dance Your Ass Off  but I thought the show (the one episode I saw) was entertaining. Tool Academy  where tool boyfriends go to get reprogrammed is pretty bad probably not helped by one of the contestants humping a footpath. Also british TV show Vanity Lair  which was a mixture of Big Brother, and pop psychology became tedious quickly because of the vacuousness of the contestants. Even UK’s It girl Alexa Chung could not save it.

Best Reality Australian TV Host

Sarah Murdoch host of Australia’s Next Top Model stepped into the role and was just about flawless in her first season. She was relaxed, able to adlib, and had a genuine warmth about her. Unfortunately for Jodhi Meares it really showed up how stiff she was in front of the camera.

Best International Reality TV Host:

Phil Keoghan from The Amazing Race, who this year really used the raising the one eyebrow trick as a comedic tool. Even though his job is not the most difficult he does do it with charm. A special shout out should go to Padma Lakshmi of Top Chef who is the best female host on TV at the moment. She is beautiful, witty, and intelligent.

Best Reality TV Sex Scandal:
Winner: Chris Badenoch from Masterchef Australia who kept the tabloid newspapers, magazines and this blog titillated for weeks with revelations of his love life. Once it was revealed that he was romancing fellow contestant Julia Jenkins, it emerged that he had at least two long term relationships on the go simultaneously, with rumoured other dalliances as well. He takes out the inaugural Tiger Wood’s trophy for reality  TV’s villain of the year as well.

Runner Up: The lesbian sex scandal up in Lockwood Queensland, involving the likeable Australian Idol contestant Kate Cook. Kate dumped her eight year relationship to run off with her girlfriend’s sister.

TV Show Where All The Cast Are Shaggable

Winner: Top Chef – if you ever were stuck at a ’70′s key party this would be the crew you would want to be your fellow attendees. The host Padma Lakshmi is completely luscious, her co-host Tom Colluchio is smoking hot, add in Toby Young who is cute in a nerdy way, and the gorgeous Gail Simmons and you have oodles of sex appeal on screen.

Please note the same does not apply to spin-off Top Chef Masters, starring Kelly Choi, and Gael Greene.

Runner up – Masterchef Australia – this show proved that ageing men with guts can be sex symbols. In fact Matt Preston garnered a huge cult and may be solely responsible for a cravat revival in Australia.

If you are reading this article through the feed at TV.com please come and check out my reality TV blog and join in the discussion www.realityravings.com