Dream Emmy Ballot 2010: Misc. Observations on Reality

I didn't watch enough reality television in the past season to construct a full ballot of competitive and observational shows, but I thought I'd discuss the genre a bit. The reality categories are some of the most stagnant of the entire Emmy slate - the competitive show category has had the same five nominees for the past three years, and The Amazing Race has won that category in each year since its 2003 inception. I wonder how different voters put together their ballots for reality programs - after a show's first season, its quality is determined more by casting and production than by innovation of premise. Even if a show's structure was novel when it began, should it still be recognized when that format has stagnated?

It would be nice to see the voting members of the academy recognize that the past season's offerings from American Idol and Project Runway were largely considered to be underwhelming (compared with prior glory), and introduce some new blood into the competitive category like RuPaul's Drag Race and criminally under-recognized So You Think You Can Dance. I'll also reiterate my opinion from last year that declining to recognize Cat Deeley in the Best Host category robs said category of any legitimacy.

SYTYCD usually sees its primary recognition in the Best Choreography category. I'd like to see Wade Robson's Top 20 routine from Season 6 get noticed there. It'll be interesting to see how that category plays out with the introduction of Glee, which has some truly innovative numbers ("Jump," "Safety Dance,") but also frequently cribs from familiar dance tropes and music video choreography.