Chris Harrison Explains Why ‘The Bachelor’ Franchise Could Finally Get An Emmy Nod This Year

After 36 combined seasons and multiple seasonal spinoffs, it’s hard to believe The Bachelor franchise has ever received an Emmy Award nomination. But after 16 years on the air, longtime host Chris Harrison thinks the ABC reality franchise could finally get a rose from Emmy voters.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Harrison explained why The Bachelor, which made its debut on ABC’s lineup in 2002 with leading man Alex Michel, has yet to score any Emmy love.

“The [reality competition program] category came around about four or five years into us already being on the air, so we weren’t the young, sexy show anymore, and we weren’t as relevant as the new shows,” The Bachelor host explained to THR. “But ironically, the show is so socially relevant now, 16 years later, that we probably have a better shot to be nominated and win an Emmy than we ever have.”

Harrison went on to explain that The Bachelor’s relevancy stems from the fact that everyone can still relate to the subject of relationships and companionship. Even the show’s questionable track record—most Bachelor and Bachelorette couples never make it down the aisle—is relatable. Chris Harrison explained that in real life, “sometimes marriages break up, sometimes relationships don’t work. ”

“That’s what makes the show so relatable,” The Bachelor host said. ” You don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Of course, when it comes to Emmy talk, Harrison’s Bachelor franchise isn’t the only show that had trouble getting recognized when the Outstanding Reality Competition category was first introduced. The CBS reality show The Amazing Race won the award every year starting in 2003, when the category was first announced, until 2010, when Top Chef finally ended its streak.

In fact, in the 15 years since the reality TV category has been awarded on the Emmy Awards, only three shows have won: Amazing Race, Top Chef, and The Voice. So even if The Bachelor had been nominated all those years—like say, American Idol, which was nominated every year from 2003 until 2012 and never won—taking home the award would still prove to be difficult against such stiff reality competition.

While he has yet to receive an Emmy nomination for The Bachelor, Chris Harrison does have his eye on another reality show. When asked what other reality show he would love to host, Harrison told THR: “Iron Chef. I’m a big foodie and I love the Food Network. I watch it alarmingly too much.”

The Primetime Emmy Award nominations will be announced July 12.