The bosses at ABC have struck Edward Snowden from the top of the list of people worthy of mention on the special "Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of the Year." He'll have to settle for runner-up.

According to the New York Daily News, executives at the network nixed Snowden for top honors. The new number one will be revealed during the special and is ritually not included on the advance list. The other also-rans include Jennifer Lawrence, Miley Cyrus, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West (as one KimYe unit), the cast of "Duck Dynasty," Diana Nyad, Robin Roberts, Pope Francis, and baby Prince George (who we were so hoping would be granted his rightful place at the top of the "Most Fascinating" list).

Speculation has arisen that the decision may have to do with the fact that Snowden will pretty much only work with Glenn Greenwald—his segment on the special will consist mainly of old interview clips and narration—and that number one must be interview-able. But a network spokesperson claim that's not the case:

People are fascinating no matter if we interview them or not. The most fascinating decision is not made based on who we interview. You will just have to watch and find out who is number one.

We're rooting for Rob Ford.

[image via Getty]