# Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program is awarded to one program each year. The category was created in 2018. Between 2003 and 2017, reality and documentary/nonfiction programs competed in a combined category.
In the following list, the first titles listed in gold are the winners; those not in gold are nominees, which are listed in alphabetical order. The years given are those in which the ceremonies took place:

## Winners and nominations
### 2000s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 2003 | Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming | Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming | Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming | Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming |
| 2003 | American Experience | "The Murder of Emmett Till" | Stanley Nelson Jr. | PBS |
| 2003 | American Idol | "Finale" | Bruce Gowers | Fox |
| 2003 | Da Ali G Show | "Politics" | James Bobin | HBO |
| 2003 | Expedition: Bismarck | Expedition: Bismarck | Andrew Wight and James Cameron | Discovery |
| 2003 | Journeys with George | Journeys with George | Alexandra Pelosi and Aaron Lubarsky | HBO |
| 2003 | Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives | Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives | Ed Bell and Thomas Lennon | HBO |
| 2004 |
| 2004 | Jockey | Jockey | Kate Davis | HBO |
| 2004 | American Experience | "Tupperware!" | Laurie Kahn | PBS |
| 2004 | American Masters | "Judy Garland: By Myself" | Susan Lacy | PBS |
| 2004 | Born Rich | Born Rich | Jamie Johnson | HBO |
| 2004 | Queer Eye for the Straight Guy | "Richard Miller" | Becky Smith | Bravo |
| 2005 |
| 2005 | Death in Gaza | Death in Gaza | James Miller (posthumously) | HBO |
| 2005 | American Idol | "Finale" | Bruce Gowers | Fox |
| 2005 | The Apprentice | "Finale" | Glenn Weiss | NBC |
| 2005 | Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | "The Dore Family" | Patrick Higgins | ABC |
| 2005 | Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson | Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson | Ken Burns | PBS |
| 2006 |
| 2006 | Baghdad ER | Baghdad ER | Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill | HBO |
| 2006 | All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise | All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise | Shari Cookson | HBO |
| 2006 | American Masters | "John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend" | Samuel D. Pollard | PBS |
| 2006 | American Masters | "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" | Martin Scorsese | PBS |
| 2006 | Children of Beslan | Children of Beslan | Ewa Ewart and Leslie Woodhead | HBO |
| 2007 | When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts | When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts | Spike Lee | HBO |
| 2007 | Ghosts of Abu Ghraib | Ghosts of Abu Ghraib | Rory Kennedy | HBO |
| 2007 | Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed | Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed | Kevin Burns | History |
| 2007 | Thin | Thin | Lauren Greenfield | HBO |
| 2007 | This American Life | "God's Close-Up" | Christopher Wilcha | Showtime |
| 2008 | This American Life | "Escape" | Adam Beckman and Christopher Wilcha | Showtime |
| 2008 | The Amazing Race | "Honestly, They Have Witch Powers or Something" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2008 | Autism: The Musical | Autism: The Musical | Tricia Regan | HBO |
| 2008 | Project Runway | "En Garde!" | Tony Sacco | Bravo |
| 2008 | The War | "Pride of Our Nation (June–August 1944)" | Ken Burns and Lynn Novick | PBS |
| 2009 | Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired | Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired | Marina Zenovich | HBO |
| 2009 | The Amazing Race | "Don't Let a Cheese Hit Me" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2009 | Project Runway | "Finale, Part 1" | Paul Starkman | Bravo |
| 2009 | This American Life | "John Smith" | Adam Beckman and Christopher Wilcha | Showtime |
| 2009 | Top Chef | "The Last Supper" | Steve Hryniewicz | Bravo |

