Honors, dishonors: Reality TV awards for 2006

We here at Ask the Reality TV Experts decided to celebrate the new year with a look back at the old. Here, then, are our picks for Reality TV Awards of 2006. Here's to a new year full of new shows, new twists, deserving and not-so-deserving winners, slightly psycho hosts, and preferably, no ghost brides.

Next week we'll share some of your award nominations, but also plan to return to our regular question-and-answer format, so send in your questions. Before you send in your question, check our archives — you may be able to get your answer right away.

Best Reality Show: “Project Runway”
“The Amazing Race” followed its horrible family season with two good seasons, but they weren’t exceptional, mostly because they didn’t do anything new. Thus, “Project Runway” takes top honors this year. Airing the third season so soon after the second may have been overkill, except both seasons of the fashion design series killed with their drama and exceptionally talented characters/cast members. Bravo’s highest-rated series ever also became a national phenomenon, and for good reason. It’s about time reality TV featured actual talent.   

Worst Reality Show: “The Real World”
Oh, so many compete for this title. But rather than award this dishonor to one of the many fly-by-night, one-hit-wonder shows that come and go, we're handing it to "Real World," which has been cranking along since 1992. The show's desperation started to show about the time they handed the cast group jobs, and went completely over the edge once it became apparent that only perfect-bodied, small-brained, high-alcohol-tolerance kids would be cast. It seems clear these people come from a Bunim-Murray clone factory somewhere and the show doesn't care enough to change that.

Best Winner: Yul Kwon, "Survivor"
Anyone who's ever watched a reality show knows not all winners are deserving. "Amazing Race" fans will always gripe about Flo, Clay Aiken's Claymates don't think Ruben topped their "Idol," and just about every "Big Brother" winner is hated (see below). But it's hard to find much bad to say about Yul Kwon, who took home the million on "Survivor: Cook Islands." For further proof, just look at how he answered Jonathan in the jury questioning part of the show's finale. Yul admitted he had manipulated and deceived people, but smartly pointed out that this is how the game has played, and he'd managed to do his manipulation while staying as loyal and honest as possible. We hereby dub him the best "Survivor" winner since firefighter Tom Westman.

Worst Winner: Mike “Boogie” Malin
For “Big Brother All-Stars,” CBS allowed viewers to select which past cast members could re-enter the house for another summer.  But six of the 14 cast members who went back in weren’t voted in by viewers; instead, producers chose them to ensure drama. One of those picks was Mike “Boogie” Malin, who was obnoxious on the show’s second season, promoting his restaurant while acting like a moron. Nothing has changed in the five years since then, and Mike spent the summer following his season two co-star Will Kirby and being an obnoxious jerk. Among other things, he said he’d urinate and defecate on a fellow cast member’s face if she voted Will out. Mike also told his friend, “This is our show, and these bitches think they’re going to try to steal it from us.” That did not happen, as Mike ended up winning the game, becoming one of those winners that more people hate than love.

Biggest Cast: “The Biggest Loser 3”
No, that's not a fat joke. “The Biggest Loser” decided to do a little stunt casting for its third season: it cast 50 people, one from every state, although most of them went home to lose weight on their own. Still, that gave the show it’s biggest cast ever, both in terms of numbers and weight. Collectively, they weighed 14,384 pounds at the start of the season. But by the live finale, that cast shrunk, literally. They lost 4,281 pounds together, and four of the contestants, including two who were cast members throughout the entire season, lost about half their body weight just due to diet and exercise.

Best Reason for Dating Shows to Officially Die: “Flavor of Love”
Yes, “The Bachelor” is inexplicably still on television, but otherwise, most of the dating-themed shows, whether they were serious (“Average Joe”) or hoaxes (“Joe Millionaire”) have disappeared, thankfully. The format was worn down to nothing by the endless copying. But the final nail in the metaphoric coffin came with VH1’s “Flavor of Love,” which was more entertaining than any of its predecessors, but also impossible to top. With crazy women (one spit in another’s face), competing for crazy Flavor Flav (who handed out clocks instead of roses). It was simultaneously a joke and oddly sort of serious, and nothing can top that. Well, except its spin-off, “I Love New York,” which debuts in January.

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