Both of the YouTube chicken shows will be competing for Emmys this year

Apparently, the surefire way to create a successful YouTube interview series is to start by buying a ton of chicken. Both chicken-based talk shows—that’s Sean Evan’s Hot Ones and Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date—are breaking out of their digital confines to compete for real-live Emmy awards this year.

This is notably bigger news for Hot Ones—the show where celebrities have to answer questions about their career while eating spicy wings—which successfully petitioned to be included in the Outstanding Talk Series category (via Variety). That means host Sean Evans and his favorite Da Bomb hot sauce will go head to head with titans of the industry like Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, and Stephen Colbert. This decision honestly isn’t that crazy. Hot Ones—originally created by Chris Schonberger and produced by First We Feast—consistently courts the same roster of stars that go on primetime talk shows, not to mention hosts like Conan O’Brien himself. Plus, James Corden and co. have done food-related segments for years now. It would certainly shake up the industry if Hot Ones actually won, but for now, this move feels almost overdue.

Hot Ones will not be competing in the same category as Chicken Shop Date, which means chicken-based shows could conceivably take home two statues in 2025. Chicken Shop Date features host Amelia Dimoldenberg sitting opposite her own roster of famous interviewees (recent guests have included Paul Mescal, Cher, Jennifer Lawrence, and even Sean Evans himself), eating nuggets, asking questions, and, yes, flirting. Chicken Shop Date will be on the ballot for Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety series, along with fellow YouTube creators Rhett & Link, who host the long-running internet show Good Mythical Morning. Last year, Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson won the prize.

The inclusion of YouTube series on the ballot isn’t groundbreaking in itself. Late Night With Seth Meyers: Corrections and The Randy Rainbow Show were both nominated for the platform in the Short Form category in 2022. But the inclusion of Hot Ones in the Talks Series category, as well as the number of shows nominated this year, definitely signals a shift in strategy.

“It’s time a creator won an Emmy,” YouTube CEO Neal Mohan recently wrote in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter. “The Television Academy has long been considered the pinnacle of creativity. In order to maintain its relevance and emerge a leader in the digital age of entertainment, the Emmys should celebrate all kinds of content, especially the creators whose storytelling is pushing culture forward.”