Client: Dr. Sandra Lee - Talent
RuPaul’s Drag Race has topped the list of the 2021 Critics Choice Real TV Awards nominees, racking up five nominations.
The VH1 show is nominated for best competition series, best ensemble cast in an unscripted series, female star of the year (Michelle Visage) and two for host RuPaul Charles (best show host and male star of the year).
Other shows scoring multiple nominations include triple nominees Netflix’s Queer Eye, CNN’s Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, Hulu’s Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi and Bravo’s Top Chef.
Netflix scored the most nominations with 22, followed by HBO/HBO Max with 14.
It was also announced that late Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek will be honored with this year’s Impact Award, recognizing career excellence and an individual’s positive impact on the world of nonfiction content.
“As the number of platforms continues to grow, the quality of unscripted television programming has skyrocketed, and we are thrilled to be able to recognize so much great work, especially at the end of a year when this content was needed more than ever,” said Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin. “We are looking forward to celebrating this year’s winners, and our most deserving Impact Award honoree Alex Trebek, later this month.”
The general manager of nonfiction producers’ organization NPACT, which leads the selection of non-competitive discretionary awards, Michelle Van Kempen, added: “Throughout the unprecedented challenge of the last year, nonfiction content was a touchstone for audiences around the globe. From documentary to reality, competition to game shows, nonfiction provided much-needed connection and entertainment. We are immensely grateful to the family of Alex Trebek for allowing NPACT and the CCA to honor him this year, and to celebrate the positive impact he made on our industry.”
Winners of the third annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards — recognizing the best in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming — will be revealed on Monday, June 21. Winners in two categories — female star of the year and male star of the year — will be chosen by fan voting on CriticsChoice.com.
FEMALE STAR OF THE YEAR Nicole Byer – Nailed It! (Netflix) Sandra Lee – Dr. Pimple Popper (TLC) Michelle Visage – RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1) Padma Lakshmi – Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Hulu) Samantha Bee – Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)