Emmy Round Table: Long-running or newly on air, reality TV strives to keep it fresh

“The Amazing Race” has been on the air for 24 seasons. “Top Chef” finished its 11th season earlier this year. For reality TV shows both new and long-lasting (they never get “old”), staying fresh is a key element to survival.

The Envelope invited four hosts of top reality competition shows -- Phil Keoghan (“The Amazing Race”), Jane Lynch (“Hollywood Game Night”), RuPaul (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”) and Padma Lakshmi (“Top Chef”) -- to chat about the reality TV landscape and keeping their shows from getting repetitive in particular (among many other topics).

RuPaul, whose “Drag Race” just finished its sixth season, says it’s easy when all the producers are gay. “We’re very, very creative people. And, you know, our show showcases the art of drag, which is really about mocking everything. So everything’s up for grabs. You take on any subject and you add drag to it, and it’s hilarious!”

On a slightly more serious note, RuPaul also pointed out that by combining the gay experience, the outsider experience and focusing on the “tenacity of the human spirit,” his show can’t help but be interesting.

Lynch noted her show’s revolving door of celebrity players keeps newcomer “Game Night” from getting old, and the granddaddy “Amazing Race”? Well, Keoghan has the world available to him to stage his competitions.

“We could go to India 100 times and we still wouldn’t use up all the opportunities that India has to offer. So, you will never see the same background on our show. Every time you look at our show, what’s behind the contestants and where they are is always different,” he points out.

See what else they had to say in the video above, and check out all the Emmy season roundtables with the video link above.

Twitter: @enhowe

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