Was anyone else hugely disappointed by tonight's "reunion special"? When I think of a reunion and an end-of-season wrap-up, I imagine an hour chock-full of seeing and learning new things, combined with the contestants reuniting — as in, being in the same room at the same time, talking among themselves about the experience. See Survivor or even the CW's very own America's Next Top Model for examples. Halfway through the show I actually checked my DVR's guide to see if this was a two-hour special, given that they hadn't gotten to the "reunion" part. Alas, it was not so. (Damn you, One Tree Hill!)Yes, we saw snippets of their audition tapes. But we hardly learned anything new. We already knew that the nerds on this show can recite pi, that Drew loves Star Trek, and that Mario has an extensive comic-book collection. We're also well aware that the beauties date a lot, shop a lot and flirt a lot. I don't think I'd seen Sanjay's computer-tech championship belt before, but I swear I'v...
read more
Well, all is right again in the world of BATG. I know many (including myself) were put off by Ceci's bullying and manipulating antics and feared that her winning would ruin the spirit of the show. Thanks to the much-publicized twist, Ceci's character (or lack thereof) was made even more apparent (who knew that was possible) in the last 24 hours, and the booted-off geeks and beauties awarded the more deserving, humble and appreciative team. I wouldn't necessarily say that Megan and Scooter were the two who most transcended their respective "beauty" and "geek" labels, but by the end they certainly proved deserving of their victory. The first half hour seemed to crawl by as finalists Scooter, Megan, Nate and Ceci each tried to introduce to their teammate something they thought their partner wouldn't know. It wasn't that I was bored — no, I was glad to learn that Ceci's past includes cheerleading (unsurprising) as well as a year as a professional dancer (surprising). And I loved h...
read more
It was bound to happen: a BF versus GF matchup in the elimination room. But comparing it to a Greek tragedy, Nate? I wouldn't take it that seriously. However, at least he and Jennylee recognize the competition's deeper (if reality TV can be deep) elements of respecting others and broadening yourself. Ceci continues to be equal parts inconsiderate, aloof and conceited. Granted, it could be a case of being in front of the camera as well as some drama-inducing editing. But if so, how to explain the fact that several times in this episode, Ceci's housemates attempted to "discuss Cecille with Cecille" as Scooter put it. To that end, the oft-weepy Niels was this time shockingly blunt, confrontational and dry-eyed, saying to her, "The attitudes you're espousing are disgusting." But their comments were met with more insults and cussing from Ceci.Tonight's episode showcased all the intra-team bonding that's been going on by creating a single challenge that the teams would complete together. ...
read more
Noooo!! My favorite team is out of the game! Sent packing based on semantics, no less, if you ask me. "Mimicking" versus "mirroring"? Seriously? And after Nate aped Mario's strategy, stole his ladies and only narrowly beat him. Talk about mirroring!Mario and Nadia competed well together, encouraged and supported each other, and had a mutual respect. They got along so well, evidenced in the end by their tearful and sweet farewell. Goodbye, Team Mario-Nadia. Alas, that leaves three teams, as well as the Jennylee-Nate coupling, whose pairing off maintains BATG's one-match-per-season tally. Not two minutes into tonight's episode, we were presented with black-and-white nightcam footage of things getting a little more serious. And near the end of the hour, when it was possible Jennylee could be headed home, the couple made it to first base. I tend to agree with bloggers' comments that Nate deserves better than Jennylee. OK, she gives Nate a self-esteem boost and is seemingly sweet to him,...
read more
Lots of lessons learned among the beautiful and the brainy on tonight's show. Above all, the geeks discovered a way to get the girls serious and focused: Take them to the gym. Mario and Nate's jokes were so not funny to teammates Nadia and Ceci! Guys, the work out is sacrosanct! But then studying by the pool is so... borrring, whined Ceci, and Nate was required to be a little confrontational. Speaking of Ceci, as her real hair color grows in, her not-so-stupid and not-so-nice demeanor is also coming to the fore. But to be fair, we saw more of everyone's real personality, thanks to a road trip to San Diego and a yacht party. The combination of champagne, fresh ocean air, wind in their faces, and a romantic sunset turned everyone back into best buds again, and things got more touchy-feely, both figuratively and literally.There were not one but two Leo/Titanic reenactments, first from a few of the nerds ("We're the coolest geeks in the world!") gazing aloft, and then from Erin. I'm hop...
read more
I hope you all didn't skip this Beauty and the Geek just because American Idol's back on. C'mon! Tonight's episode proffered not only this season's geek makeovers, but some first dates, some guys shopping in the women's department, more fighting and several unprecedented events never before seen in BATG history, if my memory of Seasons 1 and 2 serves me correctly. Plus, in my weekly quest to see each gender in this competition break stereotypes, tonight I was satisfied to see self-image issues and tears among the men (and Nate's emotion over chopping off his hair), plus cussing and smackdowns (albeit of a verbal, not physical, nature) among the women. The geeks had a precious 30 minutes to buy a new wardrobe (though it looked to me like they each bought only one outfit). Poor Mario left the store feeling "awful about [his] body type" due to his struggle to find clothes that fit. His particular shopping experience was (I'm guessing) not something this show's model-size beauties strug...
read more
Even though tonight’s episode started with that much-flaunted “threesome,” I’ll get to that later. Perhaps the most important lesson revealed tonight wasn’t gleaned from a producer-induced challenge but merely from what happens when a gaggle of girls spend a few days frolicking around a mansion and revert back to the high-school hierarchy. That phase of life is all about cliques. It didn’t matter how comfortable Andrea and Sheree were “in their own skin” (as said Sheree) or how much they studied. Popularity (the blonde clique) seems to have trumped ability (the poised, articulate and hardworking brunettes) in this mansion. And as far as the show teaching “reality,” this latest development (I don’t think the first and second seasons were as clique-ish) certainly qualifies. I’m not defending the “gaggle of blondes” (nor was I remotely popular in high school), but sometimes networking in life is more advantageous tha...
read more
Well, the third cycle of Beauty and the Geek has arrived, with all the respective stereotypes in tow. On the nerd side, we have the dateless and/or virgins, a gross absence of social skills, some quantum-physics banter, and MIT, Harvard and Trekkies — er, Trekkers — represented. The beauties bubble with confidence — or with idiot commentary about modeling, cheerleading and beauty pageants — and hail from Hooters and Playboy. Five of the ladies are blonde (real or faux), and all eight men wear eyeglasses, so this season’s giving a lot of play to the assumed defining feature of each contingent.But the best part of this show is its ability to both laugh at and challenge the assumptions given the contestants as they at times embrace such stereotypes with confidence, or shed them and reveal their depth and commonalities. Prime example: the pairing-off situation, in which teammates were chosen with their backs turned, basing decisions only on what they said, not h...
read more
