The Traitors Finally Broke the Emmys’ Reality Rut

As a seasoned casting director with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the world of reality TV is as diverse and fascinating as a box of colorful M&M’s. Each show, each genre, requires a unique approach to casting, much like donning different hats to navigate through a carnival of characters.

Among the major highlights of this year’s Primetime Emmy nominations was a surprising breakthrough in the Outstanding Reality Competition Category. In an unprecedented move, a newcomer, Peacock’s “The Traitors,” managed to breach what seemed like an impregnable fortress on the ballot. Interestingly, “The Traitors” is only the ninth show in the past five years to be nominated for the unique Reality TV award presented during the main Emmys telecast (as opposed to the Creative Arts Emmys where around 20 more reality awards are given out). This category has historically had just a handful of winners since its establishment in 2003. However, “The Traitors” is now nominated for the first time and is even being tipped by some as a potential winner. So, how did Peacock discover a weakness in the wall, and what’s the secret behind “The Traitors'” Emmy success?

Initially, Peacock aggressively promoted the show. During the voting phase for nominations, I encountered numerous individuals in L.A., who are aware of awards, expressing their surprise at seeing numerous “Traitors” billboards and commenting on how unusual it is for reality shows to campaign so intensely. Events were held featuring the show’s talkative host, Alan Cumming, as well as reunions between rival cast members Phaedra Parks and Dan Gheesling. At one event, Peacock took over a section of L.A.’s open-air shopping center, The Grove, setting up a replica of the show’s roundtable and chalkboards for voting. According to Katey Rich from The Ankler, who was present, there were some people wandering around the “Traitors Castle Garden” who seemed unaware of what show had brought them there. “Even in FYC season,” Rich told me, “it seems like every bit of publicity counts.”

A more subtle hint for the Emmys improvement of “The Traitors” this year could be traced back to its modest achievement in the previous season. Despite only securing a single nomination for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program in 2023, Erin Tomasello, the casting director for season one, managed to win that Emmy, edging out popular shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Queer Eye”. This victory could be seen as a significant stepping stone towards “The Traitors” receiving more nominations this year. With Peacock significantly boosting its promotion during the campaign, “The Traitors” has garnered five nominations, including one for Outstanding Host (Cumming) and the highly coveted Outstanding Reality Competition award. It seems that “The Traitors” is now the main contender challenging the five-time winner “RuPaul’s Drag Race”. Given that reality shows thrive on their casting prowess, it’s no wonder that a casting award may have sparked this upward trend in nominations.

According to “Traitors” producer Sam Rees-Jones, everything begins with establishing the characters or setting. In the case of “The Traitors,” the extensive planning we do during pre-production plays a significant role in the show’s success. We design the game and create the environment, then provide the players with a set of rules. It’s crucial that we get the initial setup right because once they’re immersed in the castle, the players take control of the game.

Translating this into simpler, more conversational language:

As a cast member, I’ve come to realize that the selection process for a show like The Traitors, a social strategy series, is just one unique instance of the intricate process involved in filling a reality TV slot. You see, “reality TV” isn’t merely a single genre; it’s more like an all-encompassing roof that shelters numerous types of television programs.

Since 1991 at the Emmys, casting directors have been recognized in various ways, unlike the Motion Picture Academy whose casting category will debut with films released in 2025. Currently, there are four distinct casting awards: comedy, drama, limited series, and reality TV. However, this distribution seems unfair given the vast quantity of unscripted shows on television and the diversity within the realm of reality programming. For instance, consider this year’s nominees for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program.

Tomasello, as a member of the Academy, has been advocating for the creation of a new category called Reality Casting, due to the significant differences between various show types. Her goal is to provide an opportunity for unscripted casting voices to be heard, just like scripted shows have distinct categories. She envisions three main categories: unstructured, structured, and competition. This would prevent shows like “Love on the Spectrum” from competing against something more traditional like “Amazing Race.”

In essence, reality TV awards at the Emmys are still quite recent when compared to other categories. The category “Outstanding Reality Program” was established in 2001 for series such as the docu-drama American High and late-night HBO favorite Taxicab Confessions. The “Outstanding Reality Competition” followed in 2003, catering to popular shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race. It wasn’t until 2014 that the “Outstanding Reality Program” was divided into Structured and Unstructured categories. For a leisurely read, you might want to skim through the Emmys bylaws for clarity on what differentiates structured from unstructured, but in essence, according to the Emmys 2024 rules and procedures, structured shows are those that follow a specific format or structure.

The stories often follow a familiar structure with recurring elements, either entirely self-contained in each episode or continuing between episodes. They are guided by specific rules or templates that define the narrative pattern, which may consist of scenes such as presentations, tasks, evaluations, interviews, disclosures, resolutions, explorations, dialogues, and so forth.

These shows, such as “Love Is Blind”, “Shark Tank”, “Queer Eye”, and even “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, can be described as non-traditional competition series or reality shows with a unique format. They follow a recurring structure but do not strictly adhere to the conventional rules of competition, making them stand out in the genre.

Unstructured reality, meanwhile, is:

For programs that feature narratives influenced by the activities of ordinary people and/or famous personalities, and lack a fixed, recurring plot structure and standard sequence of events. These irregular elements often portray the lives, aspirations, and experiences of characters, emphasizing individuality, connections, professions, tasks, endeavors, etc. The storytelling may be self-contained within each episode or continue across multiple episodes, but it typically lacks strict guidelines and a predefined format.

These include Bravo’s “The Real Housewives” and “Below Deck” series, as well as shows like Netflix’s “Selling Sunset,” HBO’s “We’re Here,” and FX’s “Welcome to Wrexham.” In simpler terms, we’re talking about reality TV shows like Bravo’s “The Real Housewives” and “Below Deck,” along with shows such as “Selling Sunset” on Netflix, “We’re Here” on HBO, and “Welcome to Wrexham” on FX.

Over time, categories for different types of productions have been separated to accommodate their distinct artistic elements. For instance, choreography was divided into reality and scripted sections in 2019. The award for Outstanding Cinematography in a Reality Program branched off from the one for Non-Fiction Programs in 2006. Additionally, editing categories were split between structured and unstructured reality shows back in 2016. It seems logical and inevitable that the casting category should also undergo a similar diversification process.

While such a change might not grab sensational headlines like introducing a category for Outstanding Reality Show Cast Member, it’s not entirely unheard of. The Critics Choice Real TV Awards already have a category for “Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series,” as well as individual awards for Male and Female Stars, which have recognized reality show cast members before (Ariana Madix from “Vanderpump Rules” being one example).

2024-08-03 16:54

The Traitors Finally Broke the Emmys’ Reality Rut

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