At the Emmys, reality television makes for strange bedfellows.
Case in point: the Emmy category of Outstanding Reality Program. Year after year, this is the oddest, strangest, most diverse and most perplexing Emmy category of all, in which shows go head-to-head against competitors with whom they have virtually nothing in common.
In the past, “The Osbournes” has beaten out “Trauma: Life in the E.R.,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” has won over “Colonial House,” “Intervention” has beaten “Dog Whisperer.”
And this year, the category gives us antiques appraisers vs. cricket farmers. A do-gooder star chef vs. a foul-mouthed minor celebrity. Scientists on a quest for truth vs. moonlighting CEOs struggling with entry-level positions.
“It’s a potpourri of programming, isn’t it?” says Ryan Seacrest, who in addition to his jobs with “American Idol” and E! and on the radio also serves as the executive producer of one of the nominees, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” (right).
“It is hard to figure out the theme to this category. It’s almost like a group of shows that people feel should be recognized … but we’re not quite sure where to put them, so we’ll stick them in the same silo together.”
This year’s nominees:
-- “Antiques Roadshow,” the 15-year PBS institution in which experts appraise treasures and castoffs brought in by the public;
-- “Dirty Jobs,” the Discovery Channel series that features Mike Rowe tackling the most difficult, dangerous and disgusting professions he can find;
-- “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” ABC’s series in which celebrity chef Oliver tried to change the eating habits of America’s most obese city by focusing on schoolchildren; 
-- “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,” Bravo’s no-holds-barred chronicle of the profane comedian’s life and career; “
-- MythBusters,” the influential Discovery series in which various claims are put to the test; and
-- “Undercover Boss,” this past season’s CBS hit featuring top executives going undercover (often haplessly) in their companies’ most menial jobs.
Why do those shows belong in the category? Who knows?
“It’s an odd soup,” says Craig Piligian, the executive producer of “Dirty Jobs.” “If you really look at it, apples to apples, it doesn’t seem to add up.”
Adds Marsha Bemko, the executive producer of “Antiques Roadshow,” “I don’t think we belong in this mix, but I’m glad to be there. And in fairness to the Academy, where would you put us?”
Chalk up the occasionally confounding diversity to that word reality, which can encompass almost every non-scripted show on television.
While many of the best-known shows in the genre – “Survivor,” “The Amazing Race,” “American Idol” – have a separate Emmy category for competitive reality shows, the catchall Outstanding Reality Program designation includes everything else.
“Reality has such a wide range of definitions,” says Dan Tapster, executive producer of “MythBusters.”
