Emmy for Structured Reality Program: Can ‘MythBusters’ take down ‘Shark Tank’ to FINALLY win?

emmy structured reality program mythbusters shark tank jamie hyneman adam savage mark cuban

The Discovery Channel’s “MythBusters,” in which hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman test the science behind urban legends, tall tales and famous Hollywood scenes, has been nominated at the Emmys every year since 2009. For five years it competed for Best Reality Program. Then in 2014 the category was split into separate awards honoring structured reality programs like “MythBusters” and unstructured shows, which include verite-style series like “Deadliest Catch.” Can “MythBusters” finally win on this, its seventh straight nomination?

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The science series will have to defeat ABC’s returning champion “Shark Tank,” in which a panel of rich investors decides whether to buy into the businesses of up-and-coming entrepreneurs. The series debuted in 2009, but wasn’t nominated for an Emmy until 2012, when it competed in the combined reality category. It won last year when the award was split in two. This year it’s also up for Best Reality Editing.

In 2012 and 2013, both “MythBusters” and “Shark Tank” lost out to CBS’s “Undercover Boss,” in which the head honchos of big companies disguise themselves to work among their low-level employees. It has been nominated every year since 2010 and is back again this year.

One show in this lineup is even more overdue than “MythBusters”: PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow,” in which experts travel the country appraising antiques brought in by locals to try to find hidden treasures. The American series debuted in 1997, but was adapted from a British series that started back in 1979. It has been nominated for Best Reality Program every year since 2005, and before that it earned two consecutive bids for Best Nonfiction Series in 2002 and 2003. But Emmy voters still haven’t seen the value in these expert appraisers.

Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” stars Guy Fieri (who is nominated as an executive producer), who travels the country in search of the title establishments, interviewing their owners and chefs and eagerly sampling their menu items. This is its third consecutive Emmy nom.

HGTV’s “Property Brothers” is the only first-time nominee in this category. It follows Drew Scott, a real estate agent, and his twin brother Jonathan Scott, a contractor, as they buy fixer-upper properties and turn them into dream homes. Could the series win on its first try?

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Photo: Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage in “MythBusters.” Credit: DCL

Photo: Mark Cuban in “Shark Tank.” Credit: ABC/Tyler Golden

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