BATG's Sparring Duo Calls Truce in Final Round

Jen Carter and William McDonald got off to a rocky start from Day 1 of Beauty and the Geek(8 pm/ET, CW). The twosome, ousted in last week's episode, made amends just days before their departure, finally learning to work together as a team and to compromise. They explained to TVGuide.com all they'd been through — including hair loss and a lot of stress — and opined on which of the two remaining teams is more deserving of the win.

TVGuide.com: Wow, it's been an interesting experience for you two. I've seen all four cycles of BATG, and I don't think I've ever seen a team argue as much.
Jen Carter: Yeah.... [Laughs]
William McDonald: Yay for record-setters!

TVGuide.com: So when did things between the two of you really go bad? It seemed like it was the superhero challenge.
William: I think it was from the very first day. She found out that I didn't really want to be her partner. How did you [Jen] know, anyway?
Jen: One of the beauties actually told me, I forget who, that you said out of all the beauties, I was the only one that you didn't want to be paired up with. I admit I was a little bit hurt, definitely. I didn't realize that it was a deeper issue, that I reminded him of kids who used to tease him.
William: Yeah, there wasn't any one thing that set things apart, just hostility back and forth. We were kind of aggressive from the beginning and that kept building and building. At the superhero challenge it just boiled over.

TVGuide.com: Did your personalities clash?
William: Yeah, I'm very stubborn and opinionated. I was convinced that my way was the right way.
Jen: And I'm an only child, so I'm used to being heard and not so much getting my way, but at least being understood. So it was frustrating because I couldn’t get through to him no matter what.

TVGuide.com: William, you said that Jen reminded you of some of the people that picked on you in high school. But didn't the other beauties remind you of that, too? What about Sam?
William: You didn't see many times that I'm actually dealing with Sam. I avoided him pretty regularly — you keep your space, I'll keep mine. It was like the fight-or-flight syndrome, when you're really intimidated by someone. I was intimidated by Jen from the beginning, but I couldn't run away from her, so I bucked up and tried to be as dominant as possible and be extra-strong mentally and extra-opinionated and extra-stubborn.

TVGuide.com: The other beauties didn't affect you that way?
William: The other beauties weren't really as stubborn with me. Well, Shay was somewhat, but I also gave her some distance. But the [others] were kind of passive.

TVGuide.com: In the last few days, you guys started getting along. What changed? Did something instigate that?
Jen: I think it was the realization that we're already this close, and we've already gone through so much with other.
William: [We were thinking] we've got to at least attempt to get to know each other and get along because of all the other people who really wanted to be there. I felt like being as childish as I was, that was actually insulting everyone else like Luke, Tony, and John and Natalie who really wanted to be there. 
Jen: Yeah, that was a big part of it — to not have had Natalie and John go home [from Mexico] for nothing, when I'm sure a lot of people really felt that we were the team to go home. So we really wanted to make an effort to show that we did want to be there and they didn't go home in vain.

TVGuide.com: In Mexico you both said you wanted to leave the show. Was it stressful?
Jen: I was just saying that because William and I were arguing so much. I wanted to not argue anymore and get away from him, and if that meant leaving the show and not having those fights anymore, then that's what it took.
William: I really don’t like being angry. And I was angry from the superhero challenge [on]. I was like, I do not enjoy this, I need to calm down. I want to go. I'm done with it. I can only handle so much tension!
Jen: By the end of the show, my hair was falling out. I was overeating, gaining weight — I was a mess!
William: I was exhausted all the time and started trying to power-nap every now and then so I could shut down for a little bit.

TVGuide.com: You don't regret doing the show, do you?
William: No, not at all. It was a huge epiphany for me, watching the show from an outside perspective.
Jen: No, I had such a great time. I mean obviously the fighting made some moments not as fun as others. But for the most part, it was a great experience. I had such a great time, and I've been really enjoying watching the show and reliving those memories.

TVGuide.com: So who do you want to win?
William: I really want Dave and Jasmine to win.
Jen: I’m happy for both teams [that are left]. But I think I'm siding more with David and Jasmine.

TVGuide.com: Why is that?
William: Nothing against Nicole, but Sam was acting like a major jerk towards the end, being really competitive. It seems like he's studying a bit more, but he's just doing it for the competition.
Jen: Sam and Nicole have come really far. They've already won a lot of challenges, they've already transformed. And I feel like it's a bigger transformation for Jasmine and Dave to win than it would be for Sam and Nicole. My first impression of Nicole was that she's really not a geek. I've seen geekier girls! I really felt like Nicole didn't need to [change] much, and since Sam's been winning, he's already proved that he's smart.

TVGuide.com: William, let's talk about your makeover. Did you keep your hair red?
William: Yes, I'm keeping it red. I know Jen doesn't like it, but I think I look pretty cool as a redhead.
Jen: I didn't want you to be offended by [my opinion]. I just think with your skin tone, I like you better as a blond. But I really like blond curly hair and just think that's cute. I wanna keep you looking like me! [Laughs] I already told you [William] I liked the outfit you had on, that made him look really good, too.

TVGuide.com: How did the experience change the two of you?
William: I think I'm not nearly as pigheaded now. I listen more to others. I wish I'd listened to Jen more.
Jen: Aww! It made me more sensitive to other people like William, who may have things from their past that are still eating away at them. It's also given me more confidence, just [seeing William] persevere through things. I know now that in my life, too, I can persevere through hard times.
William: Also, I made a horrible, horrible snap judgment on Jen, and now I realize that I don't know everything. I'm not a know-it-all.

TVGuide.com: On that note, is it pronounced caberney or cabernet?
William: [Makes anguished sound] There are two kinds! There were two bottles. I actually showed them to Jen.
Jen: There were two [kinds].
William: I may have mispronounced it, but there's cabernet, and apparently there's some bottle really similar to mint julep that's sweet, like sugar first, that's spelled just like "cabinet" that I pronounced phonetically.

TVGuide.com: And have you agreed on whether muscle weighs more than fat?
William: No, no, no! We're not opening that can of worms! I refuse to.... No, nix that question.
Jen: The only thing we agree on is that muscle is more dense than fat.
William: Right.

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