Daytime Emmys 2018: Will Kellie Pickler graduate from ’American Idol’ finalist to …

Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood went from “American Idol” champs to award-winning musicians, but you don’t necessarily have to win “Idol” to win awards. Jennifer Hudson finished seventh in season three of the singing competition, but she went on to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “Dreamgirls” (2006) and Grammys for Best R&B Album (“Jennifer Hudson,” 2009) and Best Musical Theater Album (“The Color Purple,” 2017). Now Kellie Pickler could go from “Idol” finalist to Daytime Emmy winner.

Pickler, who finished sixth in “American Idol” season five, is nominated for Best Informative Talk Show Host alongside her co-host Ben Aaron for their syndicated series “Pickler and Ben.” The series debuted just a few months ago in September 2017, so it has certainly hit the ground running in the awards derby. It tapes in Nashville, Tennessee, and features a combination of lifestyle and entertainment guests with segments on cooking, decorating, gardening, beauty and more.

This would be the first Emmy for Pickler, but not for Aaron, who previously won as a reporter on WNBC’s “New York Live.” And Aaron has another show up for awards this year: “Renovation Realities: Ben and Ginger,” featuring him and his wife Ginger Zee, contends for Best Lifestyle Program.

But Pickler and Aaron will have to get past a pair of past winners in this relatively young category, which was created in 2015 to honor hosts of informative talk shows that are distinguished from entertainment series like “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “The Talk” and “The View.” Mehmet Oz won in 2016 for “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Steve Harvey prevailed for his self-titled talk show in 2017 — both are back this year, and they’re the only two hosts who have been nominated for all four years this category has been presented.

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And we mustn’t count out legendary broadcaster Larry King, nominated for the third year in a row for his Ora TV series “Larry King Now.” He previously received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 from the News and Documentary Emmys.

Rounding out the category are another pair of first-timers in this category, but not first-timers at the Emmys. Kit Hoover and Natalie Morales are up for “Access Hollywood Live.” Hoover was previously nominated in 2014 for Best Entertainment News Program for “Access Hollywood,” while Morales was a 2007 Emmy winner for Best Morning Program for “Today.”

Do you think Pickler and Aaron will be able to overcome that tough competition to win on their rookie nomination for Best Informative Talk Show Host?

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