Best Show or Series – Reality/Competition/Game Show
Best Ink – Season 2 – Oxygen Media
The stakes are high on this reality show. We’re talking permanent. A group of tattoo artists tackle creative challenges and are judged on things like originality and technique. The show is fun and arty, and its interplay of cartoonish graphics and upbeat, punky music only improve on that aesthetic. Meanwhile, the contestants seem to get a kick out of ball busting each other, which of course makes for great entertainment and likely not a whole lot of hand holding from producers. Oxygen has found the crowd for reality.
Honorable Mentions
Chopped – Food Network – This series never fails to inspire genius and creativity among its contestants, who somehow create masterful meals from seemingly impossibly paired ingredients.
Family Game Night – The Hub Network – It’s family fun with classic games like Yahtzee, Jenga and Monopoly—but even better, because they are life-size. We’re in!
Funny or Die’s Billy on the Street – Fuse – As Billy chases after unsuspecting strangers and harasses them with silly and often pointless rapid-fire questions, you can’t help but laugh. The reactions are priceless.
Next Iron Chef: Redemption – Food Network – There’s something desperate and ultimately fun about giving a crushed competitor one more chance, and it’s always good TV.
Project Runway – Lifetime – This show consistently delivers fashion designers who not only impress viewers with their talent, but often end up succeeding in the cutthroat fashion world. And it’s a testament to the show.
Restaurant Impossible – Food Network – It’s not just the satisfaction gained from watching a business emerge fully transformed, but also the uplifting emotions the owners—and consequently the viewers—experience.
Top Chef – Bravo – Bravo’s winning “cheftestants” must exhibit the highest levels of raw talent, creativity, management skills and quick-under-pressure techniques to come out a winner in this fierce competition. And celebrity judges ensure that only the best make it to the top.