Despite having two nominations at the 6th Annual Reality Television Awards, Survivor walked away from the ceremonies empty-handed.
David vs. Goliath, I believe, remains one of the best seasons of television in Survivor history. Season 37 brought a bevy of great characters, showcased excellent editing, saw compelling drama and brought a narrative design baked into the gameplay that didn’t feel too overbearing. However, it was just one great season in Fiji in a sea of mediocre to poor ones, and the Reality Television Awards reflects that.
Sunday night marked the 6th Annual Reality Television Awards, honoring those who produce, compete and entertain in the realm of reality programming. Twenty-one awards were handed out across broadcast network, cable and online avenues, and Survivor found itself nominated in two categories; Overall Show and Host. Unfortunately, the show did not win in either category.
As per a news release, for nomination at 2019 Reality Television Awards, shows had to air at least 50% of its programming between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018. This meant that for Survivor, the two seasons they had to represent them in 2019 (long delay, I know) were Game Changers and Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers.
That fact, right there, is the best explanation for the lack of nomination wins. With just two nominations in Best Overall Show and Best Host, Survivor and Jeff Probst lost to Pit Bulls & Parolees and Steve Harvey, respectively. That’s right, even though the production quality of the presentation was iffy at best, we still saw awards accepting from the likes of Steve Harvey, Ellen Degeneres, Kevin O’Leary and more.
That’s not to say that a show like Survivor can’t win awards for a more youth-oriented awards ceremony like the Reality Television Awards. Adam Klein won the Best Performance Award last year for his emotional Loved Ones’ visit episode of Millennials vs. Gen X where he had a hard-fought Immunity Challenge win among the string of emotional moments.