Stardate 20010909.2056 (On Screen): As if it needed to be demonstrated, we now have absolute proof that the people who vote for the Emmies have no taste whatever, let alone any trace of social conscience. They decided to give "Survivor" an Emmy. The grandfather of all reality-exploitation shows was given an award. This is the show which itself confessed to restaging dramatic events so they could get better camera angles, and the show where some participants claim they've been given hints by the show's producers about who the producers wish would be voted off next; it's the show which inspired such marvelous offspring as "Adultery Island" (or whatever it was really called), where the producers of the show deliberately tried to destroy relationships for the entertainment value. And in another show of this kind, one of the contestants tried to knife another contestant. This is the lineage, the concept, that the Academy is honoring with this award.
The Academy could have given a vote of confidence to good taste: they could have given the award to "Junkyard Wars" (the US name for "Scrapheap Challenge") on TLC, which was a nominee in this category. Everyone on that show is just there to have a good time; no-one's life is destroyed by the experience and there are no cash prizes that I've ever heard of. They're competing because the competition itself is fun. But it's low budget and off-networt, so it must be trash.
The winner of next year's Emmy in this category will be the upcoming show "Christians and Lions", coming to a big desperate network near you this fall. Look for it on your local network affiliate! (discussion in progress)
