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Emmy Nominations 2017: ‘Bill Nye Saves The World’ Gets Nod For ‘Sex Junk’ Episode Despite Public Criticism

By Perri Fisher
Published on: 07:13 PST, Jul 17, 2017

A Twitter user, echoing the widespread public shock at Bill Nye’s “Sex Junk” video, sent an impassioned tweet to the former “Science Guy.”

“Please this time fire the writer who thought, ‘Sex Junk’ was a good idea.”

But thanks to the 2017 Emmy nominations team, this will likely never happen.

According to the Daily Caller, the Emmy Awards panel nominated writers on Netflix’s Bill Nye Saves the World for their work on the show’s “The Sexual Spectrum” episode, which features the much-criticized and often-mocked “Sex Junk” musical number.

While award show nominations may not perfectly reflect the preferences of media audiences, this 2017 Emmy nomination seems to run in direct opposition to public opinion.

The Internet’s Response To Bill Nye’s “Sex Junk”

According to the Inquisitr, the “Sex Junk” song is performed by actress Rachel Bloom, who makes myriad references to sex and gender, some cruder than others.

One memorable line includes, “Are my options only hard or moist? My vagina has its own voice…cause my sex junk is so oh, oh, oh, so much more than either-or, or, or…”

Other illustrative lines include “It’s evolution, ain’t nothing new. There’s nothing taboo about a sex stew” and “Give someone new a handy. Then give yourself props.”

For many Millennials who grew up with Bill Nye the Science Guy, the 90’s television show that taught basic natural science concepts to children, Nye’s new show, Bill Nye Saves the World, along with its “The Sexual Spectrum” episode, was quite shocking.

Others attacked Bill Nye’s apparent shift from hard science to “Cringe-Worthy Politicized Garbage,” with some remarking that the Rachel Bloom video is “intentionally vulgar.”

One Twitter user refers to Bill Nye’s “Sex Junk” video as “one of the most heavily downvoted songs of all time on YouTube.” This may be difficult to ascertain, considering that the video was removed from YouTube due to a “copyright claim” made by Netflix. However, the Bridgehead, a Canadian blog that has cataloged some of the most memorable comments from the deleted Bill Nye Saves the World video, noted that the clip garnered 127,247 dislikes and 2,181 likes after almost 1.9 million views. According to an archived link to the video, there were 123,867 dislikes, 2,096 likes, and 1,917,755 views as of May 17, which is a rate of about 59 dislikes for each like. Some of the most notable comments collected on the Bridgehead include the following.

“I have literally seen people die on the internet…this was more traumatic.”

“I can actually see civilization collapse in front of my very eyes.”

“I cringed so hard my cheeks are wrapped behind my ears.”

And, interestingly, “As a Liberal Atheist I now feel much more comfortable with the religious right than I do Bill Nyes brand of ‘Progressive.'”

[Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

Why Did The Emmy Nomination Panel Choose To Honor Such An Unpopular Episode?

It may be shocking to realize that Bill Nye Saves the World has been nominated for any Emmy awards, considering the widespread public criticism of the show. It is even more shocking to know that the Emmy nomination is for work on the controversial “The Sexual Spectrum” episode, which featured the “Sex Junk” video. Hasn’t the public made it clear that they do not like this content?

Based on how the Emmy nominations are decided, that might not matter. According to the “Entertainment” section of HowStuffWorks, Emmy nominations for prime-time television shows are decided upon by members of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, headquartered in Los Angeles. The members of the Academy, which was founded in 1946 and offers only paid membership, are individuals who work in the television industry. The people who actually choose Emmy nominees are “peer groups” that are separated by specialization, such as camera work, makeup artistry, and performance. So actual public opinion may not be a factor in the Emmy decision, which is made by entertainment industry insiders who watch the shows and make their own judgment calls.

This reality hasn’t seemed to stop Twitter users from feeling outraged that such a show has been nominated for an Emmy award. However, that might not matter much, considering that award show viewership has consistently gone down over the past few years. According to the New York Times, the 2017 Academy Awards had just 32.9 million viewers, with the show losing 10 million viewers over three years.

Could this decline have something to do with Hollywood opinions differing from those of the media-consuming public? Based on the public’s reaction to the Emmy nominations panel nominating Bill Nye’s “Sex Junk” writers for an award, this could be a possibility.

[Featured Image by Demis Maryannakis/STAR MAX/IPx/AP Images]

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