Critics Choice Real TV Awards Winners: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, Netflix Top List

Patrick Hipes
·3 min read
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VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race took home multiple awards and Netflix was the winningest network at the Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which unveiled winners Monday for its third annual edition.

The competition featured ties in three of the marquee categories: Best Competition Series (RuPaul’s Drag Race and Netflix’s The Great British Baking Show), Best Competition Series: Talent/Variety (Fox’s The Masked Singer and NBC’s The Voice) and Best Structured Series (Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Apple TV+’s The Oprah Conversation).

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Netflix’s Deaf U alone took the other top category, Best Unstructured Series. The streamer, which led all platforms coming in with 22 nominations, finished with a leading six wins overall. It was HBO Max, however, that won for overall Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Programming By a Network or Streaming Platform.

Drag Race was the only show to take more than one award in the online presentation today, also winning for Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series. In lieu of an in-person ceremony which was scrapped this year because of the pandemic, winners’ acceptance speeches were recorded and are available here.

Among individuals, Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil host Phil Rosenthal and Sandra Lee of TLC’s Dr. Pimple Popper were named Male Star of the Year and Female Star of the Year, respectively, and John Oliver was named Best Host for HBO’s Last Week Tonight.

Other notable awards included Jeopardy! taking the Best Game Show prize, while Alec Trebek was posthumously given the Impact Award, recognizing career excellence and the positive impact made on the world of nonfiction content. His kids Matthew and Emily Trebek accepted on behalf of the longtime host, who died in November after battling pancreatic cancer.

The Critics Choice Association and nonfiction producers’ organization NPACT team to present the Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming. Winners were chosen by a vote of the TV branch of the CCA membership.

Here’s the full 2021 winners list:

BEST COMPETITION SERIES (Tie)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
The Great British Baking Show (Netflix)

BEST COMPETITION SERIES: TALENT/VARIETY (Tie)

The Masked Singer (Fox)
The Voice (NBC)

BEST UNSTRUCTURED SERIES

Deaf U (Netflix)

BEST STRUCTURED SERIES (Tie)

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)
The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+)

BEST BUSINESS SHOW

Shark Tank (ABC)

BEST SPORTS SHOW

30 for 30 (ESPN)

BEST CRIME/JUSTICE SHOW

I’ll Be Gone In the Dark (HBO)

BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Frontline (PBS)

BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything (Apple TV+)

BEST SHORT FORM SERIES

Issa Rae Teaches Creating Outside the Lines (MasterClass)

BEST LIVE SHOW

Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

BEST CULINARY SHOW

Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Hulu)

BEST GAME SHOW

Jeopardy! (CBS Television/Syndicated)

BEST TRAVEL/ADVENTURE SHOW

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN)

BEST ANIMAL/NATURE SHOW

Life in Color with David Attenborough (Netflix)

BEST LIFESTYLE: FASHION/BEAUTY SHOW

Queer Eye (Netflix)

BEST RELATIONSHIP SHOW

Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)

BEST LIFESTYLE: HOME/GARDEN SHOW

House Hunters International (HGTV)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN AN UNSCRIPTED SERIES

RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

BEST SHOW HOST

John Oliver – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

MALE STAR OF THE YEAR

Phil Rosenthal – Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix)

FEMALE STAR OF THE YEAR

Sandra Lee – Dr. Pimple Popper (TLC)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION PROGRAMMING BY A NETWORK OR STREAMING PLATFORM

HBO Max

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION PRODUCTION

Sharp Entertainment

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