In August, Mike Darnell was elevated to president of alternative entertainment at Fox, making him the only nonscripted executive at the broadcast networks to claim such a title. That promotion came after weeks of heated wrangling, during which he was courted by several reality shops and network entertainment heads, including NBC's newly named programming chief Ben Silverman.

Why fight over the reality guy at a network? He's crafty, he's competitive and he can turn around a reality concept in less time than most execs take lunch. And it doesn’t hurt that he oversees TV's biggest hit, American Idol. Parent News Corp.'s renewed support of Darnell underscores his role as a key player in Fox's rise to become the top network among 18-49 viewers.

Darnell's developed a host of other shows that are helping keep Fox in the ratings race even when AI isn't on. This summer worked particularly well for the reality exec, with Hell's Kitchen averaging a 4.2/11 among 18-49 viewers; So You Think You Can Dance averaging a 3.8/12 in the demo; and Don't Forget the Lyrics!, averaging a 3.1/10.

It hasn't been all roses and sunshine for Darnell. Earlier this summer, Fox suffered a major blow with the failure of its high-profile moviemaking contest show, On the Lot, executive produced by Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg. More recently, the network canceled, after one episode, its reality sitcom Anchorwoman, in which former WWE wrestler/ model Lauren Jones attempted to begin a new career as a news anchor.

But taking the good with the bad is part of any programmer's job. Darnell is no exception. His ability to bounce back keeps him king of the nonscripted hill. —A.J. Frutkin