‘Fugly’ creator calls it quits
EXCLUSIVE: After 7 years, The Fugly Awards will no longer be with us to point out the worst of Aussie telly.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
EXCLUSIVE: Last May Anthony Dever flew from Brisbane to Crown Casino, rolled out a bit of brown carpet, stood behind a milk crate podium and ‘awarded’ non existent trophies to empty chairs with the words Kyle Sandilands, Jackie O, Anna Coren and Gladiators.
This year there’ll be none of it. After 7 years, The Fugly Awards are packing it in.
The “anti-Logies,” as they have come to be known, were an online hit, “honouring” the worst in Aussie telly. Attracting 12,000 votes in their first year and 25,000 in their second, they frequently attracted media attention for their sheer bravado. Flying in the face of 50 years of television respectability, one man hit a nerve with his snarky sense of fun.
“It was always just a silly, off the cuff thought that friends and family suggested I actually do,” says Dever. “I put the website up online and it just took off. Everyone voted enthusiastically for what they thought was the worst on the telly.”
Over the years some of the biggest names in the biz took out the prizes: Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Catriona Rowntree, Bec Cartwright, Daryl Somers, Bert Newton, Kyle Sandilands, The Hothouse, Today Tonight, The X Factor, Australian Princess and Big Brother. Eddie McGuire won so many it even named the “Most Over Exposed” trophy after him simply to ban his name from contention.
Some awards were more flattering including Most Under Acknowledged TV Show, Most Spankable Female and Spunkiest Male Personality.
Adam Hills once got his management to chase up the collection of his certificate. It never happened.
“The number one achievement of the Fugly Awards was as a promotion I had a fake Richard Wilkins MySpace account,” says Dever. “And the two highlights of that were that Tottie Goldsmith actually got in touch with me and sent a message saying how hilarious she found the MySpace Account. The other kudos I got was The Chaser boys had “top friended” the fake Richard Wilkins on MySpace.”
He says the Today show even acknowledged it when they were doing a story on fake MySpace profiles.
“They quietly mentioned ‘Richard’s got a fake MySpace as well,'” he laughs.
But there was no such recognition from TV Week, which Dever admits is still a niggling disappointment.
“There were a couple of years where I was trying to bait them. Even last year with our logo design. In the second and third years I was even sending media releases directly to the editor just trying to get a rise. But there was never any sort of bite back which was a little disappointing.”
Not so the parade of gossip columnists, journos, radio and television networks. They may miss not having the Fuglies more than anyone.
“They would always contact with me straight away. Any little tid bit during the voting period. They wanted anything I could give them. They just loved the whole tone and style of it.”
Dever says he won’t mind if somebody else takes up a similar cause, but he has protected the Fugly brand.
As he approaches 30 he concedes he doesn’t really have the time to devote to the project anymore.
“I’m a bit tired of doing the same joke for 7 years. It’s time to do something different,” he says.
“Maybe a fake Twitter account for Richard Wilkins…”
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- Tagged with Australian Princess, Big Brother, Chaser, Logie Awards, The Hothouse, The X Factor, Today Show, Today Tonight
13 Responses
Surely it’s time for some TV Tonight Awards?
Did u miss the last two?
oops… are we the fools?
But now it is proven to be the truth-truth-truth, we can get to our memories of this cultural icon which sadly passed away in it’s prime…
Now it’s April 2nd I can tell you the truth.
It’s true.
And that’s why there was no April Fool’s gag on the site. Some people thought this was it….
So it isn’t so! Some sick and twisted April Fool’s Day joke… The Fugly Awards are ten times more entertaining than the Logies and probably is a closer representation of general Australia as well. They will be missed.
Lets just declare Eddie the all time winner in every catagory.
With the David Knox Award for most (insert opposite of outstanding) new talent…
We must have a Fuglython, to save our Fuglies!
Save our Fuglies!
Hey leave me out of it!
TV Tonight should buy the Fugly brand.
“The TV Tonight Fugly Awards”.
I enjoyed the Fuglies… but the theme of today does seem to be everyone’s quitting… not sure what to believe… Who invented this day?? They hurt my poor little brain 🙂
Well, “Fuglys stolen by Conficker worm” would’ve been too obvious…
This story better be an April Fools Joke …. I love the Fugly Awards!!!!
If you knew what today is…