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Emmys 2017: 15 Bizarre Facts You Didn’t Know About The Emmys

By Josh Sorokach @joshsorokach and Claire Spellberg @c_spellberg

Published Sep. 15, 2017, 8:00 a.m. ET

Photos: Getty Images ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

**If You Win an Emmy, You Still Have to Pay to Take it Home**
The night's big winners have plenty of cause to celebrate, but first they have to pay $400 to take the trophy home. This amount is the cost of producing each individual statuette, which is pretty much just cheap metal dipped in gold.

'Dick In A Box' Has More Emmy Wins than *The Wire*
In 2007, The Lonely Island digital short won Best Original Music and Lyrics at the Creative Arts Emmys, and it was every bit deserved. Ever since, this category has been giving credit to hits like *SNL*'s 'Shy Ronnie,' 'Rural Juror' from *30 Rock*, and 'We Tapped that Ass' from *Crazy Ex-Girlfriend*.

Rob Schneider's Beloved 'Makin' Coppppies' Sketch From *SNL* Has Fewer Emmy Wins Than *Modern Family*
Hello, police. I'd like to report a crime. You'd think Rob Schneider earned multiple Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series noms for his trenchant portrayal of The Richmeister -- a man comically obsessed with nicknames, disrupting office productivity, and the art of photocopying -- but nope. While Schneider did capture three Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program nominations for *SNL*, *Modern Family* (for now) is comfortably ahead in Emmy wins.Photo: Hulu

**In Totally Unsurprising News: Jackie Kennedy is the Only First Lady to Win an Emmy**
After her famous televised White House tour in 1962, Jackie Kennedy was recognized by the Television Academy with a Trustees Award, a special honor that acknowledges "unusual or enduring achievements or contributions to the arts and sciences of television." The only other first lady to attempt to join Jackie O. in Emmys fame is Michelle Obama, whose *Billy on the Street* segment was nominated for an award in 2015 (she lost to *Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis*).CSU Archives/Everett Collection

**Joan Rivers and Eddie Murphy co-emceed the 1983 awards**
Joan Rivers and Eddie Murphy made for an unlikely pairing during the 1983 broadcast, which is pretty much remembered only for the hosts' constant stream of vulgarities. Naturally, the Television Academy did not ask them to return as emcees.AP

**As Of This Year, Lorne Michaels Holds the Record For Most Emmy Nominations Of All Time**
This year, Lorne Michaels received 5 more nominations, putting his total at 78 and taking the crown from long-time leaders Shiela Nevins (75 nominations) and camera operator Hector Ramirez (74).Getty Images

**Rachael Leigh Cook and Ian Ziering Share the Record for Least Emmy Nominations, Along with 7.345 Billion Other People, with 0.**
Congratulations! You (probably) made the list! I am truly humbled by the fact that Blockbuster Entertainment Award-winner Rachael Leigh Cook and I are tied for the least number of Emmy nominations. The fact that noted anti-shark advocate Ian Ziering shares this distinction is surprising but not that surprising. You'd be shocked at the number of pro-shark and pro-tornado people who vote for the Emmys.

**The First Emmy Ever Awarded Went to a ... Puppet?**
At the first Emmy Awards in 1949, the award for Most Outstanding Television Personality was awarded to ventriloquist Shirley Dinsdale for her variety show starring puppet Judy Splinters. Dinsdale and Splinters shared the award.NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

**Alan Alda Cartwheeled Down The Aisle After Winning An Emmy At The 1979 Ceremony**: After winning the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy award for *M*A*S*H*, Alan Alda did a cartwheel in the aisle before heading up to receive his award. This wasn't Alda's first Emmy (he'd already won for Best Acting and Best Directing), but it was definitely his most exciting.

**Alan Alda is The Only Person To Have Won Awards For Acting, Writing, and Directing for the Same Show**
In 1979, the same year Alda cartwheeled his way to a win, the multi-hyphenate became the first person to win an acting, writing, and directing Emmy for the same show, *M*A*S*H*. However, this year, Donald Glover has been nominated for all three awards for comedy series *Atlanta*, so if things go his way, he could be joining Alda in the spotlight.©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

**Steve Guttenberg is The Only Member of The *Three Men and Baby* Trio to Never Win an Emmy**
Ted Danson has captured multiple Emmys for *Cheers*. Tom Selleck has earned the honor for *Magnum, P.I.* Steve Guttenberg? Nope. Despite a prolific film career, Guttes has been unable to add "Emmy-winner" to his impressive resume, but he's not alone. The twins who portrayed Baby Mary in *Three Men and a Baby* -- as well as the actress who played the character when she grew into a little lady in the sequel -- have yet to gain access into this exclusive club.Photo: Everett Collection

**Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives Has Been Nominated Five Times**: Welcome to Flavortown! Guy Fieri's long-running show on Food Network has been nominated four times for the Outstanding Structured Reality Program award and once for the Outstanding Reality Program award (awards for reality programs were separated into "Structured" and "Unstructured" in 2014). Unfortunately, *DDD* has yet to win, instead losing out to *Shark Tank* almost every year.

**Out of All the Nominees in 2016's Outstanding Structured Reality Program Category, Guy Fieri is the Only One To Have a Bustling Times Square Eatery**
Sure, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives has yet to win Emmy gold, but $13.95 for something called "Awesome Pretzel Chicken Tenders"? Umm... if they handed out an Emmy for a stone-cold deal, Fieri would be forced to 86 all the Emmy statuettes he'd be receiving. Guy's Times Square restaurant is the only place in the world that flat out refuses to fake the feel-good flavors of American cuisine, according to the Guy's American Kitchen & Bar website.Photo: Everett Collection

**Conan O'Brien Held Bob Newhart Captive to Ensure That Winners Kept Speeches Short**: At the 2006 ceremony, host Conan O'Brien came up with a unique way of ending the broadcast on time. O'Brien told attendees that Bob Newhart was sealed in a container that would run out of oxygen in exactly three hours, so if the winners' speeches went over, they'd be responsible for killing the TV icon. Lucky for Bob, the show ended three minutes early.WireImage

**Conan O'Brien Was Never Formerly Charged For The Attempted Murder of Bob Newhart**
Despite a devious plot to kill a television legend during a nationally televised award show, Conan O'Brien was never formerly charged for his dastardly actions. Always a class act, Newhart never formerly pressed charges, once again cementing his status as the one true gentleman of Hollywood.Getty Images

The 2017 Emmy Awards air on Sunday, September 17th and Decider is here to help you get ready for TV’s biggest night. Check here all week long for all our coverage previewing this year’s Emmys.

This Sunday we celebrate the very best in television at the 2017 Emmy Awards. A talented array of small-screen titans will fill the Microsoft Theater in a quest for Emmy accolades. This year’s ceremony promises to be jam-packed with the fun and unexpected mayhem we’ve come to expect from this venerable award show, but before we commemorate the future we must first look to the past.

A fixture of the entertainment community since 1949, the annual celebration of small-screen success has provided more than its fair share of unforgettable moments. From celebratory cartwheels to holding a beloved TV icon captive, this stroll down memory lane combines fascinating Emmy records, little known factoids, and truly bizarre observations that you won’t find anywhere else. Trust us on that.

You may have to wait until Sunday night to hear “And the Emmy goes to,” but you can stock up on plenty of party anecdotes right now by clicking through our list of 15 bizarre facts you didn’t know about the Emmy Awards!

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