Even if you claim to hate reality TV, betcha some of your favorite shows are among this year’s winners of the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.

I know a lot of you erudite small screen fans turn up your noses at reality TV.

“I don’t watch that stuff, it’s dreadful!” you scoff, then you start discussing who’s going to win The Voice, which Property Brother is better looking, or which Shark Tank business opened up in you’re neighborhood. Chances are you’re following several reality TV shows right now, but just because they’re not a Real Housewives franchise, you don’t realize it.

Reality TV takes on many forms, not all of them trashy. If you watch anything on National Geographic, it’s probably in the Reality TV category. You can’t deny that gazillions of viewers enjoy the genre, and it’s a big part of the current entertainment zeitgeist.

Every year the Critics Choice Association nominates and awards the best of the Reality TV genre, and I’m a big part of the process. I can’t say I agree with all of our nominees and winners, but I can say the genre deserves the kudos and respect, for entertaining, and sometimes educating and inspiring, billions, yes billions, of viewers all over the world.

See if you agree with these choices. Below find the winners of the seventh annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which recognize excellence in nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms:

2025 Critics Choice Real TV Awards Winners

In summary, The Traitors led the winners, taking home three awards, capturing wins for Best Competition Series and Best Ensemble Cast in an Unscripted Series, while Alan Cumming won for Best Show Host.

Love on the Spectrum and Dancing with the Stars followed closely behind, earning two awards each. Love on the Spectrum won both categories for which it was nominated, Best Unstructured Series along with Best Relationship Show. Dancing with the Stars was recognized for Best Competition Series: Talent/Variety, and Stephen Nedoroscik was awarded Male Star of the Year.

Netflix was the most awarded network of the evening, topping four categories.

BEST COMPETITION SERIES

Finding Mr. Christmas (Hallmark Media)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)

The Summit (CBS)

Survivor (CBS)

Top Chef (Bravo)

**The Traitors (Peacock)

BEST COMPETITION SERIES: TALENT/VARIETY

America’s Got Talent (NBC)

American Idol (ABC)

**Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

Roller Jam (Magnolia Network, Max)

Second Chance Stage (Magnolia Network, Max)

The Voice (NBC)

BEST UNSTRUCTURED SERIES

America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)

Below Deck Down Under (Bravo)

**Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)

Naked and Afraid (Discovery Channel)

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (Bravo)

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (Hulu)

BEST STRUCTURED SERIES

Couples Therapy (Paramount+)

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)

Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out (Lifetime)

Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse (Magnolia Network)

**No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski (National Geographic) (TIE)

**Queer Eye (Netflix) (TIE)

BEST CULINARY SHOW

Be My Guest with Ina Garten (Food Network)

The Food That Built America (History)

**The Great British Baking Show (Netflix)

Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking (Food Network)

Is It Cake? Holiday (Netflix)

Top Chef (Bravo)

BEST GAME SHOW

Celebrity Family Feud (ABC)

The Floor (Fox)

Guy’s Grocery Games (Food Network)

**Jeopardy! (Syndicated)

Press Your Luck (ABC)

Weakest Link (NBC)

BEST TRAVEL/ADVENTURE SHOW

**Conan O’Brien Must Go (HBO | Max)

Expedition Unknown (Discovery Channel)

Getting Lost with Erin French (Magnolia Network)

The Great Food Truck Race (Food Network)

Long Way Home (Apple TV+)

No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski (National Geographic)

BEST BUSINESS SHOW

Bar Rescue (Paramount Network)

First-Time Buyer’s Club (OWN)

King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch (Netflix)

Kitchen Nightmares (Fox)

**Shark Tank (ABC)

Start Up (PBS)

BEST ANIMAL/NATURE SHOW

**The Americas (NBC)

Mammals (BBC America)

Nature (PBS)

OceanXplorers (National Geographic)

Planet Earth: Asia (BBC America)

The Secret Lives of Animals (Apple TV+)

BEST CRIME/JUSTICE SHOW

**The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter (ID)

The First 48 (A&E)

How I Escaped My Cult (Freeform)

Ozark Law (A&E)

Philly Homicide (Oxygen True Crime)

Scam Goddess (Freeform)

BEST SPORTS SHOW

30 for 30 (ESPN)

Hard Knocks (HBO | Max)

In the Arena: Serena Williams (ESPN+)

Pardon the Interruption (ESPN)

Untold (Netflix)

**Welcome to Wrexham (FX)

BEST RELATIONSHIP SHOW

Farmer Wants a Wife (Fox)

The Golden Bachelorette (ABC)

The Later Daters (Netflix)

Love Is Blind (Netflix)

**Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)

Small Town Setup (Hallmark Media)

BEST LIFESTYLE SHOW: HOME/GARDEN

Bargain Block (HGTV)

**Don’t Hate Your House with the Property Brothers (HGTV) (TIE)

The Great Christmas Light Fight (ABC)

Maine Cabin Masters: Building Italy (Magnolia Network)

Renovation Aloha (HGTV)

**Rock the Block (HGTV) (TIE)

BEST LIFESTYLE SHOW: FASHION/BEAUTY

Dress My Tour (Hulu)

Queer Eye (Netflix)

**RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (Paramount+)

Say Yes to the Dress (TLC)

Wear Whatever the F You Want (Prime Video)

BEST LIMITED SERIES

Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown (National Geographic)

Erased: WW2’s Heroes of Color (National Geographic)

Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer (Netflix)

Simone Biles Rising (Netflix)

**Tucci in Italy (National Geographic)

The Wonderland Massacre & The Secret History of Hollywood (MGM+)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN AN UNSCRIPTED SERIES

Bobby’s Triple Threat (Food Network)

Claim to Fame (ABC)

Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (Bravo)

Top Chef (Bravo)

**The Traitors (Peacock)

BEST SHOW HOST

Jonathan Bennett – Finding Mr. Christmas (Hallmark Media)

Terry Crews – America’s Got Talent (NBC)

**Alan Cumming – The Traitors (Peacock)

Colin Jost – Pop Culture Jeopardy! (Prime Video)

Kristen Kish – Top Chef (Bravo)

Jeff Probst – Survivor (CBS)

MALE STAR OF THE YEAR

Jonathan Bennett – Finding Mr. Christmas (Hallmark Media)

Alan Cumming – The Traitors (Peacock)

Dylan Efron – The Traitors (Peacock)

**Stephen Nedoroscik – Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

Antoni Porowski – No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski (National Geographic), Queer Eye (Netflix)

Stanley Tucci – Tucci in Italy (National Geographic)

FEMALE STAR OF THE YEAR

Joanna Gaines – Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse, Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines, Mini Reni (Magnolia Network)

Ina Garten – Be My Guest with Ina Garten (Food Network)

Julianne Hough – Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

**Dr. Sandra Lee – Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out (Lifetime)

Lisa Vanderpump – Vanderpump Villa (Hulu)

Gabby Windey – The Traitors (Peacock)

WINNERS BY NETWORK FOR THE SEVENTH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE REAL TV AWARDS 

Netflix – 4

ABC – 3

Peacock – 3

HGTV – 2

National Geographic – 2

FX – 1

HBO | Max – 1

ID – 1

Lifetime – 1

MTV – 1

NBC – 1

Syndicated – 1

TLC – 1

Even if you claim to hate reality TV, betcha some of your favorite shows are among this year’s winners of the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.