CarterMatt Awards 2017: Peter Kraus, Ika Wong, Barbara Corcoran among Reality Star picks
We’re near the end of our CarterMatt Awards 2017 nominations, but there are two more categories to go! That includes today’s Best Reality Star, a personal favorite given that we love reality TV and these personalities don’t often get a whole lot of love elsewhere. They’re entertaining, creative people who, (regardless of the show they are on) find a way to keep us excited to see the next episode.
The criteria for this category was based on one thing: Who are the people in reality TV we wanted to watch this year? Who are worthy of a little extra love? The CarterMatt staff had many discussions over the past couple of weeks and came up with the following eight names. Read why we think they are worthy and then vote at the bottom to share your pick!
(Note: If you are on mobile and cannot see the poll, scroll to the bottom of the article and click to view the non-AMP version.)
Voting for this category is going to remain open from now until Saturday, December 30 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time (1:00 pm. Pacific), when the results will be posted in a separate article.
Now, without further ado, let’s get to the nominations.
Shannon Beador, The Real Housewives of Orange County (Bravo) – If you look back at some of the Housewives seasons over the past year we’re not sure any of their stories were as powerful or as a personal as what Shannon went through. It was a really difficult journey, that was compelling to watch because she opened up on the show in a way that many other housewives never have. She was one of the biggest reasons to watch the Orange County series this past season and even now that it’s over for the year we are still keeping up with her journey through social media. She continues to keep us engaged.
Christian Buckingham, Ink Master: Shop Wars (Spike) – If you’re looking to nominate someone on the basis of both gameplay and entertainment, look no further. Christian is right up there with Cleen Rock One and Matt O’Baugh as the greatest competitors to never win with show. He was a great narrator in confessionals and a strategic force to be reckoned with. Nobody was able to form alliances and psych out other contestants quite like Christian.
Barbara Corcoran, Shark Tank / Dancing with the Stars (ABC) – We’re sure that Barbara doesn’t think about herself first and foremost for her reality TV efforts but they are immense! She’s always been one of the greatest parts of Shark Tank (we wish she was in every episode), but this past year she also had a short, but incredibly entertaining run on DWTS with one of our favorite pros in Keo Motsepe. Those viewers clearly did not know what entertainment gold they had and we wish she had been around longer.
Peter Kraus, The Bachelorette (ABC) – Has there ever been an eliminated contestant so beloved coming off of a season of The Bachelorette who didn’t end up becoming the Bachelor the next season? Peter didn’t want the gig this year, much to the disappointment of much of America. Just in terms of his likability and his impact on reality TV alone, it’s hard to pick anyone else from this franchise to be on this list this year.
Sarah Lacina, Survivor: Game Changers (CBS) – In looking back months after the game, we still don’t think she’s getting anywhere near enough credit for how great she played. Not only was she a challenge threat and a strong strategic player, she went around and forged individual connections with almost every player. She was so good in fact, that nobody in the game ever questioned why she was so close to everyone else. They often didn’t realize her dominance until it was too late.
Josh Martinez, Big Brother (CBS) – He gave meatball a whole new meaning this summer — he banged pots and pans, got into ridiculous arguments, and cried more than almost any other contestant in history. Yet, he endeared himself to other players and realized that Paul Abrahamian didn’t have the social game he needed to win in the end. He did enough to get to that point and even got some former enemies to vote for him in the final two.
Kirk Medas, Floribama Shore (MTV) – We’re still reasonably early into the MTV series, but we’ve already determined that Kirk is a reality super star in the making. The guy has everything you want to watch on a reality show — a big personality and a presence in the house, but then also the ability to reflect back on events in confessionals using humor. He’s a great storyteller, and as any fan of reality TV knows – that is half the battle.
Ika Wong, Big Brother Canada (Global) – She played one of the most dominant games we’ve seen on either the US or Canadian version of the show — she had great allies, she was incredibly persuasive, and we do think she weaponized fear in a way that was extremely effective. Had some of the competitions went a little differently, we have a feeling that we’d be talking about her as a top-tier winner. The fact that she was endlessly entertaining throughout the season was what made her run all the more enjoyable.