RuPaul’s Drag Race tops the list of Critics Choice Real TV Awards winners with two wins including a tie with The Great British Baking Show in the Best Competition Series. Overall, the Critics Choice Association (CCA)* and nonfiction producers’ organization NPACT spread the wealth, awarding 23 additional series an award this year.
Netflix topped all networks with six wins followed by HBO/HBO Max with three. ABC, Apple TV+, and VH1 each picked up two wins.
Fans were given the opportunity to select the winners in the Male Star of the Year and Female Star of the Year categories and chose Somebody Feed Phil‘s Phil Rosenthal and Dr. Pimple Popper‘s Sandra Lee as winners.
The annual award show recognizes unscripted “programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, and also recognize industry leaders with special awards highlighting career achievements.” Although for safety’s sake this year’s awards ceremony was not held in person, winners were able to deliver their thank yous via special acceptance videos hosted on the Critics Choice YouTube channel.
THIRD ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE REAL TV AWARDS WINNERS
BEST COMPETITION SERIES – TIE
**RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
The Amazing Race (CBS)
**The Great British Baking Show (Netflix)
Top Chef (Bravo)
Tough as Nails (CBS)
BEST COMPETITION SERIES: TALENT/VARIETY – TIE
American Idol (ABC)
Legendary (HBO Max)
**The Masked Singer (Fox)
**The Voice (NBC)
World of Dance (NBC)
BEST UNSTRUCTURED SERIES
Crikey! It’s the Irwins (discovery+)
**Deaf U (Netflix)
Lenox Hill (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked (VH1)
The Real World Homecoming: New York (Paramount+)
BEST STRUCTURED SERIES – TIE
A World of Calm (HBO Max)
**Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)
History of Swear Words (Netflix)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
**The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+)
BEST BUSINESS SHOW
Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)
**Shark Tank (ABC)
Streets of Dreams with Marcus Lemonis (CNBC)
Undercover Billionaire (Discovery Channel and discovery+)
Wahl Street (HBO Max)
BEST SPORTS SHOW
**30 for 30 (ESPN)
Defying Gravity (YouTube Originals)
Last Chance U: Basketball (Netflix)
Peyton’s Places (ESPN+)
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
BEST CRIME/JUSTICE SHOW
**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+)
**Frontline (PBS)
POV (PBS)
The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth (Showtime)
The Vow (HBO)
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
**1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything (Apple TV+)
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+ / National Geographic)
BEST SHORT FORM SERIES
First Person (Snapchat)
**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
**Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
BEST CULINARY SHOW
Amy Schumer Learns to Cook (Food Network)
Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines (discovery+)
Nailed It! (Netflix)
**Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Hulu)
Top Chef (Bravo)
BEST GAME SHOW
25 Words or Less (Fox/Syndicated)
**Jeopardy! (CBS Television/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)
**Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN)
The Great Food Truck Race (Food Network)
BEST ANIMAL/NATURE SHOW
**Life in Color with David Attenborough (Netflix)
Secrets of the Whales (Disney+ / National Geographic)
That Animal Rescue Show (Paramount+)
The Incredible Dr. Pol (Nat Geo WILD)
Wizard of Paws (BYUtv)
BEST LIFESTYLE: FASHION/BEAUTY SHOW
Haute Dog (HBO Max)
**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)
**Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)
My Love: Six Stories of True Love (Netflix)
BEST LIFESTYLE: HOME/GARDEN SHOW
**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)
**RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
Crikey! It’s The Irwins (discovery+)
The Real World Homecoming: New York (Paramount+)
BEST SHOW HOST
RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
Oprah Winfrey – The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+)
Stanley Tucci – Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN)
Padma Lakshmi – Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Hulu)
**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)
**Phil Rosenthal – Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix)
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)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION PROGRAMMING BY A NETWORK OR STREAMING PLATFORM
Discovery+
Disney+
**HBO Max
Hulu
National Geographic
Netflix
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION PRODUCTION
The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC)
Jigsaw Productions
Renegade 83
**Sharp Entertainment
* – I’m a member of the Critics Choice Association.
