“RuPaul’s Drag Race” led all programs at this year’s virtual Critics Choice Real TV Awards, with two nods — for best competition series and best ensemble cast in an unscripted series. But the real surprise, as the awards were announced Monday via press release, was the sheer number of ties in top categories.
VH1’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race” tied with Netflix’s “The Great British Baking Show” (Netflix) for competition series, while “The Masked Singer” (Fox) and “The Voice” (NBC) tied for competition series: talent/variety, and “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” (Food Network) and “The Oprah Conversation” (Apple TV Plus) tied for structured series.
In the fan voted categories, Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil” host Phil Rosenthal was named male star of the year, while Sandra Lee of TLC’s “Dr. Pimple Popper” (TLC) was named female star of the year. Alex Trebek was honored posthumously with this year’s Impact Award, “which recognizes an outstanding individual for career excellence and the positive impact they have made on the world of nonfiction content.”
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Netflix led all networks in wins, with six, while HBO Max was given the achievement in nonfiction programming by a network or streaming platform award. Here are this year’s winners:
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BEST COMPETITION SERIES
WINNER (TIE) “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
WINNER (TIE) “The Great British Baking Show” (Netflix)
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
“Tough as Nails” (CBS)
BEST COMPETITION SERIES: TALENT/VARIETY
“American Idol” (ABC)
“Legendary” (HBO Max)
WINNER (TIE) “The Masked Singer” (Fox)
WINNER (TIE) “The Voice” (NBC)
“World of Dance” (NBC)
BEST UNSTRUCTURED SERIES
“Crikey! It’s the Irwins” (Discovery Plus)
WINNER: “Deaf U” (Netflix)
“Lenox Hill” (Netflix)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked” (VH1)
“The Real World Homecoming: New York” (Paramount Plus)
BEST STRUCTURED SERIES
“A World of Calm” (HBO Max)
WINNER (TIE) “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” (Food Network)
“History of Swear Words” (Netflix)
“Queer Eye” (Netflix)
WINNER (TIE) “The Oprah Conversation” (Apple TV Plus)
BEST BUSINESS SHOW
“Restaurant: Impossible” (Food Network)
WINNER: “Shark Tank” (ABC)
“Streets of Dreams with Marcus Lemonis” (CNBC)
“Undercover Billionaire” (Discovery Channel/Discovery Plus)
“Wahl Street” (HBO Max)
BEST SPORTS SHOW
WINNER: “30 for 30” (ESPN)
“Defying Gravity” (YouTube Originals)
“Last Chance U: Basketball” (Netflix)
“Peyton’s Places” (ESPN Plus)
“Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” (HBO)
BEST CRIME/JUSTICE SHOW
WINNER: “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (HBO)
“Murder Among the Mormons” (Netflix)
“Murder on Middle Beach” (HBO)
“The Ripper” (Netflix)
“The Vow” (HBO)
“Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller” (National Geographic)
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
“American Masters” (PBS)
“Dear …” (Apple TV Plus)
WINNER: “Frontline” (PBS)
“POV” (PBS)
“The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth” (Showtime)
“The Vow” (HBO)
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
WINNER: “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” (Apple TV Plus)
“Amend: The Fight for America” (Netflix)
“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (HBO)
“Love Fraud” (Showtime)
“Murder on Middle Beach” (HBO)
“Secrets of the Whales” (Disney Plus/National Geographic)
BEST SHORT FORM SERIES
“First Person (Snapchat)
WINNER: “Issa Rae Teaches Creating Outside the Lines” (MasterClass)
“Lady Parts” (Ellentube)
“OWN Your Vote” (NowThis and OWN social channels)
“Ready Jet Cook” (Food Network Kitchen)
BEST LIVE SHOW
WINNER: “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC)
BEST CULINARY SHOW
“Amy Schumer Learns to Cook” (Food Network)
“Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines” (Discovery Plus)
“Nailed It!” (Netflix)
WINNER: “Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi” (Hulu)
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
BEST GAME SHOW
“25 Words or Less” (Syndicated)
WINNER: “Jeopardy!” (Syndicated)
“Supermarket Sweep” (ABC)
“Weakest Link” (NBC)
“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (ABC)
BEST TRAVEL/ADVENTURE SHOW
“Men in Kilts” (Starz)
“Running Wild with Bear Grylls” (National Geographic)
“Somebody Feed Phil” (Netflix)
WINNER: “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” (CNN)
“The Great Food Truck Race” (Food Network)
BEST ANIMAL/NATURE SHOW
WINNER: “Life in Color with David Attenborough” (Netflix)
“Secrets of the Whales” (Disney Plus/National Geographic)
“That Animal Rescue Show” (Paramount Plus)
“The Incredible Dr. Pol” (Nat Geo Wild)
“Wizard of Paws” (BYU TV)
BEST LIFESTYLE: FASHION/BEAUTY SHOW
“Haute Dog” (HBO Max)
WINNER: “Queer Eye” (Netflix)
“Shine True” (Fuse)
“Skin Decision: Before and After” (Netflix)
“Stylish with Jenna Lyons” (HBO Max)
BEST RELATIONSHIP SHOW
“90 Day Fiancé” (TLC)
“Couples Therapy” (Showtime)
“Indian Matchmaking” (Netflix)
WINNER: “Love on the Spectrum” (Netflix)
“My Love: Six Stories of True Love” (Netflix)
BEST LIFESTYLE: HOME/GARDEN SHOW
WINNER: “House Hunters International” (HGTV)
“Martha Knows Best” (HGTV)
“Property Brothers: Forever Home” (HGTV)
“Rock the Block” (HGTV)
“Selling Sunset” (Netflix)
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN AN UNSCRIPTED SERIES
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
WINNER: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
“Queer Eye” (Netflix)
“Crikey! It’s The Irwins” (Discovery Plus)
“The Real World Homecoming: New York” (Paramount Plus)
BEST SHOW HOST
RuPaul – “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
Oprah Winfrey – “The Oprah Conversation” (Apple TV Plus)
Stanley Tucci – “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” (CNN)
Padma Lakshmi – “Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi” (Hulu)
WINNER: John Oliver – “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO)
MALE STAR OF THE YEAR
Trevor Noah – “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)
RuPaul – “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
Stanley Tucci – “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” (CNN)
Guy Fieri – “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” (Food Network)
WINNER: Phil Rosenthal – “Somebody Feed Phil” (Netflix)
FEMALE STAR OF THE YEAR
Nicole Byer – “Nailed It!” (Netflix)
WINNER: 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)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION PROGRAMMING BY A NETWORK OR STREAMING PLATFORM
Discovery Plus
Disney Plus
WINNER: HBO Max
Hulu
National Geographic
Netflix
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION PRODUCTION
The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC)
Jigsaw Productions
Renegade 83
WINNER: Sharp Entertainment
Critics Choice Real TV Awards are executive produced by Bob Bain and Joey Berlin. Michelle Van Kempen is executive producer for NPACT. Launched in 2019 by the CCA and NPACT, this year’s awards received more than 600 submissions. According to the CCA, “a blue-ribbon nominating committee made up of CCA members with expertise in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming determines the nominees. Winners will be chosen by a vote of the CCA membership.”