### 2010s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 2010 | American Experience | "My Lai" | Barak Goodman | PBS |
| 2010 | The Amazing Race | "I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right?" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2010 | By the People: The Election of Barack Obama | By the People: The Election of Barack Obama | Amy Rice and Alicia Sams | HBO |
| 2010 | Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut) | "Lust for Glory" | Bill Jones and Ben Timlett | IFC |
| 2010 | Terror in Mumbai | Terror in Mumbai | Dan Reed | HBO |
| 2011 | Gasland | Gasland | Josh Fox | HBO |
| 2011 | The Amazing Race | "You Don't Get Paid Unless You Win" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2011 | American Masters | "A Letter to Elia/Reflecting on Kazan" | Kent Jones and Martin Scorsese | PBS |
| 2011 | Becoming Chaz | Becoming Chaz | Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato | OWN |
| 2011 | Top Chef | "Give Me Your Huddled Masses" | Paul Starkman | Bravo |
| 2012 | George Harrison: Living in the Material World | George Harrison: Living in the Material World | Martin Scorsese | HBO |
| 2012 | The Amazing Race | "Let Them Drink Their Haterade" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2012 | American Masters | "Woody Allen: A Documentary" | Robert B. Weide | PBS |
| 2012 | Project Runway | "Finale, Part 2" | Craig Spirko | Lifetime |
| 2012 | Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory | Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory | Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky | HBO |
| 2013 | American Masters | "Mel Brooks: Make a Noise" | Robert Trachtenberg | PBS |
| 2013 | Ethel | Ethel | Rory Kennedy | HBO |
| 2013 | Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God | Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God | Alex Gibney | HBO |
| 2013 | Survivor | "Live Finale and Reunion (Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites)" | Glenn Weiss | CBS |
| 2013 | Survivor | "Live Finale and Reunion (Philippines)" | Michael Simon | CBS |
| 2014 | The Square | The Square | Jehane Noujaim | Netflix |
| 2014 | The Amazing Race | "Part Like the Red Sea" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2014 | Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey | "Standing Up in the Milky Way" | Brannon Braga | Fox |
| 2014 | Project Runway | "Sky's the Limit" | Craig Spirko | Lifetime |
| 2014 | Shark Tank | "Episode 501" | Ken Fuchs | ABC |
| 2015 | Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief | Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief | Alex Gibney | HBO |
| 2015 | Citizenfour | Citizenfour | Laura Poitras | HBO |
| 2015 | Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways | "Washington D.C." | Dave Grohl | HBO |
| 2015 | The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst | "Chapter 2: Poor Little Rich Boy" | Andrew Jarecki | HBO |
| 2015 | Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck | Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck | Brett Morgen | HBO |
| 2016 | Making a Murderer | "Fighting for Their Lives" | Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi | Netflix |
| 2016 | Cartel Land | Cartel Land | Matthew Heineman | A&E |
| 2016 | Chef's Table | "Gaggan Anand" | David Gelb | Netflix |
| 2016 | He Named Me Malala | He Named Me Malala | Davis Guggenheim | Nat Geo |
| 2016 | What Happened, Miss Simone? | What Happened, Miss Simone? | Liz Garbus | Netflix |
| 2017 | O.J.: Made in America | "Part 3" | Ezra Edelman | ESPN |
| 2017 | Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds | Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds | Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens | HBO |
| 2017 | Planet Earth II | "Cities" | Fredi Devas | BBC America |
| 2017 | Planet Earth II | "Islands" | Elizabeth White | BBC America |
| 2017 | 13th | 13th | Ava DuVernay | Netflix |
| 2018 | Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program | Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program | Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program | Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program |
| 2018 | RuPaul's Drag Race | "10s Across the Board" | Nick Murray | VH1 |
| 2018 | The Amazing Race | "It's Just a Million Dollars, No Pressure" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2018 | American Ninja Warrior | "Daytona Beach Qualifiers" | Patrick McManus | NBC |
| 2018 | Shark Tank | "Episode 903" | Ken Fuchs | ABC |
| 2018 | The Voice | "Live Top 11 Performances" | Alan Carter | NBC |
| 2019 |
| 2019 | Queer Eye | "Black Girl Magic" | Hisham Abed | Netflix |
| 2019 | The Amazing Race | "Who Wants a Rolex?" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2019 | American Ninja Warrior | "Minneapolis City Qualifiers" | Patrick McManus | NBC |
| 2019 | RuPaul's Drag Race | "Whatcha Unpackin?" | Nick Murray | VH1 |
| 2019 | Shark Tank | "Episode 1002" | Ken Fuchs | ABC |

### 2020s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 2020 |
| 2020 | Cheer | "Daytona" | Greg Whiteley | Netflix |
| 2020 | LEGO Masters | "Mega City Block" | Rich Kim | Fox |
| 2020 | Queer Eye | "Disabled But Not Really" | Hisham Abed | Netflix |
| 2020 | RuPaul's Drag Race | "I'm That Bitch" | Nick Murray | VH1 |
| 2020 | Top Chef | "The Jonathan Gold Standard" | Ariel Boles | Bravo |
| 2021 |
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race | "Gettin' Lucky" | Nick Murray | VH1 |
| 2021 | The Amazing Race | "Give Me a Beard Bump" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2021 | Queer Eye | "Preaching Out Loud" | Mark Perez | Netflix |
| 2021 | Top Chef | "Pan African Portland" | Ariel Boles | Bravo |
| 2021 | The Voice | "The Blind Auditions Premiere" | Alan Carter | NBC |
| 2022 |
| 2022 | Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls | "Naked" | Nneka Onuorah | Prime Video |
| 2022 | Cheer | "Daytona Pt. 2: If the Judges Disagree" | Greg Whiteley | Netflix |
| 2022 | Queer Eye | "Angel Gets Her Wings" | Aaron Krummel | Netflix |
| 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race | "Moulin Ru: The Rusical" | Nick Murray | VH1 |
| 2022 | Top Chef | "Freedmen's Town" | Ariel Boles | Bravo |
| 2023 |
| 2023 | Welcome to Wrexham | "Wide World of Wales" | Bryan Rowland | FX |
| 2023 | The Amazing Race | "Patience, Is the New Me" | Bertram van Munster | CBS |
| 2023 | Queer Eye | "Speedy for Life" | Ali Moghadas | Netflix |
| 2023 | RuPaul's Drag Race | "Wigloose: The Rusical!" | Nick Murray | MTV |
| 2023 | Top Chef | "London Calling" | Ariel Boles | Bravo |
| 2024 |
| 2024 | Love on the Spectrum U.S. | "Episode 7" | Cian O'Clery | Netflix |
| 2024 | RuPaul's Drag Race | "Grand Finale" | Nick Murray | MTV |
| 2024 | Squid Game: The Challenge | "Red Light, Green Light" | Diccon Ramsay | Netflix |
| 2024 | The Traitors | "Betrayers, Fakes and Fraudsters" | Ben Archard | Peacock |
| 2024 | Welcome to Wrexham | "Shaun's Vacation" | Bryan Rowland | FX |

## Programs with multiple wins
### 2 wins

* RuPaul's Drag Race

## Individuals with multiple wins
### 2 wins

* Nick Murray