2013 Emmy preview: Jeff Probst, Cat Deeley, and RuPaul top reality hosts

Whenever we try to think about who we would want to see nominated in the Reality Host category for the Primetime Emmy Awards, there is one question that always comes to mind: Can we imagine the show working without them? More than any other, the five people that we’ve listed here are really integral to their show’s success, and there is no way around it.

Even though our five picks are pretty predictable, we do think that this award is occasionally judged a little bit incorrectly. Regardless of Donald Trump’s political beliefs (or his insufferable ego), he’s more deserving of a nomination than either Carson Daly or Mario Lopez. The same goes Gordon Ramsay Meanwhile, Betty White should not be nominated for what is barely a reality show, and Phil Keoghan really doesn’t have as active of a role as the five people we’ve selected.

Tom Bergeron, “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC) – The ballroom on “Dancing with the Stars” is basically a live loony bin, and Tom is probably the only person suited to handle its brand of crazy. He keeps the celebrities in line, and he also embraces the pure camp quality of this whole proceeding.

Cat Deeley, “So You Think You Can Dance” (Fox) – Meanwhile, Cat is a woman that wears many hats. She is a master communicator, a skilled host, occasionally funny, and also sympathetic to the contestants. Plus, it’s always endearing to try to watch her dance at the opening of every live show.

Jeff Probst, “Survivor” (CBS) – Probst could literally win this award every year, and it would be hard to criticize it. He is just so spectacular as a host, a negotiator, and a listener for tribal councils. The way he handled Brandon Hantz’s meltdown on the show was masterful, and he can find a way to make the most boring tribal council interesting with his line of questioning.

RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (Logo) – RuPaul is so valuable to his show! The man is just such a natural entertainer that his show is simply just a blast to watch through and through. We don’t necessarily agree with every elimination he makes, but he’s entertaining through all of them.

Ryan Seacrest, “American Idol” (Fox) – The original and only host of “American Idol” shows the others how it’s done. We don’t quite think that it would survive without him at this point, and he is just so natural on the stage that nothing feels forced, as it does on “The Voice” or “The X Factor” when the host picks up the mic.

Who do you want to see win this Emmy? We want to hear from you in the poll below, and you can also check out some more Emmy-related articles just by heading on over to the link here.

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